Unfortunately, far too soon, we had to say goodbye to our committee chair Mieke Verhaegh. Committee member Ward Verkuylen wrote this:
Thoughts on Mieke
When I returned to my hometown of Venlo seven years ago, Mieke Verhaegh was one of the first people I met in business. A fine person, a true Venloan and a pioneer. In no time, she had introduced me to pretty much half the city. First, proudly to her youngest son. I learned from Mieke that pioneering is trial and error. And I shared with her that life had to be lived. Not much later I was allowed to join her Innovation and Sustainability Committee of Entrepreneurial Venlo.
There she preceded us in ambition and vigour. She was Innovation and Sustainability Committee. To all the trails she had already left behind, the most relevant had to be added: a better world for her grandchildren, for the people who will soon be allowed to borrow this earth. We developed a collaborative programme with Zomerparkfeest to test innovations by OV members on a festival audience. And of course, she pretty much single-handedly developed an approach to making the business parks that make up Entrepreneurial Venlo more sustainable.
She has left her mark permanently. She inspires us to continue on her path.
Thank you dear Mieke.
On behalf of Innovation and Sustainability Committee of Entrepreneurial Venlo,
Ward Verkuylen
