43 ISBW

Every year many many Chinese leave their cities and return to their homesteads to visit their
family. This year more than 150 million are stuck cause of failing transport. Snow. In many cities the central heating system has broken down. And its cold very cold. How do they survive? They
survive( keeping aside the 100 persons who died).
I wish them all well

In Holland: storm. A huge depression whipping the lake. My House at the Lake shaking. But it is warm inside.
Today I visited ISBW, pearl of our Group, leading knowledge provider, together with Schouten&Nelissen main player on the Dutch educational market.
The Institute has been founded 75 years ago. It grew and survived and is a splendid brand. The
most welknown educational service suppliers in Holland. 4 Years ago ISBW joined our group. At that time ISBW was declining. It had bad owners, I mean not committed owners.
I met the CEO of ISBW, Else Slegers: ambitious, warm, dedicated. I know what she wants with
ISBW: offering the best possible content to participants. Quality driven. Really a passion for
Quality. And she wants to grow. And she will. And she does, I got the firm hands of her colleagues, looked in their eyes. Young, strong, dedicated.
One of them said: "We work like mad to implement our plans, it goes well, I can not wait
till the end of the year to see the results."
ISBW houses in the buildings of the group, not in the most efficient way, and I am glad the
Board supports a relocation that fits this beautiful Institute.

What happened in the past of ISBW is this. Cause of the feverish effort of employees long ago,
it attained the top. An unbeatable Brand, so it looked like. But then the last 10 years the Crew of
ISBW got spoiled. They only needed to pick up the phone(for inbound calls and orders).
But that had a nasty price, you can imagine.
Else and her crew have succesfully changed course. ISBW now is a marketing organization with an educational product and superb quality and service. And it will be more so the coming months and years.

This history of ISBW reinforces the will of the Owners of the Schouten&Nelissen Group. We will
stay independent. We will never sell.
(The Owners: Zuiderwindlelie nv (75%) and the Employee Participation Company (PPM) (25%)
The PPM got the 25% of the shares after a Gift of the family (1992).)

Else and I enjoyed a prolonged lunch. As usual, but nevertheless suprisingly sweet, we not
only exhanged the business items but opened up to each other. Great.
One of her questions: "Jan, tell me, when were you happy?'
Screaming rain is whipping the House. Strange. While the Gods punish my poor House, I
feel content, while remembering the many many happy occasions. Why I so easily forget
them?