Ben & Ben Vermeer
Ben Vermeer grew up in IJmuiden. He has lived there since the age of six. Nearly twenty years ago, he moved away, but as a property manager he still works in the region daily. He manages multiple buildings in IJmuiden. “I’ve always stayed connected.”
His family is closely tied to the harbour. His father, also Ben, ran a car business on Willembeeksweg in 1973 and later spent time in a small warehouse in the harbour, tinkering with cars. Many people in IJmuiden knew him. “A distinctive character,” Vermeer says.
He remembers a time of more old buildings and traditional trades. The VICO fish canning factory, other industrial sites that have since disappeared. At the age of ten, Hoogovens became more than just the factory on the horizon. His grandfather worked in the harbour. “That experience has changed since it came into foreign ownership.”
At nineteen, he moved to Oud-IJmuiden. “That rough neighbourhood.” For years it was not a desirable place. Now he sees it changing. “Now it’s becoming the yuppie district of Velsen.”
Most of his tenants are businesses that need to be based here. He also rents out some properties to artists. They value the rawness of the harbour. “It feeds their creativity.”
According to him, Tata Steel is discussed differently locally than nationally. There is criticism of pollution, but he also points out improvements over the past thirty years. The area has lived off industry for a century.
He hopes that, in the end, the area will become more beautiful than people expected in 2026.