Raf Houben (39), COO of Democo Group, has just been elected Young Flemish Contractor 2024. This took place during the annual presentation of the Vision Report by the construction federation Embuild Vlaanderen at the Maison De La Poste in Brussels.
During the presentation of its annual Vision Report, Embuild Vlaanderen traditionally shines a spotlight on young entrepreneurs in the construction sector. One candidate is honored as Young Flemish Contractor of the Year for each province. This year, the entire board of Embuild Jong Limburg chose Raf Houben.
The 39-year-old industrial engineer has been with Democo Group for over 14 years, one of the largest construction and development companies in our country, and this year he took over the reins from his father, Rudy Houben, as COO. Raf Houben is thus the third generation to lead Democo Group, alongside the new CEO, Thibaud Demot (33), who follows in the footsteps of Philip Demot.
For Embuild Limburg, it was a given to nominate Raf Houben as Young Flemish Contractor.
“Democo Group has been a mainstay in our construction sector for over 30 years. A family business with great ambition that focuses on making the construction process more sustainable and efficient, with a particular emphasis on improving quality. These strong values align perfectly with the vision of Embuild Limburg.” - Chris Slaets, Managing Director of Embuild Limburg
Innovation and Collaboration
This year's Vision Report from Embuild places a strong emphasis on construction innovation and widely disseminating its results in the sector. Raf Houben and Democo Group are at the forefront of this initiative. They are the driving forces behind the development of a circular hub at the port of Brussels, where various partners from the construction sector and academia will collaborate on circularity.
Raf Houben is extremely grateful for the recognition from the entire board of the industry federation.
“It is a great honor to hold this title. But I also see it as a recognition of the hard and fantastic work of the entire Democo family. Together with all my colleagues, we have delivered impressive results in recent years, including the Corda Campus in Hasselt, Het Steen in Antwerp, the new provincial houses of Antwerp and East Flanders, and of course, the iconic Silt in Middelkerke (new casino). Innovation, sustainability, and of course safety have always been at the top of our agenda. The strength and ambition our people show and radiate every day motivates me immensely. This award gives that feeling an extra boost. We are and will remain ambitious. With our new operational leadership, a new future awaits Democo Group. Together with Thibaud Demot, we have developed a strong plan focused on creating significant added value at every step of the construction process while further enhancing our safety efforts. A plan that will prepare our company for the coming decades.” - Raf Houben, COO of Democo Group
Democo Group was founded in 1977 by the Demot, Houben, and Longhi families. It has 750 employees and an annual turnover of around 400 million euros. Its activities range from design and build for governments and businesses to residential project development, installation, sustainability, finishing, and maintenance. In addition to the construction company Democo, the group also includes sister companies Ciril (project development), The Energy Circle (sustainability and technology company), Deholi (interior construction), and AEW Security (security).
