How networking is saving my country where official channels failed
March 2020 — Belgium was running out of mouth masks, and fast. International logistics have been disrupted and several European countries have closed their borders for transports of medical equipment.
The Ministry of Health issued a public tender, and after the first preferred supplier withdrew because of issues with their manufacturer, and a shipment from the second supplier mysteriously went missing, a third company suddenly came into pole position.
The soccer connection
Zulte-Waregem is a Belgian First Division A soccer team that counts among its sponsors Nicolas Cuypers of medical supplies company Life Bvba and Tony Beeuwsaert who owns private airline ASL. One of the unexpected key connections however, came from Tom Dewitte who operates a new supermarket that was still growing its local roots in the Flemish town of Waregem.
“I wanted to anchor my business locally and the best way to do that is through networking. I knew Nicolas from the club. It just so happened that in the weeks before, we were setting up a distribution model for AEDs (automated external defibrillators) that would be publicly accessible” said Tom. “We put those plans on the backburner as soon as we learned of more urgent needs. We heard about the public tender and set a plan in motion to obtain the necessary mouth masks. Over a decade ago, I had worked in a phone store where I met Gsai Lee, a Chinese Belgian who now runs an import-export company. Lee has a wide network in China and is familiar with the local way of doing business. He succeeded in securing enough mouth masks from suppliers. The next hurdle was getting them into Belgium in the middle of this global chaos.”
This is where entrepreneur Tony Beeuwsaert came in. Thanks to his connections in the airline industry, the team were able to charter a jet that got the shipment to arrive at the Liège-Bierset airport in under 48 hours. Further shipments are to follow in the coming days, which will bring the total supply of mouth masks to 20 million.
“The amount of calls we made with authorities, embassies, and so on, is staggering. But these unreal times demand unseen measures” continues Tom.
Nicolas picks in: “We are not getting much sleep these days but neither are healthcare workers. We heard about the appalling conditions in which they had to work, even cutting up sheets to use them as masks. It is for them that we are working day and night.”
As we speak, the deliveries are being distributed by the civil protection agency, the military and volunteers from the Ministry of Health.
Notes from the author
I am not affiliated with these companies but I personally know some of the individuals involved. I believe they deserve praise and are a prime example of how informal networking can lead to unexpected solutions, and of how a crisis brings out the best in each of us.
