In 1913 Doedo Veenhuizen, a farmer by trade, started a company focusing on cultivating wasteland, relieving farmers of flooding problems and helping to bring in the harvest when required. In 1915 the company became a N.V. (Limited Liability Company).
The name 'Grontmij' was soon coined, originating from the letters in the Dutch words for soil improvement (GRondverbetering) and reclamation company (ONTginningMaatschappIJ).
Environmental development
In the 1930s, vast acreages of wasteland were converted into cultivated land. Reclamation was the key concept. The flood disaster of Zeeland in 1953 gave us an enormous growth boost, keeping us busy with repair works, desalination of the flooded agricultural areas and the rebuilding of dykes.
During the post-war reconstruction of the Netherlands, the population grew rapidly; new houses had to be built and many new roads were needed. Partly due to the five-day working week, recreation started to boom and Grontmij benefited from this. Land consolidation was introduced as a result of upscaling in rural areas. This has now made way for environmental development and integrated water management. Grontmij has grown into an agricultural and civil engineering firm with not only agricultural engineers, but also civil and hydraulic engineers.
European expansion
Grontmij acquired the Carl Bro Group in August 2006 which meant the company doubled in size. Only in Denmark, Carl Bro is rebranded in Grontmij | Carl Bro; Sweden and the United Kingdom are fully Grontmij.
We have grown both organically and through acquisitions to achieve our current standing as third largest sustainable designing and engineering consultancy group within Europe.
We participate nowadays in many international projects. We are skilled in new focus areas, such as sewerage and waste water purification. Our expertise in the area of soil and ground water makes us an obvious party to tackle the problem of soil contamination. Besides our strong position in our home countries, we are also aiming to develop a strong presence in the rest of Europe in our chosen market sectors.
Grontmij has developed and grown by serving the needs of the local and international community in the face of external environmental changes and urban development. By alligning ourselves with the current environmental changes such as population growth, climate change and increasing urbanisation we will continue to play our part in the global community into and beyond our 100 year anniversary.