The Pyramid Was Overflowing with Life
During the years following the opening of the Glass Pyramid, each new day felt like a promise. Every morning, when I arrived in the parking lot and saw the sunlight reflected in the glass facade, I felt the same enthusiasm again. Today, we will build something new. The Pyramid had become a place where something was always happening. The telephone hardly stopped ringing. The fax tirelessly printed new messages. From Italy, we received price lists, technical data, and samples.
From Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg came requests from architects, importers, and real estate developers. Every day brought new challenges. And to be honest... I loved it. After so many difficult years, I finally felt that life was smiling at me again. Representatives from our Italian factories regularly came to spend a few days in Belgium. They stayed in hotels around Lummen and spent long hours with us in the Pyramid. Together, we examined the display panels.
We analyzed new collections. We spoke about colors, finishes, and emerging trends. But very often, the day did not end when the office doors closed. Quite the opposite. That was frequently when the most enjoyable part began. We went out to eat together. Sometimes to an Italian restaurant, where the flavors and aromas immediately stirred memories of our native country. At other times, we chose a Belgian brasserie, where our Italian guests curiously discovered dishes they had never tasted.
Around the table, we spoke about far more than business. We shared our stories. We spoke about our families. Our youth. The villages where we had been born. We laughed at memories from the past. And together, we dreamed about the future. It was precisely in moments like those that trust was truly born. I have always believed that a collaboration does not begin with the signing of a contract. It begins when people get to know one another as human beings.
Perhaps that was one of my greatest strengths. I never wanted merely to sell products. I wanted to build lasting relationships. And often, genuine friendships. That is probably also why so many manufacturers continued to place their trust in me for years. Not because I was the most important representative, but because they knew that my word meant as much to me as a signed contract. Within the Pyramid, too, there was a very special atmosphere. We worked hard.
Very hard. But we also laughed a great deal. When it was someone's birthday, a cake would suddenly appear. When we reached an important agreement, spontaneous applause filled the space. Sometimes someone brought a bottle of wine from Italy. At other times, a box of delicious Belgian chocolates appeared on the table. They were small moments.
But they were precisely the moments that transformed colleagues into a close-knit team. I can still see Marco passing his enthusiasm on to everyone around him. He would walk into an office with yet another new idea.
"Come and see!" he would say.
"I think I've found something."
We immediately gathered around his screen. Sometimes the idea was brilliant. At other times, it simply did not work. But every attempt was taken seriously, because even an idea that failed brought us one step closer to a better solution. Meanwhile, Cristina provided the calm we all needed. While Marco constantly looked toward the future and I tried to make dozens of ideas happen at once, she created order.
She coordinated appointments. Organized meetings. Welcomed visitors. And made sure that, despite all the activity and enthusiasm surrounding us, we did not lose sight of the whole. Only many years later did I fully understand how important her role was. A dream needs people who are always looking ahead.
But it also needs people who make sure everyone keeps moving forward together. When I think back on those years today, I do not see only a company. I see a family. Not a family united by blood, but a family brought together by the same conviction. Each of us felt part of something special. It was precisely that feeling that gave us our energy. There were many evenings when we continued working until late.
Outside, the parking lot had grown quiet. The building stood almost alone in the darkness. But the Pyramid remained brightly lit. Anyone passing by might have thought only one or two people were still working. In reality, we were often all seated around a table. A cup of coffee within reach. Sheets of paper scattered everywhere. Marco was already sketching a new idea. I was trying to discover what business possibilities it contained.
And somewhere in the background, one could hear the soft hum of the computers. No one watched the clock. We were engaged in something that felt larger than ourselves. It is difficult to explain that feeling to someone who has never experienced it. You are tired. Very tired. And yet you do not want to go home. Because you sense that, day after day, something exceptional is coming into being.
But life has its own way of teaching us important lessons. It is precisely when everything seems to be going wonderfully... that we sometimes need to be most vigilant. Behind every great success lies a certain vulnerability. A vulnerability that often remains invisible until it is almost too late. At the time, we did not yet know that. We simply enjoyed the moment. We worked. We laughed. We dreamed. And we were convinced that the future could only become more beautiful.
But life had other plans for us.