"It was not an easy decision to take this step, as for me, as a co-founder for the past 13 years PlantLab was everything. As a person, I have a strong vision and belief in how a company should act in line with its core values and principles. That I don't want to play politics for that within a company is well known and will never change," says Leon van Duin, a former shareholder of PlantLab, a Dutch vertical farming company.
After Leon assumed a different role within the company in early 2022, PlantLab moved in a different direction. However, soon this was a direction for Leon that he could not support. His fundamental values and beliefs about how PlantLab should operate are very clear, yet he doesn't see that now.
Leon van Duijn
Leon is grateful for the valuable experiences he has had at PlantLab and for working with colleagues and partners, cherishing the memories and lessons learned during his time at the company.
"Too many to list here, but I would never forget the remodeling of our building in 2013/2014, the construction of our first plant in the Bahamas, the plant in Indianapolis, and the plant in Amsterdam. PlantLab was built on the principle that with a few really good people, we could do an awful lot of work by just working really hard and believing in what we were doing," he adds.
Leon thanks everyone who helped him during the first part of his entrepreneurial journey. "Good luck, everyone at PlantLab, and I look forward to the next phase of the journey, trusses off!"