30 years of service for Wasiel Szlapak

Wasiel looks back on his first week at Tectum Dekkers Genk, where he had to get straight to work in Zaventem. "My first roof was in Zaventem, which was hard work right away. After two days I felt cramps in my arms and then the colleagues called me Krampie and afterwards it became Wakkie, a combination of Wasiel and krampie. It was a nice time, nice colleagues and foremen. I have very positive memories of my early days as a roofer."

Less strenuous work thanks to modern techniques

When asked if the work used to be more physically demanding than now, Wasiel agrees wholeheartedly. "You used to have to do physically heavier work than now. We had to carry the rolls of roofing, 3 stories up, ourselves. We also carried up kettles of bitumen, in which we melted it. Now there are new techniques that make the work lighter and faster, such as a crane, glue, and the EPDM rolls are now 8 meters long. It will always be hard work, but with modern techniques the work becomes a lot more pleasant."

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As Wasiel reflects on progress in the roofing industry, he points to demountable roofs, an innovation that was unthinkable in its early days. "There is a lot of progress, yes! As I said, you used to have to work harder physically because there was less modern technology back then. Now there is even a roof that is completely demountable that you can roll up."

The number of roofs he has laid remains a mystery to Wasiel because of the many projects he has contributed to. "Now you ask me something, no I don't know. I've installed so many roofs, I've lost count."

No gps or cell phone

In a time without GPS, road maps were their guide to the workplace. "We used to get 3 papers printed out and then we would leave for the yard. If we couldn't find the yard, we had to find a phone booth and call. Generally, we always arrived at the yard on time. We didn't have a GPS, but we carried a map by default. Now, young people with all that technology, type it in and they know right away where they need to be." (laughs)

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"You know, within the Tectum Group they call me the 'best driver.' Once there was a former colleague who had to ride with me to the yard. I don't know why, but the guy made a sign of the cross before getting in. On the way he turned deathly pale, closed his eyes and pulled his hood over his head. We arrived at the yard, I woke him up and said, "You're on the ground, not in heaven. I always ride calm and relaxed, but he seemed to be scared with me." (laughs)

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About Wasiel

And then, as we learn more about the man behind the skilled roofer, we discover that Wasiel is a fascinating mix of Ukrainian and Italian ancestry. Wasiel's father is Ukrainian and his mother is Italian. He is married to Varsalona, with whom he has 3 children: Andrej, Gianluca and Alessio. Meanwhile, he is grandfather to Elisa and Emilio. Before joining Tectum Group he even worked in the mine for a while.

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Thank you Wasiel for sharing this story with us!

Wasiel looks back on his first week at Tectum Dekkers Genk, where he had to get straight to work in Zaventem. "My first roof was in Zaventem, which was hard work right away. After two days I felt cramps in my arms and then the colleagues called me Krampie and afterwards it became Wakkie, a combination of Wasiel and krampie. It was a nice time, nice colleagues and foremen. I have very positive memories of my early days as a roofer."

Less strenuous work thanks to modern techniques

When asked if the work used to be more physically demanding than now, Wasiel agrees wholeheartedly. "You used to have to do physically heavier work than now. We had to carry the rolls of roofing, 3 stories up, ourselves. We also carried up kettles of bitumen, in which we melted it. Now there are new techniques that make the work lighter and faster, such as a crane, glue, and the EPDM rolls are now 8 meters long. It will always be hard work, but with modern techniques the work becomes a lot more pleasant."

‍

‍

As Wasiel reflects on progress in the roofing industry, he points to demountable roofs, an innovation that was unthinkable in its early days. "There is a lot of progress, yes! As I said, you used to have to work harder physically because there was less modern technology back then. Now there is even a roof that is completely demountable that you can roll up."

The number of roofs he has laid remains a mystery to Wasiel because of the many projects he has contributed to. "Now you ask me something, no I don't know. I've installed so many roofs, I've lost count."