Revenue at Abbotsford’s Van Belle Nurseries has increased more than fivefold to $9 million since Abbotsford-raised Dave Van Belle joined the company as a sales representative in 1995.
Van Belle became general manager in 2000, when sales were approximately one-third what they are now. He has been president and CEO for the last two years, steadily growing annual revenue from approximately $7 million despite a tough economic environment.
Two-thirds of Van Belle Nurseries’ sales are wholesale orders to retail garden centres, while the rest comes from selling starter plants to wholesalers mostly in Eastern Canada, such as Sheridan Nurseries.
The company’s success comes in part from Van Belle’s devotion to lean manufacturing concepts.
He believes it is a mixed blessing to have about 100 employees.
The good news is that the company is successful enough to need so many workers. Van Belle’s never-ending desire, however, is to get the same productivity from half as many staff.
“Lean manufacturing is a way to get more productivity out of different people. You can work smarter, not necessarily harder, but you work more intelligently and you delegate responsibility as far as you can so you can make do with fewer managers and supervisors. You empower people,” he said.
Van Belle completed two bachelor degrees at Iowa’s Dordt College before returning to Abbotsford.
The father of four, whose wife is expecting a fifth child soon, is active with his church and with Dordt College’s alumni association outside work.
“My goal is to double sales in five years and to have a self-managed company where they don’t need me on a daily basis for anything. I’m about halfway there,” he said. •
