Peter
Sometimes it takes a while to find the right person for a job and sometimes you meet them before the job even exists. For example, it’s important for us to make sure our projects stay on schedule and ensure that everyone knows what to do and when to do it. As such, it’s good to have Peter as Hospitainer’s COO and project lead to keep us on track.
“Rolof is very much the visionary CEO and I try to translate that to more practical matters and maintain the company’s structure.”
While Peter has been with Hospitainer since the beginning, he originally got involved due to a high school friendship. During his second year of high school, Peter met Rolof Mulder’s (Hospitainer’s CEO) son Eric Mulder and the two became fast friends. Because of this fortuitous friendship, Peter met Rolof at age 14.
Once he graduated high school, Peter went on to study construction technology and around the same time Rolof had started work on the first Hospitainer. Even in these early stages, Peter came by whenever his schedule allowed to lend a hand.
“I often stopped by to participate in some brainstorming, provide a few sketches or otherwise help to work ideas out.” He said, recalling memories of Hospitainer’s early days.
Peter obtained his (MSc) degree in 2011 and began working for Hospitainer as a volunteer not long after. The company was still a sole proprietorship in those days, but in 2012 Peter became Hospitainer’s first official employee.
When asked what he enjoyed most about working for Hospitainer, Peter spoke of working for a company with a mission he believed in and the relaxed corporate culture, where you can be flexible in how you work and you’re not likely to get bogged down in bureaucracy.
He also emphasized how important it is for people who want to join the Hospitainer team to be passionate about Hospitainer’s mission and products. “If you do a job like this solely for the money, the company loses its passion and drive. You can’t have a nine-to-five mentality.”
He also emphasized the importance of being able to adapt and work under pressure. While not every order is a rush order, Hospitainer has had its fair share of orders with a tight deadline. For example, when an earthquake or some other natural disaster happens and aid is urgently required, it’s vital for Hospitainer to get a container prepped and shipped as soon as possible.
A good example of this was one particular trip that stuck with Peter. He travelled to the Philippines with a team from Hospitainer to build a field hospital there shortly after a typhoon had passed through. While daily life had started up again in some places, there were still piles of rubble in the street in the places that had been hit the worst.
“It’s hard to see the chaos all around you, but it’s great to know you’re contributing to making the situation better.”