A Coffee with Reina VanGenderen from VanGenderen Canada Inc.

Join us for a coffee and chat with Reina VanGenderen, owner of VanGenderen Canada Inc. 

Reina, originally from Holland in the Netherlands, began her career as an elementary school teacher. However, her life took a surprising turn when she met her husband, Adrian, who was deeply involved in the world of cranes. Adrian's family business in the Netherlands revolved around cranes, and his passion for these machines was contagious.

In the year 2000, Reina and Adrian decided to explore Canada and instantly fell in love with the country. Determined to make it their permanent home, they embarked on the journey of becoming Canadian citizens. In 2003, Adrian received a job opportunity to work for a Canadian company that was importing a crane from the Netherlands. They needed someone with specialized knowledge of the crane, and Adrian fit the bill perfectly.

The crane in question was a Spierings crane, a unique combination of an all-terrain crane and a tower crane. These specialized cranes have the ability to maneuver and transport heavy loads in ways that differ from traditional cranes.

In 2005, Reina and Adrian moved to Fort McMurray and later decided to start their own company, VanGenderen Canada. They saw great potential in the market and believed that their experience and knowledge of cranes would be valuable. As their business grew, they made the decision to relocate to Acheson, a move that allowed them to expand their operations and reach a wider clientele.

Today, VanGenderen Canada is a true family business, with Reina and Adrian at the helm. Their children also play a significant role in the company, helping out wherever they can. Currently, VanGenderen Canada proudly owns the only two Spierings cranes in North America, with a third one on its way.

Reina and Adrian's journey from Holland to Canada has been one of passion, determination, and success. Their love for cranes has not only brought them closer as a family but has also allowed them to carve out a niche in the Canadian market. With their expertise and the unique capabilities of the Spierings cranes, they continue to make a significant impact in the industry.

Transcript

0:13

Well, good morning, everybody, and welcome to another edition of the ABA Coffee In The Park. My name is Cam Milliken, and I'm here with my co-host extraordinaire, the amazing Jennifer Herrick, the executive director of the Acheson Business Association. Good morning, Jennifer. Good morning, Cam, how are you today? Oh, I'm doing great. The sun is shining, it's warm outside. What a beautiful day. It sure is. Yep, the weather just feels wonderful, and it's probably gonna stay till, well, hopefully till April. But I doubt it, but hey, what a great day today. Absolutely. Hey, tell us about some important people. Well, we would like to thank our gold corporate sponsors, which include the MyShak Group of Companies, Genics, and of course, Parkland County. Without these individual businesses, we wouldn't be able to do what we do, so thank you very much to all of them. Thank you is right. We appreciate it, and we want to let you know that we are coming to you from the Wall Coffee Roasters in the heart of beautiful Downtown Acheson. That's right. So if you hear some noises in the background, maybe some coffee-whirring things going on, children screaming, that kind of stuff, it's because we're doing this right in the coffee shop. And Cam, you know what? People should get down here. I know. Well, not only for the regular coffee, but for those special holiday drinks. That's right. Michael has some excellent Christmas drinks that are absolutely amazing. He does. Plus, I'm going to say, I think that Michael's coffee would be something really awesome to use in some stocking stuffers. 100% great stocking stuffer gifts. Coffee, gift cards, all that kind of stuff. So hey, just something for you to think about, but come on down to the wall, Coffee Roasters in the heart of beautiful downtown Acheson. And Jennifer, any announcements we want to make before we get started today? Well, we have our Christmas campaign. Yes. So for over 19 years, the business community has been collecting new unwrapped toys and food in support of the Christmas hamper program for the tri-region community. For the kids. For the kids. And the collection day is this Friday at Western Star Trucks North. Oh, I am so excited about this because we collect like hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of toys to give to kids who don't get much at Christmas. The business community really comes together for this and it's fantastic. So tell us a little bit about what it's going to look like on Friday. So on Friday, starting at 1 p.m., you can stop by Western Star Trucks North to donate either a new unwrapped toy, gift cards or food. We have a Festival of Trees Cam, so people can walk through the beautiful Festival of Trees. This is the first. In fact, our guest this year has a tree in the Festival of Trees. So we'll talk a little bit about that. And then we're going to do a little fun networking event starting at 5 p.m. to celebrate the holiday season, at which time we're going to live auction off some of those trees. That's going to be phenomenal. So if you haven't got your Christmas tree yet, maybe you've been lagging behind a little bit. And you know what, I was at Michael's on the weekend, picking up our Christmas tree for Genics. And you know what, they didn't have any Christmas trees left. I know, they're going fast. I know. So if you're one of those people who have waited too long, you need to come on Friday and bid on a tree and take it home. That's right. It'll be all decorated everything. It's perfect. And we are auctioning off one more thing that I think is absolutely incredible. Well, I sure hope it is. So Cam, you and I are auctioning off lunch with us. With you and me. Yeah, the podcast hosts. You can bid on having lunch with Jennifer and Cam. That's right. Five course. Five course meal. One of them is all you can eat. It's going to be phenomenal. It will. And so, hey, all the money goes to the kids. All the money. I personally think we're worth a lot of money. I hope everybody else does too, so that we can raise a bucket load of money for the kids. Even if they don't, Cam, be charitable. Yeah, that's right. Just be charitable. And feel sorry for us. And you know what? When we have lunch with you, you can ask us anything you want. That's right. Almost. But anything you want. It'll be great. It'll be fun. And if you live close enough, we'll pick you up. Maybe. But if you live far away, you're on your own. But anyway, nonetheless, hey, listen, just it's going to be a great day on Friday. So let's get into it today because I'm really excited about our guest. Jennifer, introduce our guest. So Cam, our guest is another fantastic. Here we go with the word again, Achesonite. Yes, Achesonite. Yes. Yes. So I am so pleased that she has agreed to come on. So I'd like to introduce Reina VanGenderen, the owner of VanGenderen Canada. Right on. Reina, welcome. Welcome. Thank you so much for having me. Yeah, good to have you. We're excited that you're here. We sure are. So let's kick it off. Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where did you grow up because it wasn't in Canada? No, I grew up in the Netherlands or Holland, and I lived there till I was in my thirties. Wow, in Holland? Yes. The place of dikes and windmills. You got those? Okay, so before we... And wooden shoes. And wooden shoes and tulips. I forgot about the wooden, and tulips. You guys have a lot going for you. That's unbelievable. Okay, before we go any further, I'm going to ask is... I don't... Why are you laughing? You know what I'm going to ask. Is this story true about the little boy who stuck his finger in the dike so that Holland didn't get flooded? Yes, that story is absolutely true. Come on! See, that blows me away. It wasn't a little boy though, but it was somebody. But it was somebody stuck their finger in the dike. Unbelievable. Until help came, yeah. All right, because those of us who are a little bit older, we read that story when we were kids, and now I know that's true. Anyway, that's just kind of a side note. So tell us a little bit about growing up in Holland. What was that like? For me, it was normal, because that was all I knew. And yeah, I just... When I compare it to Canada, it's not that different. You know, we had even snow. But back then, the winters were a bit more severe. So we had snow. We had like ice. We could skate on rivers and canals. On the canals? Yeah, that's right. Yeah. So we did that. How many people live in Holland? A lot. A lot on a very small... That's the best answer yet. You know what? Canada is so spread out. Yeah, I mean, we are. That's why I asked. And Alberta is spread out. Yeah. Let's say it this way. There's about 18 million people living in a 40th of Alberta. Really? Yes. 40th. So is it crowded? Is it... Yeah. Yeah, very crowded. Yeah. Wow. Very organized. That's incredible. Very organized. Yeah. Wow. So what did your parents do growing up? What did your mom and dad do? My dad was a police officer. Okay. Yeah. Okay. In Holland. Yes. Yeah. And my mom was growing up, she helped her parents in a dairy store. Okay. They had a... Like they were the milkman that came to the door. And she helped with that. Yeah. Wow. Yeah. You don't have that anymore. They don't come to the door no more. But anyways, that's pretty cool. Yeah. That's really awesome. Yeah. And did you have siblings, brothers and sisters? I have three, and they are still alive. And where are you in the order? I'm the youngest. You're the youngest. So you had spoiled. Oh, you're the spoiled child. They can. No, I say that because everybody knows I'm an only child and I got spoiled. And I think the spoiled people need to stick together because people get mad at it. But listen, we deserve to be spoiled. Anyway, so you're the spoiled one. So are they all still over in Holland? Yeah. Like my husband and my family are all in Holland. So you went to high school there, and then you did post-secondary in the Netherlands. And what did you decide to do? I decided to become an elementary school teacher. Yeah. Wow. Which I did until I switched to Cranes. OK. Teacher to Cranes. We'll get into that in just a second. You taught, what grade? Mostly grade three. Grade three. OK. Good. Yeah. Grade three. And that was good. You liked that? That was all right? Those little grade threers? Yeah. The kids were fun. The kids were fun. So that begs the question then. How did you get from well, grade three teaching to Cranes? And in Canada. In Canada. So give us a little bit of the journey there. That's quite the story. Yeah. Yeah. So we have to start with meeting my husband, whose life and breath was Cranes. Right. Back then, he was part of a family company in the Netherlands. And we met, we dated, we got married, and I was growing into the crane business with him. And then we had never taken a trip, like a summer trip. We always allowed ourselves to go ski one week every winter, and that was it. And then we decided we wanted to go on a trip, and it became Canada. Okay. So we went, visited Canada in the year 2000. Where did you come to? We flew to Calgary and did a little RV trip to Vancouver Island. Oh, yeah. And yeah, beautiful. We fell actually in love with the country, and with the people, and with the space. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So we're a little more wide open. Yeah. Yeah. So, and then we decided to apply for a visa. We knew that that whole process was going to be lengthy. So we, it could be up to two years. Right. So would you say that that was more of a business decision or just a lifestyle change? Lifestyle change, I would say. Yeah. Yeah. And, but then stuff got like sped up. How do I explain the whole process? Like there was a company here in this area that decided to buy a crane that was manufactured in the Netherlands. And that they, they heard that we had immigration plans. And they wanted to go, somebody with that crane that was an expert. They knew that crane. Operating, training people, repairing it. I'm going to interrupt you a little bit, because people, when they think of cranes, we think of what we see on the truck, or those large boom cranes. The cranes that you guys operate are different. Explain to us a little bit about that. Yeah, they're a bit different. They're actually the combination of like an all-terrain crane and a tower crane. So the crane folds up fully on a truck, and can go over the road. And then when it comes to a work site, it's set up in 20 minutes. And then functions as a tower crane. Right, there's a name for this type of crane, isn't there? Yeah, well, that's the brand name. It's called Spierings. Spierings, okay. All right. And so it's the kind of crane that isn't necessarily a straight out boom crane. No. It can act, it goes up horizontally and then moves vertically. Yes, correct. Yeah. All right. Which gives the advantage? In what way? In the way that it has a very small footprint, and it can bring up something on a pretty high roof, like very far in, without having to struggle with that angle that another altering crane, like an hydraulic crane, has. And so when you came to Canada, your husband obviously was sought after because he knew that crane. He knew how to work that crane. He knew how to fix that crane. It sounds like it was almost a niche kind of specialty. Yes. So there were probably very few people that knew how to do that. But you didn't necessarily settle in this area right away. You did, but then you moved. Yes. So where did you move? Yeah, like so we came in 2003 with basically attachment of that crane. And then in 2005 already, we moved to Fort McMurray. Okay. Yeah. And he was in the crane business there. Did you have your own business in Fort McMurray? We started it later on. Yes. Okay. And how long did you live in Fort McMurray? About 18 years. 18 years. Wow. So what did you think of living in Fort McMurray versus coming from the Netherlands? What did you think of that? To be honest, like me and my family, we all loved living there. It was a small community, like everybody looks out for each other very much there. Nobody has family there. Like everybody is from somewhere. It's true though, isn't it, about Fort McMurray? A lot of Newfoundlanders come to Fort McMurray, well, people from everywhere, really, to work in the oil sands. We have friends from everywhere around the world. Yeah, so it was a melting pot of people. Yeah, we got very close with our church family. We call them family, because that was all we had there. Sure, yeah. Wow, and you liked Fort McMurray. Yeah. Nice place to live. You know, it's interesting because people tell me that. Like when we think Fort McMurray, I don't know if I'd ever want to live there, but everybody who's lived in Fort McMurray says they love it. It's a great place to live. It is. And it must be because part of it, the big part of it, the community sense. Everybody looks out for each other, and you kind of have to make it work. Because you have to feel in your emote. Yeah. So you want to make it something. You want to make it something. Yeah, exactly. I like that. I think anybody up there working in business, and especially entrepreneurial, that's it. Yeah. And I think that's the true Albertan way. I think so. Yeah, I know. I agree. And I think, yeah, you want to find your community and you want to build within your community, and those become, I like what you said, Reina, they're friends now. They're family. They're family now. So I think that's pretty cool. So you started your own business in Fort McMurray. Tell us a little bit about that. What brought that upon? Just woke up one morning and said, we're going to have our own crane. Just to refer back to Jennifer, where the entrepreneurial spirit was still there. And we felt it was time. It was the right time. The economy was booming and it was just the right time and place. And good place to be. Circumstances, yeah. Because these cranes are unique, aren't they? Yeah, and we did not start with those cranes. Because we, like the company that owned them, we bought it from them at a certain point. And yes, we now have the only two cranes in North America of that brand, of the Spierings brand. And we have a very exciting new thing to announce, because the bigger version is on its way from the Netherlands. Oh, yes. Breaking news again, Cam. It's coming to action. Breaking news. It's breaking news. That's right. The heart of downtown Acheson wants to announce. I love getting breaking news. That's right. So this is, it's coming from where? The Netherlands. It's coming from the Netherlands. To Acheson. To Acheson. Oh, okay. And when is the expected arrival date? Well, the expected arrival date was already a couple weeks ago. It's not coming Canada Post, is it? Okay, now we're shouting, Canada Post. We said that Canada Post is on strike, so it'll be a while. There were lots of strikes that involved this too. There were strikes in the harbor. Oh, that's right. Yeah. And then, yeah, there was quite some hiccups, but we're happy to announce it is in Canada. Okay. But it's not here yet. Yeah. All right. Yeah, there's some holdings. But I think that's exciting. But before we kind of go, so you were in Fort McMurray, you started your own business. Were you there for the fires? Yes, we were there during the fires. Tell us, that must have been something else, eh? Yeah, that was quite the story. Did you lose your house? Did you know? you were good? No, our house was fine. Yeah. But you had to evacuate, obviously. Oh my gosh. Was your family one of those, it just seemed like everything was so, all of a sudden it's here and you have to go. It was really scattered. I was actually serving at school when everybody had to evacuate. Oh, wow. Yeah. So I stayed as one of the last ones there. And actually, there was a couple of kids that could not get picked up because their parents could not come to the school. So I said, oh, they live in my area. So I put them all in my vehicle. I phoned the parents first to say, hey, shall I? So my vehicle was full with kids that did not belong to me. And then I was one of the last ones getting through a certain road before it got closed. So I could drop those kids all off with their parents. Isn't that amazing? That's incredible. But there have been teachers, but also other people that ended up with total strangers in other areas. I just have to say, like you telling that, it gives me a little bit of chills, because I think it's just amazing how you and others would just chip in to do that. Like just you recognize what needed to happen, and yet you were in the midst of something terrible, and you knew what you had to do. Incredible. And so how old were your kids at the time? Because you must have thought about your family, as well as you're helping these other kids. Kind of scared, too. The kids were like some were in high school, some were in elementary, so we... The ages, I think somewhere between 7 and 17. Wow. But you all got out, everything was okay? We all got out. It took us 6 hours to get from our house to the border of the city. 6 hours. Wow. Yeah. And then... And it took us like 13 hours to get at our friend's farm in Stony Plain. Wow. Yeah. And just leaving everything and not knowing must have been just... I can't imagine. Yeah. Incredible. Yeah. Okay. So, wow, what an experience. Obviously, not many have gone through that. But you started something in Fort McMurray. What brought you to Acheson? Well, the business itself, and those cranes are more or less construction cranes. Yes. So, the work field is bigger here in the Edmonton area for us. And yeah, that brought us here. Plus, we have a nice facility here to work from at Acheson. So, Zone 3, beautiful location, that's right. I find it interesting because there's no short supply of crane companies in Acheson. No, every corner of the street has a crane company. That's a great way to put it. Every corner, there's a crane company. People say, what is your industrial, what's the big thing in your industrial park? Cranes, I think, cranes. So, I find that interesting that you would come to Acheson. And was that, was there a specific reason you chose Acheson? Did you know at the time there was like a crane company on every corner or? Kind of, yeah. But no, it was also again the right place and time. And it's so close to the highway. Yes, it's a great location. Acheson is a great location. And what about the, obviously there's a lot of crane companies. What about the relationship? Like are crane companies tight knit? Do you not talk to each other? Do you hate each other? Do you like get mad at each other? Do you? Maybe all of the above. No. Okay, the honesty of that is great. I love that. But we have a good relationship with all of them. Yes. Yeah. That's good. Yeah. I like that. You work, there are a lot of you here and you work together. I think that's really interesting. So you moved to Acheson. This is where you really started your business. How was that? Was that tough? Was it tough going? Was it... I mean, starting your own business is never easy. We know that, but how's that been? You have to get out and put yourself on the map again. And show off the nice product you have. And you had a unique product. A bit of a niche there. Yeah, yeah. And it's catching on. Yeah. So we're very thankful for that. And it's exciting to hear about your new crane. That's pretty incredible. Yes, we're very excited about that. So that'll take you to another level, I would think. For sure. Wow, that's fantastic. Yeah, we had actually a job last week that needed to happen with the one, and we couldn't do it yet. We had to bring one of those big all-terrain cranes in to be able to do the job. But it would have been so much easier to use this one. Yeah. Right. So whoever's delivering the crane, hurry up. That's all you have to say. Get it over here. They need it now. But I think, like, so many businesses, especially out in Acheson, your business is a bit of a family business. So talk to us about that. Yeah. Who's involved? To start with, it's mom and pop, of course. Like, it's my husband and I do. Like, we were the only ones for a long time. And we have some children involved. One is administration, and another one is a mechanical engineer technician. So that works out very well in the shop. And then some other children lend their help with some computer-based services. And yeah, we can always use labor. Yeah, yeah. You and everyone else out here at Acheson. Give us the pros and cons of a family business. Let's start with the pros. What are the pros of a family business? The pros is like, it's our life. It's our pride. It's like something we work for as a team. And I can't even think of another lifestyle at all, but yeah. What are the cons? Are there any? Well, I would say like, it never stops. It doesn't stop. It's the talk at the supper table. Right. So wait, because when we met before, and you have to share this with us, when you met your future husband, he told you a line about cranes before you got married. So you knew what we were getting into. Share what he told you, because I think it's fantastic. Sorry, Adrian, but I have to share it. Adrian, she's saying it with a smile on her face. With love. With love. We feel the love. There is still love. He said, sorry, honey, cranes come first. Yeah. Cranes come first. Cranes come first. So he gave me the choice. Yeah. And shall I repeat what I said? Yes. Yes. I was so madly in love, I decided to give it a go. Yes. That's the part I liked right there. I was so madly in love, I decided to give it a go. Yeah, I love that. That's great. And like you said, it's become such a part of who you are, it's become a part of who your family is, and it's your life. Yeah. I think it's pretty amazing. A lot of people who listen to us are in family businesses, and there are pros and cons, for sure. And when I hear your story, I just think it's amazing. I can just tell that you are, this is your family, this is what you do, and it's what makes you strong. Yeah. Yeah, that's how we feel too. It's like a force. Sure. Yeah. And not all your kids are in the family business, and you're okay with that. They all do their own thing. They all have their choice, right? Yeah, sure. But yeah, there is all kinds of, we didn't even share how many we have, but there's five children. Five children. The age from right now? 15 up to 25. Okay. Yeah. Okay. Five children. And are they all living in home, or are they are some married or not? No, and they are basically also scattered over the world. Okay. Yeah. Most are in this area, but we have one living in the Netherlands, following a biology study there. Right. And in the new year, another daughter is going there to work actually at this same crane factory. Really? Where the crane is coming from. Is that right? Yeah. So talk about full circle. Well, I love that. It's kind of cool. It is. It's too bad she's not there now, that she could expedite the crane getting over here, but nonetheless. Well, that's really interesting. That's really cool. Yeah. That's something. Now, you guys must be exciting for this. That is very exciting. Yeah, for sure. Yeah. Yeah. That's really awesome. Yeah. And then we have one that is into computer programming. Yeah. And also here in Edmonton. And then we spoke about the third daughter that's working in the office with me. Right. And we have a high schooler. Okay. Yeah. Wow. Yeah. That's really something. So you've told us about the new crane that's coming. That's obviously a big thing. What's the future of the company? What? Where do you want to go? What do you? What's what's the dream? Um, besides retirement. What's the dream? Does it sound like you're going to retire any time soon? That's the thing. The retirement is, we don't even know what that would look like. It will probably involve cranes. Yes. That's right. Everyone would go golfing, you'd go look at cranes. Yeah, without without cranes, there's no life for Adrian anyways. But yeah, the dream is to to be like the provider of choice, like especially with this type of crane. But we have we have more cranes than only those spierings cranes. We have a fleet with like we basically can offer everything. And you have how many employees you have? We have about, I would say we're about with 12, like everybody included. Yeah, yeah, that's great. That's fantastic. Yeah. And just in terms of economy and things that are going on in Alberta, is the crane business good right now? Is it is do you feel the economy is in a good place in Alberta or? Like it's okay now. Yeah. Yeah. Like of course we had the boom years and then, and then we have the, we had the not so great times, but it's in an upward. Yeah. Well, and hopefully the new crane is going to bring in, what's the heaviest thing you ever lifted? Is that a dumb question? No, it's not. Because I think of cranes and I think, what is the heaviest thing? It's not dumb at all. I know. If I mention now something, I'll probably forget what it really was. Yeah. Because obviously, your cranes are very niche and they're used specifically for certain things, and you explain that a little bit. But I always wonder, what is the heaviest thing they've ever had to lift onto a roof or onto somewhere? Yeah. Incredible. It is. Yeah. They just, it's, yeah. Okay. Wow. Time has flown. It has. This has been great. Yeah. So we have one final question that we ask all of our guests. What is the best piece of advice you've been given, either personally or professionally, that you carry with you to this day? I would say that you should always stay true to yourself. Don't pretend that you're a different person. Don't pretend that, be honest. That brings you everywhere. And if you cannot do something, be humble about that, too. Yeah. But actually, our motto is we never say no, except it's no problem. It's no problem. I like that. That's fantastic. That's great. That is. We need to write that one. That's really good. That's fantastic. It is. And such great advice for at any point in your life, right? Yeah. What a journey. I love hearing your story. I love your journey. I think it's fascinating. And again, lots of people who listen to our podcast around the world are business people, some of them in family businesses, just like yours. And I would hope, and I think it will, that your story will, again, just ignite some passion and some excitement again of the family business. Because I believe that's, it's the backbone of who we are, is our family businesses. And we admire them. I agree. Yeah. Incredible. Absolutely. Thank you so much. Thank you. It's been great. It has. And hey, everybody. So yeah, don't forget, this Friday, Western Star Trucks, the Toys For Kids, and the lunch auctioning off me and Jennifer. That sounds kind of weird. Auctioning off me and Jennifer for lunch, for the kids. And you know what? It is. I know that this is really dear to our heart, and as a podcast and as the ABA, there's a lot of kids that just don't get to celebrate Christmas the way a lot of us do. And so, hey, let's all come together and let's try and make and give them a super great Christmas. Absolutely. And one more thing we need from Reina. Yes. Where can people find you? They're looking for a crane Reina. Is there a WWW out there somewhere? We have a WWW. We shortened our name though. It's vgcanada.com. vgcanada.com. All right. Yeah. Hey, was there people from your company in the coffee shop this morning? I thought I saw some VG trucks out there. That's is very well possible. Could be. Having a good, nice coffee. In beautiful downtown Acheson. In beautiful downtown Acheson. And I'm like, I know those people. I don't know them, but I recognize. Anyway, fantastic. Well, thank you, everybody. It's been a great addition of another ABA Coffee In The Park. Make sure that you tell people about our podcast. Tell your friends, tell your family, tell your neighbors. If you don't have any friends, make one so you can tell them about it, too. Tell your enemies, tell everybody, and you can get this podcast wherever you get your podcast or at www.Achesonbusiness.com. Thanks, everybody. Have a great week. We'll see you next time. Thanks, everyone. See you next week.