Celebrating 15 Years of Nextview: Wim van Erp - Nextview Consulting's First Employee
As we celebrate our 15th anniversary, we catch up with Wim van Erp, our first employee and a Salesforce Functional Consultant & Developer. Wim has been with Nextview from day one, experiencing its growth and transformation firsthand. In this interview, he shares his journey, memorable moments, and what keeps him dedicated to the company after all these years.
15 years at Nextview, why did you join us back then?
At the time, I was working for another firm and found the atmosphere around promotions frustrating. They happened twice a year, and everyone would stay late, have informal conversations with managers, and try to outshine each other. It just wasn’t my style. A recruiter reached out, but I declined. Later, the same recruiter asked if I’d consider Nextview, which was conveniently located across the road from my project. I walked in through what felt like an ‘artist’ entrance at the back of a building. Inside, I was greeted enthusiastically by four people and had a personal interview focused on what I wanted and loved. Afterward, Pim de Wit told me he was convinced when I spoke about my passion for programming and creating things. Soon after, everything was set, and the founder Huub Waterval personally brought my laptop to my home in Den Bosch. The personal attention, genuine interest, informal atmosphere, and lack of a cutthroat culture really drew me to Nextview.
And more interesting: what keeps you so long in the company?
The situation has changed from the early days; it’s more professional, bigger, and better organized now. I don’t know all my colleagues anymore, and I miss the small-scale feeling, but the atmosphere remains the same. It has always felt like a family and still does. I feel like I can still call Huub with a professional or personal issue, and he will answer my call. He might not fix it, but he will listen.
What is your most memorable moment in the company’s history?
Climbing the Großvenediger is the most memorable. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Even the training was memorable. Imagine being on a mountain with all your colleagues, not sleeping because of the altitude, starting early to avoid bad weather. Then climbing, walking, and climbing again. We were all roped together, visibility was about 30 cm, so all you could see was white. The pace was incredible due to the weather. The storm picked up, colleagues were falling, and we had to help each other up. Snow was up to our knees, but everyone kept going forward. At the top, we shuffled along a 50 cm ledge to touch a flag in a raging storm before heading downhill again.
Are there any inside jokes or quirky traditions within your team that others do not know about?
Not really, but since we’re talking about mountain climbing, I remember Jeroen Widdershoven and his murmeltier, which was good fun. There’s also the tradition of Friday fries in Den Bosch with Remko Van Esch. In the beginning, the entire company was invited to weddings like mine, Pim's, and Huub's, but unfortunately, that tradition didn’t last.
What would you like to say to your colleagues or people considering joining Nextview?
If you want to have purpose and fun join Nextview.
To celebrate, we're sharing fun throwbacks every 15th of the month. Think of it as a nostalgic trip down memory lane, packed with cool moments and milestones from our journey. 📸✨
Check out the other interviews