In our summer series, Ben Geybels, CEO of logistics service provider Group-GTS, talks about his passion for car and cycling in the 60s and 70s. He is particularly fascinated by the people behind the sport. “I am a nostalgist and romanticise the past,” he says.
For the Flows summer series 2024, we look for stories of people from the maritime and logistics world who have a special passion or hobby. Ben Geybels, CEO of logistics service provider Group-GTS, is the second generation at the head of the company. He has been collecting original objects around car and cycling in the 60s and 70s for a decade.
Group-GTS employees and visitors can admire Geybels’ various collector’s items in the family business’ offices. Group-GTS’ 7,000 sq m office building, located on Bell-Telephonelaan in Geel, used to be a Johnson Controls car factory. “They made car seats for Opel Antwerp and Ford Genk, among others,” says Ben Geybels. The office spaces are decorated around car and cycling. All meeting rooms are named after cycling monuments and icons such as Monseré, Gimondi and De Vlaeminck.
Passion
“Modern car and cycling doesn’t attract me that much. I am a nostalgist and romanticise the past,” he says. “In the 1960s and 1970s, drivers and cyclists took great risks to pursue their profession. They were hugely passionate, driven and had to keep their cool and show leadership in stressful situations. I have every respect for that,” he says.
Jacky Ickx, Niki Lauda and Jackie Stewart were demigods, more famous than the car brand itself.
Each ‘theme corner’ tells a moral tale. “When you know the big risks they took, you learn to put things into perspective yourself, both professionally and personally,” he says. One ‘self-made man’ he greatly admires is Niki Lauda, one of the most influential figures in Formula 1 history. The Austrian won three world titles and enjoyed great success as a member of the board of directors of the Mercedes F1 team after his retirement. “Lauda is a world celebrity. He had enormous self-deprecation, self-mockery and could live with passion and speed. He reinvented himself no less than four times,” he says. “When he had crashed at the Nürburgring, he was badly disfigured. He called himself a monster, but he kept fighting and even took the Formula 1 world title after his crash. Afterwards, he opened an airline and became Lewis Hamilton’s consultant. He was also the only one who coped well with the ‘stubborn’ Frenchman Alain Prost within his own Formula One team. Lauda’s slogan was: ‘You learn absolutely nothing from success. The trick is to learn to deal with setbacks’.”
Demigods
Brussels racing driver Jacky Ickx and ‘The Flying Scot’ Jackie Stewart also transcended their sport. “They became demigods, more famous than the brand itself,” he says. “Hence 24-hour races were started to prove the car’s top performance, unfortunately often resulting in crashes and fatalities,” he says. “Our problems are dwarfed by what ‘those guys’ went through.”
His father and grandfather are also Geybels’ heroes. “I have always greatly admired them for their enterprise and perseverance, and I am grateful for the opportunities they gave us. I learnt many life lessons from them and am proud of my heritage,” he says.
Ford GT40
His very first collectible was an enamel sign of Belgian lager Stella Artois. His favourite collectible is a 1:8 scale model of the sports car Ford GT40, which was a four-time consecutive winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, from 1966 to 1969. The car was built to win long-distance races from Ferrari, which had won Le Mans six times in a row, from 1960 to 1965. In 1970, on the set of the film Le Mans, American film actor Steve McQueen – who had a great passion for motor racing – used a Ford GT40 to film high-speed scenes.
Dennis Rodman and Pulp Fiction
Besides collectibles around car and cycling, the walls of the ‘Kwaremont’ cafeteria also feature other enamel signs, photos and posters that take Geybels back to his childhood, such as a photo of British actress Audrey Hepburn and a Pulp Fiction movie poster. “The nice thing about this place is that our colleagues always recognise someone or something that brings back memories,” he says. Geybels also gifted his management team unique collectibles that are close to their hearts. Transport director Ward Eskens is a big baketball fan. On his desk is a basketball personally signed by former NBA player Dennis Rodman. The CFO’s office is decorated with an autographed cap of Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal. A framed Manchester City shirt signed by footballer Vincent Kompany also adorns the wall.
What object would he still like to add to his collection? “A jersey of cyclist Jean-Pierre Monseré would be great, but I think an autographed jersey of Roger De Vlaeminck would be more attainable.”
Success
The message Geybels mainly wants to convey with his collection is to always go full steam ahead for something. “Do as much as you can and as fast as you can,” he says. “Put things in perspective, build resilience and live with setbacks. With that mentality, you can handle anything and success will naturally follow,” he concludes.
