Every year, the Movement "Vlaanderen-Europa vzw" awards the "Gulden Spoor voor Economische Uitstraling in Antwerpen" to deserving Flemings who blazed a trail in the socio-economic field. Jo and Anne Van Moer-Verstraeten received the award from An De Moor, chairwoman of the Movement Flanders-Europe and of Vlaanderen Feest!, and Bart De Wever, mayor of Antwerp, during the July 11 celebration at the Schoonselhof in Antwerp.
In 2021 Van Moer Logistics is doing well: in partnership with major companies such as Umicore, Caterpillar, BASF and Delhaize, the group currently provides logistics services ranging from transport and storage of goods to intermodal transport by rail and barge. With 1,500 employees, the target for this year is a turnover of no less than 200 million euros.
Before that happened, a lot of water had to flow through the Scheldt. Jo and Anne Van Moer-Verstraeten travelled a long way after their start with only three rickety trucks. In her laudation, An De Moor quoted Filip Lapeirre, ING Relationship Manager, on their remarkable journey of trial and error:
"In less than thirty years, Jo Van Moer's dynamic family business has followed an unprecedented and phenomenal path and, as you heard, in sometimes very difficult circumstances. The great strength of self-taught Jo Van Moer is that he knows his own strengths and weaknesses perfectly and for the latter he allows himself to be surrounded by people who know very well what they are doing. His employees are remarkably proud to work for him, they work 'for the Jo', not for Van Moer logistics".
It cannot be put any better, except that it does not explicitly refer to Anne Verstraeten. The success of Van Moer logistics is after all the merit of a couple in good and bad days. Or as An De Moor put it in her laudation: "It can indeed go wrong, Bredero knew, but you can achieve a lot with common sense. Together, Jo and Anne Van Moer-Verstraeten have ensured that their small family business of 30 years ago can now play along with the big boys."
The awarding of the Gulden Sporen is part of the 11-day Flanders Festival on the occasion of the Flemish holiday. Recent predecessors as Gulden Sporen bearer are among others Eddy Bruyninckx, Antoon Dieusart, Jan-Pieter Denul, Peter Leyman, Frans Crols, Urbain Vandeurzen, Dirk Vyncke, Chris Maene, Joachim Coens, Gert Verhulst & Hans Bourlon, Esmeralda Peleman, the Van Rompuy family (Argenta), Luc Tack, Hein Deprez, Fernand Huts, Saskia van Uffelen, Wouter Torfs, Vic Swerrts and Bart Van Malderen.
