Henk De Zwart, President and CEO, FLO-BIN Rentals
Since 1994, Henk De Zwart, president and CEO of FLO-BIN Rentals, has been immersed in the container rental business. He has traveled the world and led several businesses in growth before joining FLO-BIN Rentals. BIC Magazine recently sat down with De Zwart to find out how he came to lead FLO-BIN and how setting priorities helps him day to day
Q: What led to your position at FLO-BIN Rentals?
A: I started my career in the container rental business in 1994, initially in sales and later on in management positions in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. In 2005, together with the family, I moved to Houston, where I further built and led the international growth into Latin America and China as an executive for that company until early 2013.
FLO-BIN at that time was a local container rental provider, and the owner had decided to sell the company and retire. The new owners were seeking someone experienced to grow the company beyond where it had operated thus far and recognized my achievements and expertise in the container rental business. We agreed to collaborate, and I began to lead this growth journey in 2013.
It has been a great experience and privilege to take on this task, and I'm very proud and blessed to have many talented people on our team driving our success.
Q: What is the biggest news at FLO-BIN right now?
A: The biggest news is that we opened up FLO-BIN rental operations and business in Europe this summer. Headquartered in The Netherlands, we are extremely excited to expand our specialized catalyst container rental service offering to refineries and chemical plants on the European continent. This follows the expansion of our services into Canada in 2015.
Q: What is the most important thing a person should know before taking a career path similar to yours?
A: If you want to take a similar career path, you should know to be passionate about what you do, what you want to achieve and enjoy it. You have to be willing to sacrifice time on the business or your career, regardless of where or what this may be. If this does not drive your day-to-day motivation, the workload, weekends and never-ending travel that were involved in my career will be a show stopper. Setting priorities and "getting 'r done" have always pushed me and elevated my opportunities in different directions. I have been very fortunate to travel to many different states and countries, and to me this has always been an enrichment in my life and something I truly enjoyed doing.
Q: Do you have a favorite quote?
A: "We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails" is a quote I often heard my mom say.
Every so often you get stuck with a task at hand, a life experience or situation, and it looks like there is no way to get through. There is always a way to get through, and the most important thing is a positive attitude toward how to approach and handle this.
Q: How do you maintain a good work/home life balance?
A: I'm blessed with the loving support of my spouse; three healthy, spirited and joyful teenagers; and a dog. The children keep us busy with everyday sports practices, meets and extra-curricular activities, and the time we spend with them gives me the time to focus on them vs. business and clear my head away from that.
The dog needs to be walked, and when I'm at home I take on that task, as it makes me step away from it all and spend 20-30 minutes outside and get some fresh air, come rain or shine. A good family meal on the weekends tops that off and reloads the battery for the week ahead.
For more information, visit www.flobin.com or call (888) FLO-BINS [224-9073].
