The Early Years

Albert Liebaert graduated as a civil engineer in construction in 1972 at the age of 22, and subsequently as a civil engineer in industrial policy. He completed his compulsory military service as a reserve officer with the field artillery in Brasschaat, where he remained after training to teach. At the end of 1974, he started working at CFE in Brussels as head of the study of execution methods and equipment, with a focus on profitability in the execution of construction projects.

First Businesses and International Experience

This was followed by the takeover of a construction company in Tienen. Due to significant bank debt and the difficult economic period at the end of the 1970s, and despite the many projects in Louvain-la-Neuve and its surroundings, he decided to sell the company again.

In 1977, after participating in an economic mission to Ivory Coast, he started again in the capital Abidjan. This time as a developer and contractor of apartment buildings and industrial buildings in the port. Meanwhile, Liebaert Engineering bvba was established as the predecessor of Liebaert Invest bv. Coming from a family that had already been active for six generations in agriculture, trade in agricultural products and flax, the decision was already made to separate operating companies from assets.

After the sale of the construction company in Abidjan, activities continued with rental and sales.

Establishment of Liebaert Staalbouw NV

At the beginning of 1987, Liebaert Staalbouw NV was founded in Houthalen. Steel structures were produced here with a capacity of more than 10,000 tons per year, together with a second production facility in Genk.

Liebaert Staalbouw supplied and installed steel constructions for sectors such as petrochemicals, logistics, manufacturing and industrial food production. The company had a stable client base in the Benelux, France and Germany, for which all major permits were obtained. Steel structures were also supplied to the palm oil industry in West Africa thanks to earlier contacts.

Liebaert Staalbouw also built complete turnkey industrial buildings.

The Start of Liebaert Invest NV

In 1988, Liebaert Invest NV was founded. The company acquires land, develops projects and constructs tailor-made business complexes for clients. Liebaert Invest also provides the complete plant layout.

In 1992, Liebaert Invest began building and leasing facilities in Genk for the Green Field suppliers of Ford Genk when the then CEO of Ford Genk, Peter Heller, developed this concept. Several multinational companies were brought to Genk as part of this initiative, including Conix, Magna, Lear Corporation, Facil, Intier and Firth Furnishing, which later became part of Rieter and subsequently Rieter Automotive.

Expansion and Sustainable Investments

In line with this evolution, the client base expanded with logistics companies such as the European distribution center for Seco Tools in Houthalen and the American company Ingersoll Rand in Genk. Investments were also made in solar panels on various rented industrial buildings.

Strategic Reorientation and Succession

Taking into account international competition, the social liabilities of the company and the perspective of succession within Liebaert Invest, it was decided in 2016 to discontinue the activities of Liebaert Staalbouw. Due to opportunities created by the strong demand for logistics buildings and to safeguard the assets within Liebaert Invest BV, several buildings were sold from 2017 onwards. To prepare the company for the next generation, the focus shifted from the management and leasing of industrial real estate to financial asset management.

The Next Generation

In 2015, son Tom Liebaert was appointed managing director of Liebaert Invest BV and he has been CEO since 2017. Daughter Eveline Liebaert and son Stefan Liebaert serve as board members.