CrossBreeze originates from the vision of its two founders: Willem Otten and Harmen Wessels. We would like to introduce you to the faces behind CrossBreeze. Today, that is the driven perfectionist, Harmen. He has a clear vision and a great drive to do things more efficiently. That efficiency can be found in the basis of CrossBreeze: model-driven data engineering.
What you learn as a youngster, you’ll be able to do when you’re older
Harmen was born and raised in the Achterhoek, the place where his ‘technological journey’ started at a young age. His father had his own computer company, which meant that Harmen could already assemble computers and solve various problems at the age of eight. Harmen: “As a teenager, I was sometimes picked up by customers with new computers to connect them on location. Of course, I didn’t have a driver’s license yet and at that time computers were still of a size that you couldn’t take with you on a bike”. The company eventually took over Harmen and that’s where he also gained his first programming experience with developing web applications. When Harmen moved out, he stopped with this company. After completing his HBO Informatics education, Harmen decided to continue studying at university, where he obtained a master’s degree in Information System Engineering.
Not every problem can be solved with a hammer
Harmen: “I decided to go to university, because there is a broader view on things. At HBO something is ‘right’ or ‘wrong’, but I believed that my alternative ideas could also be right. At university I could research and discuss my own ideas. For example, I found it strange that the same type of databases are always used in many IT projects. From a technological perspective alone, that does not make sense at all. It is strange that you use the same tool for different types of problems, that is usually not the best solution. During my graduation I did research on this and developed a decision model that helps in choosing a database system.” Given the subject of his thesis, Harmen conducted the research from the Business Intelligence (BI) department of an IT consultancy company. After completing his studies, he started working at the same department as a BI Consultant because of his interest in data warehousing.
The first model-driven implementation
Harmen: “I ended up at a client via the IT consultancy company where I met Willem. A code generator was used there that we then further developed. This was actually a first variant of Model Driven Data Engineering. I wanted to do more with code generation, but my employer had a different focus. I then started freelancing, where I could put my acquired knowledge of model-driven work to good use. Because Willem believes in model-driven work just as much as I do, we eventually started CrossBreeze together. We both didn’t want to keep building frameworks everywhere, because there is another way!”
Everything can always be more efficient
Harmen’s drive to do things differently, better and more efficiently is reflected in both CrossBreeze and at home. Harmen: “At home, I also try to do as much as possible efficiently, which means that a lot of things in the house are automated. I really have what they call a ‘smart home’. For example, my house is set up in such a way that devices work when there is a surplus of electricity, which helps to reduce our CO2 footprint. I like to experiment with technologies and I also sometimes ‘tinker’ with 3D printers, with which I printed a connector for the IKEA train set and Duplo for my sons, for example.”
A perfectionist with a clear vision
Harmen is far from finished experimenting and making things more efficient. In the future, he wants to become a leading player in the market in the field of Model Driven Data Engineering. To achieve that goal, Harmen and Willem complement each other nicely. Where Harmen creates future-proof solutions with his perfectionism and eye for detail, Willem can make decisions more quickly and say: enough is enough. Willem: “Harmen has a clear opinion and vision. He can also engage in a conversation about this if someone has a different point of view. Discussions then regularly lead to new insights. That is very valuable!”
Are you curious about Harmen’s insights? And do you want to know what can be done more efficiently within your organization? Then contact Harmen. He will gladly tell you more about his vision and the working method of CrossBreeze!
