Freek Nijdam, CEO of Rental Service Corp. from 2002-2004, died last week after a short illness at the age of 67.
Nijdam joined Atlas Copco in 1970 where he held a number of positions in Europe and North America. He was president of Atlas Copco’s Applied Compressor and Expander Technique division before assuming the position of senior executive vice president and business area executive of Construction and Mining Technique. In 2002 he was named business area president and CEO of Rental Service Corp.
Since 2005, Nijdam served on several legal boards of Atlas Copco and worked with special assignments until his recent illness.
“We have lost a dedicated colleague and a loyal friend,” said Gunnar Brock, president and CEO of the Stockholm, Sweden-based manufacturer. “There are many people within the Group that together with me will remember Freek with affection and for the professional guidance which he provided over 40 years with Atlas Copco. In this difficult moment, our thoughts go to Freek’s wife and daughter.”
“Freek was a person who had a zest for life that was rivaled only by his passion for overcoming business challenges,” Ellen Steck, vice president of communication and branding, Atlas Copco Airpower, who worked closely with Nijdam during his RSC tenure, told RER. “It was an incredible experience to work with Freek Nijdam. He will be missed but also remembered by so many.”
Nijdam played a major role in shaping the systems and culture at RSC, helping to bring about financial stability during a difficult economic period, and laying the foundation for a renewed period of growth at North America’s second largest rental company.
“We have lost a dedicated colleague and a loyal friend,” said Erik Olsson, president and CEO of RSC Equipment Rental. “There are many people within RSC that together with me will remember Freek with affection and for the professional guidance which he provided to all of us during his time with RSC. There is no doubt that RSC would not be the company it is today had it not been for Freek and for this we all owe him a significant amount of gratitude.”
