Page 23 - Issue-137

BUSINESS FEATURE

PERSONALITy PROFILE:

TERRy VAN dER RIET

Terry van der Riet retired from Servest Landscaping in 2017 and then re-entered
the landscaping industry as director of Life Green Group’s KZN operations. He

responded to a few questions put to him by Landscape SA magazine.

Time with Servest new Club Med resort at Tinley Manor on
was extremely fortunate during my the KZN north coast.
time with Servest, that we enjoyed
I over a decade of growth in both our Not what I expected
landscaping division and as a group. I Retirement has not been quite what I
had the opportunity to become a founder expected, however the opportunities that
shareholder when the group delisted presented themselves were too good to
from the JSE in 2002. resist and the projects themselves were so
We had a great team within the attractive! The diversified Collins Group has
landscaping division, enjoying the full extensive interests in hospitality and owns
support of our group Board. The business lodges all over Africa and the Indian Ocean
grew exponentially until 2012, after the islands. They are very environmentally
Soccer World Cup, at which time our focused, and we are fortunate to
division employed about 6000 people. have a partner who sees value in the
The group had over 30 000 people in environmental and landscaping aspects of
total, and had expanded into the UK. their developments.
I sat on the group EXCO from 2007, Life Green Group nationally is also on
initially managing the landscape a mission to expand its business into the
construction division, and in 2011 I was environmental sphere, and Lockwood
made MD of the entire landscaping has embraced waste and food recycling,
division. At that time, it was the largest composting, environmental rehabilitation
horticultural services group in Africa, with for the mining industry, in addition to
projects all over Africa and in the Middle landscaping, indoor plants and retail.
East. We were involved in large-scale My involvement is largely limited
landscaping and maintenance projects, to the KZN businesses of which I am a
specialised turf installations, golf shareholder, and hopefully I will have
course construction and maintenance, time to enjoy my grandchildren who live
environmental rehabilitation, indoor close by! Veronica and I love the beach
plant installations and wholesale community in Umdloti, and I am involved
nurseries. in community projects for infrastructure
I remain a shareholder of the Servest improvements in the village after the
Group and am in contact with many of the assist an acquaintance of mine, Murray floods of 2022.
wonderful people I worked with whilst Collins, who heads up the Collins Group,
there. in large scale landscaping projects for Views on the South African
their property division on the KZN north landscaping industry
Brief retirement coast. Simultaneously, I bumped into The landscaping industry has undergone
As my 60th birthday approached however, Oscar Lockwood of Life Green Group significant changes during the course of
the growth of our group seemed to require and discovered that he was looking to my career, and I am amazed and somewhat
corporatisation, and with the demanding expand his company to KZN (after a disappointed at how many qualified people
weekly travel that my position required, previously unsuccessful attempt). So, have left it. I believe it suffers from an image
it became obvious that fresh, younger Life Green Group KZN was born, with problem and that it is not fully appreciated
energy was required, better suited to the Collins Group also wanting some for the opportunities it can offer.
the increasingly regulated, corporate vertical integration for their upcoming I also believe that developments in AI,
environment. I therefore decided to retire developments, as well as becoming technology, communications and other
and return to KZN when I turned 60 in shareholders. My original partners ‘new’ industries represent an opportunity,
2017. Arthur Cowan and Basil Harrison are also not a threat to the green industry, but I’ll
My wife Veronica and I spent the next involved. leave that to the younger, more ‘tech-savvy’
couple of years building our new beach We now have a business which includes generation to enjoy.
house in Umdloti, a small village on the a wholesale nursery and a construction In the meantime, I will remain involved in
coast, just north of durban. I assisted her and maintenance division that employs landscaping and environmental work for as
with some movie production work, did ad about 300 people. We were fortunate to long as I continue to enjoy it, and as long
hoc consulting and went surfing! win some top SALI awards in our second as my partners and clients put up with me!
year of business, and have an extensive I think retirement is perhaps an outmoded
Current situation order book for the next few years; massive concept!
A series of events led to my current residential and hospitality projects are
situation: I was offered an opportunity to lined up and in progress, including the (I’m totally with you on that Terry! - ed) n

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