Farewell to Willy Warson

The entrepreneur who secretly helped people in trouble, too.

As a young man, entrepreneur Willy Warson already knew business. Especially for his teacher, he helped negotiate the purchase of a school bus. He would become the founder of the successful Limburg company Warsco. In between, without others knowing, he helped people in trouble.

Willy was the youngest son in a brooding family of a deeply religious mother, a burgundy father, five sons and three daughters in Lanaken. Early on, the children helped in the construction business, but Willy first went to the school of the Kruisheren in Maaseik for his education. There he stood out for his entrepreneurial spirit and his way of doing things. For example, Father Jurgens needed a van for the trips he had to make with his students. Willy knew a thing or two about cars thanks to his parents' construction company. And so he enthusiastically went along to accompany Father in the purchase. Moments later, the school had its own van for student transportation. During playtime, almost everyone played volleyball, even the fathers in their pipes jumped in front of one of the six nets. That's where Willy's love for volleyball was born. So later he became one of the driving forces of Volleyball Volharding Eisden.

“Dad imported them from Germany starting in the mid-1970s. It became a huge success. But why would he keep importing when he could also make them himself?”

Zonen Marc en Steven

Willy went on to study first: an education that included math, physics and economics. That awakened even more the entrepreneur in him. When he finished his studies, everyone in the family had already found a place in the parent's construction business. “Dad eventually started selling tools,” say sons Marc and Steven. “He knew machines, like drills and picketers, thanks to the business. With the latest equipment, he went to construction sites, where in the early 1970s he regularly saw workers at work with hammer and chisel. He asked if they wanted to use a picker and soon was able to sell a lot of tools.”

Railways

Many workers were even eating their lunch outside during autumn and winter. In Germany, site containers already existed at the time, where workers could catch their breath. Willy got the idea to offer site containers in our country. “Dad started importing them from Germany in the mid-1970s. It became a huge success. But why keep importing them if he could also make them himself? The rest is a fascinating piece of Limburg business history. The company Warsco was born. It all started on a remote piece of industrial land in Zutendaal. There wasn’t much budget yet, but the company grew remarkably fast. From then on, they weren’t called containers anymore, but mobile units. Units were delivered with small kitchens, sanitary facilities, heating, and all necessary comforts.”

The Belgian railway company became an important client. Railway workers sometimes had to work for days in remote locations. A nearby hotel always had to be found, which was often too small to accommodate an entire work crew. “Warsco developed units that fit on trains. The railway company still uses the mobile work trains with sleeping spaces and sanitary comfort to this day. Things took off so rapidly that we were producing up to a thousand units per year.”

Ace at Negotiating

In 2008, land was purchased in Genk, right next to Ford. Warsco kept growing. “Dad took risks and dared to be an entrepreneur. He was one of the first around here in the 1980s to work on an Apple computer. You could use a computer mouse with it to make drawings, which was very handy when designing mobile units. Other entrepreneurs laughed: who uses a computer with a mouse? He was also one of the first business leaders to have a phone in the car. His trunk was half full of the technology. But he could plan his days efficiently and everyone could reach him to do business. What other entrepreneur had that advantage at the time? Although he was often a pioneer and chose quality materials, he was still very careful with money. He was an ace at negotiating. If something was being bought, he always went along. Often, a significant discount was negotiated. Still, he was as honest as gold, perhaps due to his deeply religious upbringing by his mother.”