Life after Delft
Passion for water
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Category: Life after Delft
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This summer, in the heart of Amsterdam, next door to a climbing centre along the railway line, saw the opening of a slow food restaurant, Hannekes Boom. With thanks to three former TU Delft students. Pim Evers is one of them.
Built of salvaged wood and with an interior made of as many recycled materials as possible, the building most closely resembles a hippy colony. Pim Evers (38) and his mates built the catering establishment with their own hands. Hannekes Boom is more than just a restaurant. Dances, parties, theatre, children’s activities and exhibitions are also held here, and there’s also a large, waterside outdoor seating area. Hannekes Boom has been popular since the day it opened. The menu changes nearly every day, the ingredients are sustainably produced and the possibilities boundless. For the next five years, that is. The building will then have to make way for new housing.
What’s the secret of their success? “As soon as we sit down together, ideas are born,” Evers says. “I’ve always been involved in business activities with people I click with.”
This wasn’t yet evident when he chose to study electrical engineering in 1993, but after transferring to study technical management at The Hague University of Applied Sciences, Evers soon proved to be good at selling projects. His graduation project with the former Formula 1 sports timing company, AMB i.t. (now Mylaps), was a success. He was awarded a 9 (90%). Together with five friends, Evers then set up the New Amsterdam IT Group. “We wanted to set up our own network to watch videos at home. Within two years our workforce had grown from 6 to 86, but when the internet bubble burst, so did we.”
Evers then set up an internet consultancy with two friends from Delft: PRO-XS Consultancy, a company that did well. In 2004, Evers and his partners had a difference of opinion: “I wanted to do highly specialised projects, they wanted to standardise. I went my own way and set up my current communication consultancy, Indysign.”
Having a passion for water sports and leisure, he designs websites and house styles for nautical projects, in addition to which he set up the Amsterdam Waterstad foundation to promote water sports and leisure. Evers also manages the website: AmsterdamBootHuren.nl, which compares the prices of 70 boat rental companies. He is currently working on a new waterways map of Amsterdam.
On top of all that came the plans for Hannekes Boom in 2010. That’s a tall enough order for a healthy person, but it’s an even taller order for Evers. He had a nasty road accident in 2006. The nerves between his neck vertebrae are now severely damaged. He still can’t work more than half a work week, but he stays positive: “I’ve learned to stay close to my passions: sailing, sports and inspiring people. And my idea factory is working again.” That’s true enough. Evers is full of plans for Hannekes Boot, which is set to become completely ‘cradle to cradle’. (SB)
