Every day we want to deliver on the promise of the ultimate office experience

Over the past 32 years, D&B The Facility Group has grown from a student chauffeur company to a streamlined multi-service organization in the high-end office market in the G5 cities. CEO Jan-Willem de Bruijn played a significant role in this growth. Even after fifteen years at D&B, he's still brimming with energy and new ideas. "With unified management of our six service lines, we can be even more focused on the guest experience."

Major investment deals have been stagnant in the office market for years, prestigious new construction is reserved for a few locations in Amsterdam, while corporates are primarily downsizing their office networks. Even though D&B is a facilities services provider dependent on the office market, this market situation doesn't deter De Bruijn (47) in the least. "The facilities market is indeed a shrinking market. More and more facilities functions are automated via an app, office occupancy is lower due to working from home, and tenants are taking up fewer office spaces. But in the high-end market in and around the G5, there's actually a demand for more and better offices and services. Because we only serve real estate companies and corporates in the high-end segment of the office market, we focus on quality, not quantity. D&B is a quality market leader; we don't want to be too big."

'Every day we want to deliver on the promise of the ultimate office experience.'

Baptism of fire

D&B co-founder Bas Hertz brought De Bruijn on board in 2010. "Coming from an international business background, I wondered what I was doing at a facilities services provider with around 150 employees at the time. But Bas' ambitious and energetic approach convinced me to join D&B. A determined and loyal group of people with a mission to transform the office environment into an experience. I'm not going to commit myself to a company as a manager; I want to grow and improve. Fortunately, I saw a lot of potential at D&B and said yes. I held various roles within D&B: COO, CCO, until 2019, when Bas asked me to be his successor. In 2021, my first year as CEO, I had my baptism of fire. Covid hit us amidships, and everything we had built crumbled. We had to lay off staff, and personal friends ended up in the hospital. Yet, we emerged stronger. It brought us closer together and to our clients. We even extended many contracts during the coronavirus pandemic."

Human Capital Club

As CEO, De Bruijn wants to unleash the best in his now 1,200 employees. "D&B is a human capital club. Attracting and retaining talent is essential for us. That's why D&B has a relatively large management team because we want to facilitate our employees. All our managers know them personally and understand what motivates them. With that personal attention and dedication, we make the difference. This enables our people to provide the best service to our clients. As CEO, I'm always open to others. That's why, at every bilateral meeting or conference, I ask how everyone is doing. If you're not feeling well, not feeling well, or even struggling personally, everyone should feel free to say so. Our people have the right to check in. Only when you feel better are you able to perform optimally."

'With Follo, we've developed a catering concept that fills the gap between Loaf and We Canteen.'

Top sports mentality

Not that De Bruijn was always the perfect manager, he admits. "I'm demanding, a perfectionist, and a hard worker; that's something I was born with. I'm incredibly competitive and can't stand losing. My father always set the bar high and raised me with a top-level sports mentality. 'First, work sixty or seventy hours a week to see what you're worth,' he said. But not everyone is cut from the same cloth as me. I've learned that I shouldn't and can't impose my own values and standards on others. In a world of shifting standards, with employees' changing preferences and demands, you also have to be flexible, adaptable, and above all, understanding. For that reason, we've significantly improved our employment conditions. Our office staff are also allowed to work from home and take sabbaticals. But our office is so well-equipped, with fantastic coffee corners and delicious food in our own restaurant concept, We Canteen, that our workstations are always occupied."

Together at the drawing table

Now that the office is becoming increasingly important for clients as a talent attractor, D&B is getting involved at an increasingly early stage, he observes. "Our job is to help corporates retain their talent and real estate companies breathe new life into their buildings. The work environment should be a daily experience where office workers feel comfortable. We want to deliver on our promise to our clients every day. Our strength lies in the overall concept for the entire building. Once we're already at the drawing board with the architect and developer, we can create the best service concept. We think and design entirely from the perspective of operations and the desired office experience. For each building and client, we aim for a coherent concept that best aligns with their own values and culture. By partnering with D&B, you avoid having to manage six different suppliers and have service providers, each with their own unique DNA, walking through the building."

'From now on, we will appoint one person per office as the point of contact for all our service lines.'

General hotel manager

De Bruijn is referring to the six different disciplines D&B has in-house: Hospitality, Security, Cleaning, Catering, Mobility, and Facility Management. "This makes D&B quite a complex company. Our entire company is organized around the highest level of service. Until now, each of our six services had its own organization. But because of this, the service teams sometimes act as isolated islands, or when something goes wrong, there's a tendency to point fingers at another service. That's a thing of the past. From now on, we'll appoint one person per office as the point of contact for all the services we, as D&B, are responsible for there. After all, D&B is a multi-service organization. Think of it like a general manager in a hotel who is responsible for the entire guest experience. This way, we minimize the risk of operational mishaps. Above all, we gain more control over the integrated service provision, so we can have a greater impact on the overall office experience. I have high expectations for this unified management." I am convinced that this will give our people even more control, enable them to develop themselves, and also allow us to be even closer to the guest experience.'

Hospitality concept Follo

That, he says, is D&B in the flesh: "We always sit down with our clients when they have criticisms or specific needs. That inspires us; we regularly develop new products and concepts together. For example, this summer, after We Canteen and Loaf, we're launching Follo, our third hospitality concept. Follo, too, was born from a customer need. We've often had to decline hospitality requests over the past year because we didn't think Loaf or We Canteen fit in with the building's concept. With Follo, we've developed a concept that fills that gap. Follo is the convenience version of We Canteen, with more speed, service, and a shorter menu. We also focus on health by providing nutritional information for each product."

Highest retention rate

Even after fifteen years, De Bruijn's passion hasn't burned out. "D&B and its people are dear to me, the work still challenges me, and things are going well. A large part of the management team has been there for more than ten or fifteen years. Our clients appreciate that familiarity; they can always consult with the same managers and board members. Because we know our clients and their offices so well, we can also surprise them. We don't play the same game for five years; we continuously innovate and improve. We strive for lasting client relationships and never go for quick wins. Moreover, our employees are loyal to our proposition and our clients. This has been reflected in our exceptionally high retention rate of 95 percent for years, compared to an average of 80-85 percent for other service providers."

Finally, the CEO emphasizes that D&B remains a niche player. "We receive inquiries from abroad and other sectors like the hotel and healthcare industries. But we remain active only at the top of the office market. We don't want to grow too fast and we can't. We want to maintain a human touch. We also won't spread our staff across too many buildings. That wouldn't be doing our employees or existing clients any favors. I'll stay involved for the time being, but certainly not until I retire. I challenge myself every year; as soon as I or my colleagues no longer see the sharpness, quality, and positivity in me, I'll take a step back. Every CEO has their expiration date."

Jan-Willem de Bruijn

CEO D&B The Facility Group

Where do you live?

Breukelen:

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Vianen, and from age 19 in Utrecht.

What time do you get up in the morning?

Around 6:30 a.m.

What podcast do you enjoy listening to?

I'm not really into podcasts. I'm more into music.

What book are you reading now?

I'm not reading a book right now. I hope to do so again this coming vacation, but I don't have a book yet.

Which vitamins do you take daily?

None

How many hours do you exercise per week?

About 3 to 4 hours per week. Mainly running, but also paddle tennis and tennis.

How do you maintain the balance between head and feelings?

Sports are very important to me in this. Besides that, plenty of relaxation time is also important. Enjoying good food and drinks with family and friends. Traveling also helps me maintain a healthy balance.

Which city would you like to live in?

Barcelona

What is your favorite store?

De Bijenkorf. I'm not much of a shopper, so I go for convenience. All the brands I buy under one roof.

What's the best hotel you've ever stayed in?

I recently stayed at the Botanic Sanctuary in Antwerp and was very impressed.

How do you integrate the pursuit of business success with maintaining a good quality of life?

That's always a tricky balance. The work, especially as CEO of a company with over 1,200 employees, never stops. That definitely impacts your personal life as well. I do notice that as you get older, you make different choices than before. Fortunately, I have a family back home who guides me in this.

Who do you call almost every day?

My mother

What's your favorite office moment?

The opening of our monthly onboarding day. All the new D&B employees are in the office, and it's wonderful to see that we've once again managed to attract talented and energetic people to D&B. Ringing the bell is also one of my favorite moments. The bell rings when a new project has been secured. The energy that flows through me, but also through everyone in the office, is wonderful to see.

What's the best speech you've heard/seen?

Not the best, but for me the most valuable was the speech my father gave at my wedding. He was already very ill at the time (he passed away shortly after), and we knew he had to pull himself through that day. The way he stood there, powerfully and with flair, made a profound impression on me.

Which documentary do you recommend to everyone?

As a sports fanatic, I'm drawn to The Last Dance. How do you build a team with extreme focus, despite all the challenges that entails?

What moment in a favorite movie has always stayed with you?

The first thing that immediately comes to mind is Rocky's victory in the movie Rocky 4. I was a Rocky fan as a little boy. My whole room was covered in them. The song "Eye of the Tiger" still resonates with me. It's beautiful, but also strange that something from your early childhood can still resonate with you.

When do your best ideas come to you?

I'm still on holiday when I'm lying peacefully on a beach bed.

What is your vision for the future?

We live in tense times. Wars are raging around us, we face major economic challenges, and even within our own country, we're faced with a number of major issues that need to be resolved quickly, along with an unstable political situation. I'm quite concerned about this. I hope we can provide the next generation with a bit more stability and encourage them to be more open and flexible.

What do you think is the biggest challenge in the market?

Attracting and retaining talent. Every organization, including us, struggles with how to connect talented individuals to your organization and, more importantly, how to retain them for the long term.

What do you do all day?

Every day is different for me and often impossible to plan. Fortunately, I still get to spend a lot of time with our clients and strategic partners. That's still what I enjoy most. I'm not a huge meeting buff, but of course I also have daily meetings about developments within D&B and its various departments.

What is the most important trend at the moment?

I'm personally very interested in the rise of AI. Within D&B, we have several initiatives underway to address this. I'm very curious to see how quickly this will progress and what impact it will have.

What do you want to achieve in business?

That D&B remains the qualitative market leader in the high-end office services industry. Something we've been building for years and hope to expand further in the coming years.

What do you personally want to achieve?

I hope I can one day look back on a fantastic journey I've been able to embark on, both professionally and personally. The business journey with D&B has been fantastic so far, and we're not done yet. Personally, I hope to create many more wonderful memories with family and friends, and I hope we can do so in good health. At the end of the day, it's all about experience.

This interview previously appeared in VG Visie .

About D&B The Facility Group

D&B The Facility Group is a multi-service facility services provider based in Amstelveen. The company provides a wide range of services for corporate offices and high-end real estate environments, aiming to create an experience that positively impacts people's well-being. D&B solutions are always customized, because no organization or building is the same. D&B employs approximately one thousand people.

For more information:

Jan-Willem de Bruijn

CEO

jan-willem.de.bruijn@db.nl