EDGAR HEINS, CEO MARETTI LIGHTING

Saint Barth, New York, Curaçao, Dubai, Netherlands: born and raised Amsterdammer Edgar Heins, CEO of Maretti Lighting, illuminates the most beautiful places in the world together with his team of lighting specialists. Edgar will not say 'no' to a collaboration with the French designer Philippe Starck and sales abroad continue to grow. So a good year for the company. But who turned on the light switch to Heins' success? Text: Mical Joseph
Image: Maretti Lighting

What was your very first job?

“At the age of 12 I skated a lot at a high level. Every day I went to the Jaap Edenbaan in Amsterdam to practice for the competitions. About two years later, in addition to skating, I started working in my uncle's lamp shop. At the age of 16 I stopped skating because I had other interests and a taste for money. I wanted to earn money and continue working in the store while studying Electrical Engineering. As a teenager I had a number of dreams that cost money, such as a nice house and a car, basically the 'house-tree-animal' story.

After my studies I worked at AEG, known for its washing machines, but also for its entire technical department. I made installations and when I was nineteen I went back to my uncle, who had a shop-in-shop in Wastora. There I became manager of the lighting department.”

How did you end up in your current job?

“The turning point came in 1994. One of my uncle's three businesses burned down, so I became a manager somewhere else. I was used to working with about twelve employees, but I went back to two employees. It wasn't a challenge, so my partner and I laid the foundation for Maretti Lighting in the attic. It was exciting and fun: I opted for my own entrepreneurship. And was ready.”

We started off quite successfully, earning enough to live and grow, but not to make huge strides. So we went from that small attic room, to a small rental property, to a property for sale with an extension. At one point the company had two locations close to each other, so our employees walked from location to location every day. So we expanded every other year and built and invented everything ourselves.

At one point I went 'crazy'. Constantly adding new buildings caused enormous unrest, but we had to do so because we were getting bigger and bigger. So we wanted to come up with a solution so that everything could be found under one roof and we went so big that we didn't have to build any more. That became the 10.000 square meter business premises with showroom, production space, offices and warehouse: how we know him now.”

Who was your wheelbarrow in that?

“My uncle taught me to be frugal and careful with money. I took the advice to heart, but it actually turned out to be the opposite. We actually invested everything we earned in the designs, stock and decoration of the building. He taught me a lot, but was not my wheelbarrow. My brother-in-law Gert van de Oord had an interior construction company and I often accompanied him to his customers. These were clothing stores, the catering industry, but also regular customers. He introduced me to a broad network and my own customer base also grew.

Gert always told me that the goodwill factor is extremely important. People have to give you the trade. Of course you have to keep your agreements and always perform to the highest possible standard, but awarding the award is a very important factor.”

What is your greatest passion in your profession?

“I try to create the most beautiful effect, that is really my passion. We try to convey the right atmosphere for people with light. These can be homes, hospitals, catering establishments, etc. Whether the customer has a white interior from Jan des Bouvrie or a warmer Eric Kuster interior: we always want people to feel at home in their home. Light does a lot.”

What has been the biggest learning moment in your career?

“I have learned that I achieve nothing with negative energy. In the past there have been court cases in which I emotionally wanted to be right, but in the end the judge sometimes saw the fact differently. That is why during my career I try to arrange certain situations in advance and handle everything in a harmonious way. Doing business should simply be fun and we want to make beautiful things with customers.”

What have you learned as CEO during the corona period?

“I don't get stressed easily and fortunately I kept my head cool during this period. Communicating the company's current and future plans is very important during such a period. Some employees panicked more quickly than others in the first few weeks. That is why we followed the current guidelines and were open as usual. In the end we were relaxed about it. I learned to communicate even more with my employees.”

What advice would you give to your 18 year old self?

“Looking back, I would say to myself, 'It's not what you know, it's who you know.' It took me a lot of effort to build a good network, because I'm simply not much of a networker. So if I had to restart my career from the age of eighteen, I would build a better network faster.”

Have you been a wheelbarrow for someone?

“I personally try to work with many starting architects and interior stylists Tips and tricksget started, but sometimes also start-ups, companies or people I believe in. My broad network allows me to help people in the industry. I like that and you get that back.”