Quick response when crises struck
The summer of 2021 was a time of unprecedented natural disasters across Europe, including devastating flash floods in Germany, Belgium, and Turkey, where also wildfires broke out. Our colleagues were quick to respond in any way they could.
In this story, meet Karsten, Karl, Michael, and Fatih who all showed power of action when mostly needed.
When the crises of flooding and wildfires struck in each of these countries, our Nilfisk colleagues had no doubt that they wanted to help their communities; “Like everyone else, I was deeply touched by what I saw, and I wanted to help,” says Karsten Honnefeller, Director of Sales for Nilfisk Germany.
His colleague in Belgium, Karl Baillius, Senior Manager of Professional Sales at Nilfisk’s Europe South regional office, had the same feeling; “In all my 36 years, I have never witnessed anything like the disastrous flooding that hit southern Belgium last summer.”
In Turkey, Nilfisk Country Manager Fatih Durgun also reacted; “At Nilfisk, we have a culture that takes pride in giving back to the communities in which we work, and this was an opportunity to show solidarity with our country in a time of need.”
In all three countries, our colleagues provided company clean-up equipment, sponsored restoration efforts and, even, giving their personal time to help the people and communities hardest hit by these crises. Here are their individual stories.
Germany: Social media post fueled distribution of cleaning equipment
After Karsten Honnefeller, Director of Sales for Nilfisk Germany had watched in horror images of the storm’s devastation on his TV, he realized that Nilfisk cleaning equipment could be useful in the areas hit, and with colleagues he quickly made a list of used high-pressure washers and wet & dry machines for donation.
Unfortunately, the local disaster relief organization did not have the capacity to receive the donation. However, he soon got a request from a neighbor. “They had no idea where I worked and were only looking to see if we had any computers to donate to victims of the storm. I knew immediately that we had found a distribution channel for our machines!”
Next morning, two big pallets of Nilfisk machines were delivered to the neighbor’s door and they quickly organized a posse of private vehicles to deliver the machines to families in need.
No hesitation. No red tape. Just pure response. “Beyond corporate social responsibility, this is about pulling together in times of need to support the communities in which we live and work,” Karsten finishes.
Belgium: Personal engagement behind local help and donation of 800,000 euro of goods
Further West, Karl Baillius, Senior Manager of Professional Sales at Nilfisk’s Europe South regional office, and his colleagues’ response was also immediate. “We quickly donated 20 high-pressure washers that could easily be operated.”
On his own, Karl’s Account manager, Michael Coppieters, had set up a private disaster relief initiative on social media, and early 2022, he has collected goods worth over 800,000 euro. This includes 90 tons of food, warehouse space donated by a Nilfisk customer, and transport services from locals to bring the goods to the affected areas like the Walloon region.
In the aftermath of the disaster, it became clear that the damaged areas needed manpower. Michael identified a primary school that had been hit particularly hard by the flooding. Cancelling their next Monday meetings, a team of Nilfisk employees drove two hours to the school to replace damaged furniture and equipment with new supplies and to donate IT equipment on behalf of Nilfisk.
Looking back, Karl is proud that he and his colleagues at Nilfisk were able to respond so quickly; “It will likely take years for these areas to fully recover so it is good to know that our machines and local efforts continue to bring support where needed.”
Turkey: Push from daughter led to donations of equipment and to restore nature
When wildfires broke out in southern Turkey, Nilfisk Country Manager Fatih Durgun’s 13-year-old daughter Defne, wanted to offer whatever help she could; “She wanted me to help her send her allowance to TEMA, a national association that works to counter the damage to the forestlands,” he recalls.
Inspired by Defne, Fatih saw an opportunity to act as a family member, as a citizen and as an Nilfisk employee to offer help. Together with colleagues, he raised funds from both company and private Nilfisk employee donations to support a TEMA tree-planting campaign covering the area impacted by the wildfires.
Tragically, less than a month after the wildfires Turkey was struck by severe flooding and mudslide. Fatih and his team quickly organized that professional high-pressure washers were delivered to the affected areas via a local dealer. They were put to work immediately, sweeping away mud and debris from cars, residences, and buildings. “They were even used to keep rescue equipment and fire extinguishers clean and in working order.”
Reflecting on the natural disasters, Fatih feels reassured; “Like with COVID, crises like these tend to leave us feeling more connected somehow, as we realize that our actions can have a profound impact on the health and well-being of the communities in which we live and work.”
This article highlights the power of action from four colleagues. Nilfisk wishes to thank all employees for their solidarity, efforts, and donations to local communities.
