By Jannie Holm Andersen
He can be both blunt and very proper at the same time. The 35-year-old Søren Vestergaard is a well-rounded person and someone his colleagues like very much. As funny and boyish as he can be – he is just as serious and highly professional as production manager at Areo.
Søren is described as an honor-loving workhorse who always keeps his promises and gets the job done – no matter how challenging. Should a project start to move forward, he doesn’t hesitate to put on his work gloves and step onto the floor with the fitters.
“And if he’s unhappy with something, you’ll know it – directly and without hesitation. He’s never sullen or smug and a really good leader,” say his colleagues.
Long distance, laughter and loyalty
Søren lives in Grindsted with his wife Nadia and their little daughter Agnes for just over a year. In his free time, he rides a racing bike – and he easily covers 50-100 kilometers in a day. This matches his competitive mentality and endurance.
Production Manager Anders Bredvig Christiansen has worked with Søren for many years. He has also seen him in action on the floor, as a floor fitter. He knows both his strengths and weaknesses:
“He’s a really good sander and not so good at sanding. But he can both putty and hold a pump hose.”
From butcher to floor layer
Søren originally trained as a shop butcher. After a few years in the butchering industry, he began to consider a career change, and in the spring of 2015, he and a friend were laying floors at Michael Hougaard, Areo’s co-owner and sales director. The chemistry was there immediately.
“We have the same sense of humor and sometimes talk before we think,” says Michael, who quickly offered Søren a job as a fitter.
A leader with coating in his blood
For almost eight years, Søren laid seamless floors – standing, kneeling and always dedicated. He quickly became chairman in Zealand and in 2022 he was given the title of production manager. Today, he is responsible for all of Areo’s projects, and he has no intention of changing that anytime soon.
“As it stands now, I don’t plan on doing anything else. I’m happy – both with the tasks and the people here,” he says.