"Small cubs grow up. Natural stone worker Geert Verhelle from Harelbeke can attest to this. The love for natural stone was passed down to son Jordi from an early age, and the result is impressive. At the age of 23, this young man feels that it's his turn to take the reins and continue to propel his father's laboriously nurtured brainchild out into the world. Since April 1st, 2020, Natuursteen Verhelle has been renamed Gemardi, standing as a steadfast rock ready to face the future head-on.
"I was 28 when I started as a self-employed stone cutter 'out of interest in the trade.' I learned the craft through a few years of work at a stonemasonry, almost by chance. I enjoyed it, but the urge to work independently was strong in me. In 1993, I founded my own natural stone company. It wasn't an easy choice as a young starter without the capital to invest in expensive machinery. It was a daily puzzle to invest what came in as wisely as possible. I began with an old forklift truck, which ultimately remained my best friend for 20 years. I had the stones I needed to process cut elsewhere until I saved up enough to buy a discarded saw. The processing of natural stone was done in an old barn in the early years."
These are the words of Geert Verhelle, founder of Natuursteen Verhelle in Harelbeke, reminiscing about a distant past while comparing the early years of his business to today's evolutions.
"From limestone to bluestone. I bought my first 'modern' sawing machine in the period when I was able to build my own workshop. I was working with five employees at that time, mainly processing limestone: chimneys, porticos, custom work for interiors like wine cellars, kitchens, and bathrooms, as well as restorations in limestone. We gradually turned to exports, which gave my company a big boost.
Around 2010, however, the limestone market collapsed. We had to look for alternatives, especially for precise work in various types of natural stone. Despite all the changes in the market, we remained loyal to natural stone. It's a material with a unique appeal and brings great satisfaction to the worker. 'Artificial stones' don't have that."
Despite changes in the market, Natuursteen Verhelle has managed to position itself as a successful company offering all the facilities for processing and sawing any type of natural stone such as bluestone, marble, and granite. The growth years that preceded this success were filled with trials and errors, much like anywhere else. Finding motivated staff proved to be a challenge in itself. Geert: "Finding good employees, I could write a book about that! One drove my forklift straight into the heating system, another disappeared after the first hour of work. Some had back pain, only showed up in the afternoon instead of the morning, or simply overslept... and I could go on like this for a while. Nevertheless, we managed to find some good and reliable employees who are driving our company forward. It's now up to my son Jordi to make it a lasting success story."
Gemardi.com
Now it's time to shift our focus to the young man eager to follow in his father's footsteps, who has been able to wear the title of 'Managing Director of Gemardi Natural Stone' since April 1st, 2020. The apple truly doesn't fall far from the tree. Not even in Harelbeke.
Jordi Verhelle: "Since April 1st, Natuursteen Verhelle continues under the name Gemardi. The core task of the company remains the same, namely offering customized natural stone, tiles, and finished products for the construction and fireplace sector. Since we don't carry out installations ourselves, we mainly target contractors and do-it-yourselfers. However, Gemardi's approach is slightly different and more adapted to our time, as we focus on offering natural stone online through our webshop www.gemardi.com. This is still in its early stages since there's still some hesitancy about buying natural stone online. Nevertheless, we strive to guide the customer as best as possible by providing many photos, sending samples, and offering the possibility to come and see us. Natural stone isn't an easy product to sell online, but this challenge completely appealed to me!"
Learning from a young age...
Son Jordi took his first steps into the world of natural stone as a small baby in his father's workshop. Since then, the fascination has never left him. "I knew from a young age that I wanted to work 'with my hands.' I studied carpentry at VTI in Kortrijk, where I gained a solid technical background. However, I was always intrigued by my father's trade and often came to the workshop with him. There was no doubt in my mind that after finishing my studies, I would join my father's company. I'm someone who learns by observing, so I gained practical experience here.
The idea of starting Gemardi came about in 2017, shortly after I started working in my father's company. This allowed me to develop the online concept in a modest way. It was quite exciting; my father immediately said 'Another child is born,' and it does feel a bit like that. The biggest challenge for me is entering the world of self-employment at the age of 20. Fortunately, I had and still have a lot of support from my father. I can always turn to him for advice and assistance."
Geert: "I always let Jordi decide whether he wanted to join the company; he had to want it himself. His brother and sister have other interests and ended up in different sectors. But as a father, you're obviously proud when you can pass on your dream to your son and not to a stranger."
What sets Gemardi apart is its commitment to providing the best service, keeping promises, and putting a smile on the customer's face. Geert: "Customers today are much more selective than before. The internet creates well-informed customers who usually know very well what they want. Also, in terms of style, people nowadays prefer sleeker things without too many frills. Thanks to the proximity of various wholesale stores, we're able to offer customers a very wide choice."
This aligns with the vision of the newly minted entrepreneur Jordi, who aims to maintain a healthy and dynamic company that only progresses through intelligent investments. Thus, old Canigo machines are replaced by new state-of-the-art CNC-controlled machines from G.M.T. in Ronse.
"Jordi and I both find this a very rewarding sector to work in," Geert concludes. "The finished product is always unique, and we're constantly challenged because each project is different, requiring us to constantly seek new solutions and possibilities. I'm very proud of what I've achieved over the last 27 years, and I wouldn't know what else I could do. I hope Jordi can continue the business with the same enthusiasm and won't have to face too many
major setbacks."
When I ask Jordi how he would describe his new baby in one sentence, the answer flows smoothly from his mouth: "Gemardi is a dynamic, young, and innovative natural stone processing company that aims to provide the best service and quality at competitive prices."
Text: Lies Paelinck (polycaro) - Photos: Gemardi"
