In motion since 1947
In 1947, entrepreneur Henk Pellikaan drove to work in Oosterhout each day in his run down car. His first assignment was a project for 40 houses. This is where the first stones were laid by Pellikaan Bouwbedrijf. Nobody knew these stones would also mark the beginning of a far greater adventure.
In the early years, Pellikaan built houses, schools and industrial buildings. Thanks to the right insight and innovative character, Pellikaan grew much larger. Offices in Belgium (1967), Germany (1972) and England (1984) followed. From the 1960s, Pellikaan also began to specialise in the sports industry.
From the national anthem to the tennis court
Founder Henk Pellikaan was a keen sportsman, even kicking his way into the Dutch national team as a professional footballer. He later discovered a new love: tennis. Yet Henk became annoyed whenever rain stopped him playing. That gave him an idea: in 1963 he built his own indoor court. It was the first of a series of sports halls. The popular and well-known Pellikaan hall appeared throughout the Netherlands – leading to the company’s first international projects.
A tennis club with more
In 1975, Henk’s big dream became a reality with the opening of the Pellikaan Tennis Club. It was a large multifunctional sports facility in Goirle. And a sports complex that was well ahead of its time. The project marked the start of our sports specialisation as a construction company. Even today, about half of all Pellikaan’s projects are still sports related.
Limitless ingenuity
Building this innovative indoor tennis complex marked the beginning of many fruitful international ventures for Pellikaan. The knowledge and experience we gained during construction and operation of these centres has proven highly valuable for new large-scale projects.
Club Pellikaan
In the 1990s, Gerard (Henk’s son) introduced a new, innovative concept to the Netherlands: a complete leisure centre with swimming pool, fitness machines, wellness pools and tennis courts. What was unique is that you had to become a member of the Pellikaan Health & Racquet Club. This novel idea was a huge success, immediately forging a strong bond between athletes and the club. Today, the chain is called Club Pellikaan was and has no less than seven centres in The Netherlands.
Now and into the future
Even while delivering extensive international projects, Pellikaan has remained a close-knit family business for the past seventyfive years. And one which you are always free to visit. The third generation of the family have now joined Pellikaan: Dennis plays a pivotal role at Club Pellikaan while their brother Roy is the driving force of the construction company. Roy said: “Today, we are noticing the importance of early collaboration more and more. That is why we embrace BIM, the use of 3D models and lean tools such as pull planning and concurrent engineering. The focus is still on the personal development of the employees, celebrating successes and sharing mistakes. This is how we work towards a self-learning organisation, where everyone recognises opportunities and thinks about growth.”