Van Gool Elburg Blog – Joep Bleijenberg

Hi, my name is Joep Bleijenberg and in August of 2022 I started at Van Gool Elburg after finishing my MSc in Finance & Investments. Through this blog I will be taking you with me on a typical day at our company.

I start my workday at the office at 9:00, answering my e-mails together with a fresh cappuccino. At 9:30, I take the car for a site visit in the office building Number One, situated in Amsterdam North together with a potential client and his advisor. After welcoming the tenant representative and his client with a cup of coffee I give an introduction about the developments in the area and the leasing possibilities in the office building. I tour them around on the available office floors and show them the stunning view below, while having some further discussions about their wishes and demands regarding their new office space.

During my first week I was already asked to join these kind of tours, and shortly after I was asked to host them alone. This is a good example of the way Van Gool Elburg supports learning by doing, and is not afraid to give people responsibilities.

During a normal week I have several of these tours, scattered over several buildings in and around Amsterdam for which I am (jointly) responsible. Next to Number One, these include The Curve which is also located in Amsterdam North, De Gelder near the South-Axis, A-Factorij in the Schinkel area and buildings NOW and SHARE in Hoofddorp.

Upon returning to the office, a colleague and I went for a walk over the South-Axis, where our office is. Having lived in Rotterdam throughout my student life, these walks offer me a chance to explore the Amsterdam office market. These walks offer an interactive and useful way to better understand the city and its submarkets.

It’s almost 12:00 now and therefore time for lunch! After a social lunch with the whole company it was time to work on a tenant representation assignment. Such assignments include setting up a search inquiry, making a market inventory, doing building tours and negotiations for the most suitable buildings. All of this is done in representation of the end user of the office space, instead of representing the building owner.

The final part of this day was used to discuss and set up a financial model regarding the redevelopment of an old office building. I am regularly asked to join these meetings to deliver several financial models and assist in these redevelopment projects. 

With its relatively moderate size of sixteen employees, it did not take long for me to work together with everyone in the company at least once. The team is very close, in doing business as well as socially. Occasionally the day is ended with drinks in the office or at the café on the ground floor of our building. 

All in all, Van Gool Elburg has offered me the ability to develop myself and has handed me responsibilities right from the start, while also always offering support when needed. The team has been very welcoming and a pleasure to work with on projects covering all facets of real estate advisory.

I hope this blog has given you a complete view of what working for our company looks like. If this seems interesting to you, we would gladly meet you at our ERD events to talk in person!