Format
09-07-2020
Julien Vanhollebeke: an unfeigned dialogue from the heart
 

Polycaro may be a trade magazine in which knowledge transfer and inspiration are central, but we are more than that. As a support base for the sector, we also connect people. After all, as an entrepreneur you are not just a supplier or customer, nor a competitor or manufacturer. Above all, you are human, with everything. In this new section, Polycaro invites the people behind the entrepreneur to take a seat in ‘De Praatstoel’.

We had a frank conversation with Julien Vanhollebeke about the sector, but also about life.

The entrepreneur

 

P: I'm sure you're no stranger to the natural stone sector. How do you describe yourself as an entrepreneur?

Julien: “My business card says: ‘Creator. Transformer. Producer’. This says it all: I creëer, I change and I produce natural stone, which I distribute via my wholesale company Stone Consulting - with the commercialële name: Stone Senses- in various countries. These are mainly Europe, America and Australia. In addition, I am also the manager of the retailer Ceramico and the installation company Cerastone, although I only play a small role in this company.

I call myself a creator, I like to think of new things and do them differently from the rest. I want to be able to work out ideasën such as finishes in my own way. It is the passion in my blood that drives me to do this. That is why I am a shareholder in several companies in Vietnam, Morocco, Tunesië, India and China. As a shareholder you have more clout than when you only work as an agent or distributor for those companies. Apart from these factories, I am a consultant in surface treatments within various other companies, including Egypt and Turkey.

Finally, as vice-chairman of Febenat, I want to pass on my knowledge and experience to the technical – and marketing committee.”

P: How did you end up in this sector?

Julien: “I started my activities in 1976. At that time I mainly worked in the ceramics sector. Besides Bologna in Italië, which was already the Mecca of the ceramic sector, I also started looking for suppliers outside Europe. It was at the Coverings fair in the U.S.A. that I first came into contact with natural stones and finishes that were totally unknown to us: large formats travertine, Chinese granite, and various other types of stone. At that time, I also had a placement company, but due to the bankruptcy of a large construction company on the coast, I also had to deposit the books of my placement company. In hindsight, that was lucky in an accident, because without that bankruptcy, I would probably never have set up Stone Consulting.

 

Read further on the website of Polycaro: 

https://www.polycaro.be/nl/interview/julien-vanhollebeke-ongeveinsde-dialoog-vanuit-hart/