Founder story Christiaan Huijg
Campus Offices (re)develops urban locations with shared facilities for hospitality, technology, coffee, lunch, meetings, events, sports, and “outside”. Locations that most of all enable working, with a custom workspace for every type of user made up of 100% flexible design elements and ditto lease agreements. Both start-ups and corporates feel at home at Campus.
Taking the next step in my career
I have known Sven Brookhuis for over 25 years, and we have always kept in touch throughout my career. We have worked together in the past and we have always said: “We are going to start some business sometime together”. In mid-2019 I was ready to take the next step in my career. At that time, I had been Managing Director of the WTC Amsterdam for 12 years and I was not yet 50 years old. However, the choice for entrepreneurship was not chosen overnight. The challenge finally won me over.
Space to work, grow and develop
As a little boy, I always wanted to be a pilot. Apparently, did this not come to fruition? I went for my second choice, architecture. I’ve always had an affinity with the environment and buildings. Designing life, buildings, atmosphere, and environment made me choose to enter the real estate business. A good choice that has always suited me. I have made great strides in my career.
On October 1st, 2019, I started at ODER. We have opted for a new name for our office concept. Campus Offices was born. This name indicates what we do and who we are. We offer campuses for office-based organizations; a place where you would like to have your office. As Managing Director, I am ultimately responsible for the company. In the beginning, I was alone and I did pretty much everything. The organization has now grown considerably, partly due to the merger with Dreesz, and now I am responsible for the real estate side of the company. I focus on the acquisition and exploitation of the locations.
The slogan of Campus Offices is: ”Space to work, meet, grow and relax”. The added value is different for everyone. This applies to both our locations and our organization. We offer tenants a working environment where they can focus on their business. But also a place for ‘being’. Our employees are also given this space and free interpretation.
As the founder of this company, I also get “Room to … grow!”. I have lots of freedom in my work and I am directly responsible for the growth of the organization. When doing business you sometimes have to take a risk, without always excluding all cons. In cooperation with Entweder, I have been allowed to make my own choices.
A healthy dose of entrepreneurship, a vision of the future, and thinking outside the box make you suitable to start doing business with Entweder. Take my advice and go for it!
It was daunting to move from a multinational and international environment like WTC Amsterdam. This feeling of tension did not last long. From day one I felt at home and ease. It feels like a kind of family and like coming home. Of course, it is hard work as a Founder, but I like to do that when I enjoy my work. The atmosphere, the people, hospitality, and dynamism make Entweder’s ventures a breeding ground for talent development, growth, and job satisfaction.
Since the start of Campus Offices, we have experienced enormous growth, both in terms of portfolio and organization. The portfolio now consists of six locations, 15 buildings, and almost 42,000 square meters. Moreover, there is now a very hard-working and enthusiastic team. I am therefore most proud of the team, both at the head office and at the various locations. Our team consists of many young colleagues, and that gives me a lot of energy. We gain new insights and at the same time, see that our employees pick up things quickly and learn. As a result, they develop and grow in their role. I think it’s nice to see that I can contribute to that and pass on my knowledge.
Working for an Entweder venture is very inspiring and dynamic. Not a day goes by that things happen that I didn’t expect. In addition, the collaboration with the other (sister) companies is very nice, because you can have an inside look and help in the other ventures. Moreover, we have a lot of fun and laughter together.