The last formal members' meeting, due on 7 December, marked the end of Jack Goossens’ final term as chairman of the Royal FloraHolland Supervisory Board. So, he will be stepping down. “The cap on the number of terms is a good thing, both for the cooperative and for me. I will definitely stay involved, but I will also definitely give my successor space,” Goossens said in the offices of his start-up company Dubbel Doel Flora in Naaldwijk. A lot happened during his terms in office.
Loyalty
“That is a beautiful and difficult concept. Loyalty to the cooperative is actually the tension between one’s feelings and one’s wallet. Entrepreneurs focus on their own business, but they are also aware that working together in a cooperative adds value, not just in terms of money, but also in terms of doing things together and getting things done together. This tension sometimes leads to pressure, particularly when economic times are a bit rough, but I think that, in the long run, loyalty to the cooperative furthers the entire grower community. History has shown this; otherwise, RFH would have long since ceased to exist.”
