Building Care: fifteen years of building on trust

We produce this magazine with a stable team of magazine makers, constantly supplemented with young talent, and with great pleasure and commitment. Since the first issue in August 2000, magazine manager Patty Ros has been the driving force and lynchpin of it all. Experienced in both industries and blessed with entrepreneurial talent, she has maintained an extensive relationship network for fifteen years. "Relationships are important to me and I like to think with people," she says. A Q&A with a professional in healthcare construction.

When you joined Louwers Uitgeversorganisatie, a publishing house with a strong focus on construction magazines, in February 2000, you already had a long career in construction-related trade, media and care. But a magazine that brought care and construction together wasn't there yet. Why did that catch your eye?

"I lost both my parents early. My mother got Alzheimer's Disease at a young age and it was difficult to put her in a nursing home. Then I went to live with her and took care of her for a while. During those years I had a steady job at "Het Zondagsnieuws," a door-to-door newspaper in Eindhoven. There I learned to do a lot of work in a short time with a small group of people and still be creative. Before that, I worked in my parents' family business, which did a lot of business with contractors, and I even traded tropical hardwood. When I came to work at Louwers - initially for other construction magazines - I found that there was virtually no magazine for the construction industry within healthcare. Through many conversations with hospitals and residential care centers, Building Healthcare - as the magazine was then called - came into being. First twice, then four times and now six times a year. Soon we expanded the magazine to Flanders, as more and more reciprocal relationships developed between Dutch and Flemish healthcare construction parties. In Flanders, however, you have to know your way around. In that respect, it is a great advantage that we are in the border area with the publisher and have a feel for that culture."

How have you experienced the past 15 years in terms of commercial developments, relationships and substantive changes in healthcare construction?

"Over the years I have gotten to know many people - from hospital directors, facility managers, architects and contractors to vendor representatives. All of these are equally important to me. Often during conversations, several questions come up that sometimes I don't have an immediate answer to. Then I find out and call the person concerned back about it. That is appreciated. Relationships are important to me and I like to think with people. I also try to stay informed through Linkedin groups. Of course, I have to make every issue interesting for the readers, so we publish not only about projects but also about trade fairs and conferences. I also visit those projects and events with some regularity, to get a feel for what's going on. So much is changing in the healthcare market, and many people think they have the solution to the problems that exist today. I sometimes think that people in the government and municipalities who now make decisions about fewer nursing homes should first spend three months volunteering or working in care. Then they will think differently. There are of course many challenges for market participants in care construction, such as living at home longer and the aforementioned shrinkage in the number of care facilities. On the other hand, I see a lot of future in transforming care centers."

What are you most proud of yourself?
"I really think that's a difficult question. I think the large number of regular advertisers I've built up in 15 years. How that came about? I quickly noticed that healthcare is a world where human relationships are very important. And it's just in me to send a card when someone experiences something. But I don't want to make a big deal out of it; I think that's just part of it. If someone else gives me something, that relationship gets it back in return. I often get calls with ideas for projects myself, so something grows on which you can build. Last but not least, the permanent core of editors and designers provides the necessary continuity, allowing the magazine to continue to grow in terms of content."

Text: Jan-Kees Verschuure
Photos: Barry Hoogkamer

RELATIONS ON THE FLOOR
For Jeroen Floris, Marketing Manager Benelux at nora flooring systems, 'Building Care' plays an important role as a content communication tool. "'Bouwen aan de Zorg' lets both the supplier and the user have their say, in well-lit projects. The magazine plays an important role as a source of information for us and our partners in the Netherlands and Flanders. The magazine also shares useful sector information, for example on important sector associations, conferences and current healthcare innovations. Our relationship with the magazine feels like a warm bath."

Cees van Dam, director of sanitary equipment manufacturer Lopital, speaks of a "special bond" with "Building Care" and magazine manager Patty Ros, with whom he first came into contact eight years ago. "At the time, Lopital was the first producer of hygiene and transfer aids in the magazine. We still find the combination of advertisements and content contributions working well, because this way we can explain our added value well to our customers. And the magazine is well read, we notice by the feedback we get on articles. This is another reason why I want to congratulate 'Building Care' wholeheartedly."

Wissner-bosserhoff is celebrating its 10th anniversary in the Netherlands this year and has been involved with the magazine since 2006. Managing Director Benelux Erkan Sahin: "We advertise regularly. An important reason is that 'Bouwen aan de Zorg' is the only magazine of its kind for both the Netherlands and Belgium; that combination is very interesting for us. In addition, the magazine simply has a good look, with a hard cover and good photography. We also think that healthcare construction deserves an even broader stage. It would be good to highlight the concept of 'Building for Care' and what it all entails in a television program."

Heleen Sieben, co-owner of Artimo Textiles, has been working with the magazine since the founding of "Building for Care. "We are a supplier of flame-retardant interior fabrics that supplies - on a project basis - to the healthcare industry, among others. That niche is an important part of our turnover. We used to advertise in many magazines; we phased that out at some point. 'Building Healthcare' is the only printed magazine in which we still advertise regularly now. It is the only magazine specialized in healthcare construction that allows the supplier the space to show substantive contributions to healthcare projects. The relationship has always been good and we find the magazine improves every time. We would like to congratulate 'Building Care' on its fifteenth anniversary."

Debby Peters, manager of communications & PR at CCG Holding: "'Healthcare country' in the Benelux has been well represented in 'Building Healthcare' magazine for many years. It offers a good mix of 'cure' and 'care', with clear articles and nice pictures. Developments in healthcare are well followed - both real estate related and in the field of services. We are very satisfied with the pleasant cooperation with the magazine."

"When I think of 'Building Care,' the first thing I think of is the active editorial staff," says Edwin van der Waal, director of Lensen Projectinrichters BV. "You are where it happens, the magazine is current. Healthcare is quite a difficult market to describe. Just like healthcare companies, you have to constantly renew yourself as a magazine. And where other magazines concentrate mainly on text, the magazine is distinctive with a good balance between content and photo material. For market parties in healthcare construction, this is an ideal mix, I also hear that from colleagues."