The nominations for the entrepreneurs’ award The Hague Pearl/de Haagse Parel have been announced.
In the category Exceptional contribution, Garden Centre Ockenburgh, 2TestIT and Mijn Buuf are nominated. The nominees in the Impactful circular enterprise category are: Circularise, Circular Green and i-did.
The Hague Pearl
The municipality of The Hague is proud of its entrepreneurs. Especially for this, the municipality annually awards the Hague Pearl. It is an award for companies and individuals who make a special contribution to the Hague economy. This year, there are two categories: Exceptional Contribution and Impactful Circular Enterprise.
Alderman for SMEs, employment and participation, Nur Icar: ”Working, entrepreneurship, starting new businesses. The Hague has many energetic entrepreneurs whom we like to put in the spotlight. After all, they provide employment for all different kinds of residents in our city. I am very proud of the list of nominees. Nice to see that we have so many socially involved entrepreneurs with an eye for sustainability. I call on everyone: cast your vote and let us know who you think deserves a Hague Pearl!’
Exceptional contribution
Garden centre Ockenburgh has a chance to win the Haagse Parel in the category Exceptional contribution. The garden centre was taken over by two brothers from their parents one year ago and are now on a mission to become the most sustainable and inclusive garden centre in the Netherlands.
2TestIT, a company where they train employees with a distance to the labour market to become software testers and then place them on IT projects, also has a chance of winning the prize.
The final contender is Mijn Buuf: a sustainable workshop where vulnerable women with a migration background are activated and supported with the aim of increasing their participation in Dutch society.
Impactful circular enterprise
In the category Impactful circular enterprise, three companies have also been nominated for a chance to win.
Circularise uses smart technologies to make raw materials traceable, giving companies better insight into their products.
The second nomination is for Circular Green. They offer ‘Plants as a Service’. This allows customers to lease reused plants for their working environment.
Completing the list is i-did, at the i-did Factory on Televisiestraat, they produce felt from surplus textiles and turn it into sustainable products in their workshop.
Public and jury votes
Who will be the winner of The Hague Pearl 2024? That is in the hands of the professional jury and the public. The public can vote for their favourite business at www.haagseparel.nl from today until 12 noon on Thursday 23 May. The public votes will count for 40% in the results.
The other 60% is in the hands of the expert jury. The jury consists of: Harry Wientjens (Economic Board The Hague), Robert Medenblik (VNO-NCW), Pieter Scholten (MKB The Hague), Matthijs van den Ende (Dyflexis and also the winner of the Hague Pearl Family Businesses 2023) and Hans van den Broek (The Shore and also the winner of the Hague Pearl Exceptional Contribution 2023).
Presentation
The presentation of the Haage Parel will take place during Den Haag Inspireert!, The Hague’s entrepreneurial event taking place on Thursday 13 June at the Fokker Terminal.
Zestee 