Bertus Servaas

Bertus Jan-Willem Servaas (born 12 July 1963, in Zaanstad) is a Polish entrepreneur of Dutch nationality, president of the PGE Vive Kielce handball club, majority shareholder of the VIVE Group companies, president of the management board of Vive Textile Recycling, the largest company of the Polish textile recycling industry.

Bertus Servaas
Born	(1963-07-12) 12 July 1963 Zaanstad, Netherlands
Occupation	Chairman of VIVE Textile Recycling President of PGE Vive Kielce
Home town	Kielce, Poland
Awards	Order of Polonia Restituta

Biography

Between 1976 and 1982 he played football for AFC Ajax Amsterdam, but a leg injury prevented him from continuing his career.[1]

In 1991 he moved to Poland.[2] Through buy-out of 25% of shares, he became a co-owner of a small second-hand clothes wholesale, at the time located in Szczukowskie Górki. After a fire which burned down almost all goods and buildings during the night of 7 to 8 October 2002, he rebuilt the company, moving it to Kielce, to the halls previously owned by Chemar.

In 2002 he became the owner of Kolporter Kielce handball club (later renamed to Vive Kielce),[3] who since then (until 2017) have been the champions of Poland nine times, won 12 Polish Cups and won the 2015/2016 Champions League.

In 2003 he received the Kielce City Award from the Kielce City Mayor Wojciech Lubawski for promoting sport and acting for development of the city.[4] He is the founder of the VIVE Heart to Children foundation helping ill and disabled children, as well as the STU Club acting for development of Kielce and the region, which brings together the companies from the Świętokrzyskie region.

In 2012 he applied for Polish citizenship, and he was granted one at the end of 2014.[5]

Awards and distinctions

• Knight's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta (2011), awarded by the President of the Republic of Poland Bronisław Komorowski (in recognition of his outstanding merits in the activities for people in need, and for particular achievements in organizational and social work)[6]
• The Badge of Honor of the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship (2016)[7]
• The title of "Man of the Sport" in the “2002 Sport Stars of the Świętokrzyskie Region" contest (2003)[8]
• The title of “Ambassador of Sport of the Świętokrzyskie Region" (2012) in the “Echo Dnia” contest[9]
• The title of “Man of the Year 2016" (2017) in the “Echo Dnia” contest[10]
• “Świętokrzyska Victoria” in “personality” category (2017)[11]

References

1. Media, Wirtualna Polska (2016-05-30). "Bertus Servaas. Grał z Marco van Bastenem i Frankiem Rijkaardem. Zbudował w Polsce klub, który wygrał Ligę Mistrzów – WP SportoweFakty". sportowefakty.wp.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2017-12-13.
2. "Bertus Servaas – kolega Van Bastena i Rijkaarda zbudował europejską potęgę w Polsce". Onet Sport (in Polish). 2013-09-25. Retrieved 2017-12-13.
3. "Historia". iskrakielce.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2017-12-13.
4. www.ideo.pl, ideo -. "Sylwetki laureatów oraz uzasadnienia przyznania nagród za 2003r. / Nagrody Miasta Kielce / Uhonorowani przez Miasto / Oficjalna strona Miasta Kielce". www.um.kielce.pl. Retrieved 2017-12-13.
5. "Bertus Jan-Willem Servaas uroczyście otrzymał polskie obywatelstwo". echodnia.eu. Retrieved 2014-12-18.
6. "Bertus Servaas odznaczony Krzyżem Kawalerskim Orderu Odrodzenia Polski". echodnia.eu (in Polish). Retrieved 2017-12-12.
7. "Bertus Servaas odebrał Odznakę Honorową Województwa Świętokrzyskiego". echodnia.eu (in Polish). 2017-07-14.
8. "Wyniki plebiscytu Świętokrzyskie Gwiazdy Sportu 2002". kielce.wyborcza.pl. Retrieved 2017-08-29.
9. "Plebiscyt Sportowy 2011. Marcus Cleverly zwycięzcą! Zobacz najlepszych sportowców i trenerów regionu". echodnia.eu (in Polish). Retrieved 2017-08-29.
10. "Bertus Servaas, Człowiek Roku 2016: – Wszystko, co mam, zawdzięczam Polsce". plus.echodnia.eu/swietokrzyskie (in Polish). 2017-02-25. Retrieved 2017-08-29.
11. red., oprac. "Świętokrzyskie Victorie wręczone. Poznaj laureatów". echodnia.eu (in Polish). Retrieved 2017-08-29.