Desjardins Unveils Names of Finalists for Desjardins Entrepreneurship Prizes

Montréal, June 17, 2009 – Desjardins Group, the largest financial institution in Québec, is proud to announce the names of the finalists for the Desjardins Entrepreneurship Prizes. These prestigious awards showcase the excellence of local businesses and their active contribution to regional economic development.

According to Stéphane Achard, Senior Vice-President and General Manager, Business and Institutional Services, "All of Desjardins Group's strengths—the skills of its employees, its accessibility and its complete and integrated service offer—are available to entrepreneurs who put their trust in the organization. The Desjardins Entrepreneurship Prizes are our way of saying thank you to many of them."

The winners will be announced on October 6, 2009, at an event presided by Monique F. Leroux, Chair of the Board, President and CEO of Desjardins Group.

Young Entrepreneur category, in collaboration with the Secrétariat à la jeunesse

Winners in this category will receive a $10,000 bursary from Fondation Desjardins.

The finalists representing the Eastern Québec region are:

Synertek Industries, St-Romuald - Jean-François Boutin, Vice-President of Sales

Created in 2004 by four shareholders, Synertek Industries is a sub-contractor specializing in precision sheet metal manufacturing. Its product is designed for use by high tech businesses operating in the optics, medical, food, transport and electronics sectors. In its four years of operation, the business has created 28 jobs in its region.

Techni-Arp Inc., L'Ange-Gardien - Jean-François Bernier, President

Founded in April 2005, Techni-Arp Inc. specializes in surveying for construction. Techni-Arp Inc. serves many companies, offering a complete surveying service, with a skilled and highly productive team of 23 employees who continually receive training on the latest innovations and use the most cutting-edge equipment in the industry.

The finalists representing the Western Québec region are:

Zorah Biocosmetics Inc., Montréal - Mélissa Harvey, President

Zorah Biocosmetics develops, produces and distributes high-end, organic, environmentally friendly and fair-trade cosmetics. Created in 2006, Zorah's mission is to promote a more human approach to trade, and one that is more respectful of the environment. Made from natural ingredients with excellent cosmetic qualities, Zorah products are comparable if not superior to the highest quality cosmetics produced in the industry. All Zorah products have been certified organic or have received compliance certification for the use of organic ingredients by Québec Vrai or Ecocert. Zorah employs nearly a dozen people and is recognized for its dynamic spirit and innovative talent.

Groupe Lettra Inc., Boisbriand - Martin Caron, President

Groupe Lettra Inc. designs, manufactures and installs signs, large-format printing and commercial vehicle finishing. Since it was created in 2004, Groupe Lettra Inc. has gone through several stages of development, including the acquisition of two signwriting companies and new equipment investments. The company also moved into a more industrial location. The strength of the business lies first and foremost in its customer service and staff of close to a dozen skilled, creative and detail-oriented employees.

The finalists representing the Central Québec region are:

Le Trou du Diable Microbrewery, Shawinigan - André Trudel, President

Founded in 2005 by a group of beer-brewing aficionados, the cooperative quickly grew into a choice locale, offering Shawinigan residents forty-five locally brewed beers. The business grew substantially and now has a staff of twenty-five. Current plans, including oak cask aging, should allow the company to start exporting its products as early as the fall of 2009. What makes them stand out is the quality of their products, as well as their high-end restaurant menu, featuring local fare.

La Source, Bains Nordiques, Rawdon - Patrice Lalancette and Caroline Simard, Founders

Inspired by Finnish spa practices, La Source Bains Nordiques is a service enterprise that specializes in water relaxation techniques. Following six years of concept development, it opened its doors in 2007 to an extraordinary relaxation site. Since then, this young business has experienced continued growth and relies on a strategic growth plan that includes the expansion of its existing structure in 2010 and the addition of lodging and restaurant facilities in 2015.

Agriculture category

The finalists are:

Le Domaine du Parc Reg'd., Sainte-Élisabeth - Denis Ouellet and Josée Rainville, Co-owners

This family cattle production business has five employees and stands out for the experience of its owners, inter-generational business transfer and a sound management that helps the company balance its finances. The healthy, balanced diet fed to the livestock allows the company to produce and export top quality beef; this is one of the keys to its success, along with attention to the health, safety and well-being of its workers. It plans to expand in the direct marketing of traditional soybean seeds for retail sale.

Ferme Bessette & Frères (Waterville) Inc., Waterville - René Bessette and Carole Chassé, Co-owners

Having been passed down from generation to generation since 1907, this dairy farm operates with six employees and upholds sustainable agricultural and environmental values. The business produces its own feed and sells a variety of livestock, embryos and organic fodder. In 2008, the company earned the title of Holstein Master Breeder. For the past three years, one of the farm's ancestral homes has been used to provide four-star tourist lodging. The business is concerned about successorship and aims to increase its breeding income.

International Commerce category, in collaboration with EDC

The finalists are:

HONCO STEEL BUILDINGS, Lévis - Francis Lacasse, President

Founded in 1974, Honco mainly operates in the design, manufacture and installation of freestanding steel buildings for commercial, industrial and recreational construction projects. Honco exports to the United States, Central and Eastern Europe, Asia, North Africa, Turkey and Cuba. The company integrates environmentally friendly practices in its regular operations and has the capacity to design buildings that meet LEED certification requirements. One of Honco's biggest strengths is its team's ability to work on both local and international projects.

Sonaca Montréal, St-Janvier - Philippe Hoste, Chief Executive Officer

This aeronautics industry business, founded in 2003 and a subsidiary of Belgium's SONACA Group, manufactures wing panels and structural parts for the leading manufacturers of regional and business aircraft. The company employs more than 250 people and takes effective measures to limit the environmental impact of its production processes. The company holds 85% of the world market in wing panels for regional aircraft and aims to reach 50% of the business aircraft market as well. To do so, it plans to increase its marketing activities in the key U.S. and European markets.

Business Ownership Transfer category, in collaboration with Samson Bélair/Deloitte & Touche

The finalists are:

Dubé & Loiselle Inc., Granby - Daniel Lachapelle, President

A distributor of dried, refrigerated, frozen food and packaging products for the past 60 years, Dubé & Loiselle Inc. has a staff of 150, with a team of six experienced people set to take over the business. The transfer process was prepared as a partnership, with the support of several consulting firms in order to ensure that everything runs smoothly for the future of the company and its shareholders, while making sure to keep its clientele informed of the changes. A subsequent transfer phase involving the stakeholders' children is also planned to take place in approximately ten years. In the medium term, the focus is on developing major accounts and on acquisitions.

Le Groupe Robin, St-Hyacinthe - Robert Robin, President

A real estate developer, builder and manager based on Montréal's South Shore, Groupe Robin employs close to 100 people. The family business has begun to transfer its operations to the next generation, in partnership with a number of business professionals, making sure to keep its employees and clients informed throughout the process. Groupe Robin is currently building and will be operating a Holiday Inn Express attached to its commercial development project, "Rendez-Vous Marchands M," which represents a $150 million investment in the St-Hyacinthe area.

Sustainable Development category, in collaboration with Bell

The finalists representing the Eastern Québec region are:

Roche Ltd., Consulting Group, Québec City - Mario W. Martel, President and Chief Executive Officer

Founded in La Malbaie, this major engineering/construction company, which stands out for its multidisciplinary skills and abilities, has a staff of over 1,350 employees and exports its products to some fifty countries around the world. It has carried out a number of actions since the creation of its sustainable development sector in 2007, which has become integrated into its engineering and construction projects, day-to-day operations, awareness activities and support for national and international causes.

Concept Mat, Matane - Isabelle Gauthier, President

Specializing in the manufacture of construction components since 1993, the company maintains a staff of close to 30 employees. It demonstrates ongoing concern for sustainable business development by using recognized high-quality sustainable materials, implementing security measures to promote an optimal work environment, fostering the work-life balance, providing continuous training and cultivating a top working environment for the next generation.

The finalists representing the Western Québec region are:

Complexe Dompark, Montréal - Natalie Voland, President

Montréal's Complexe Dompark renovated a historic building in the Sud-Ouest sector of the city, ensuring compliance with existing environmental construction regulations, to offer 164 commercial lofts to businesses operating in a variety of business segments. To ensure client satisfaction, Complexe Dompark has become a unique location that generates business opportunities. Each space offers a demonstration of its own unique creativity and environment. The company is also involved in several local social, economic and other projects.

Produits de marque Liberté Inc., Saint-Hubert - Martin Valiquette, General Manager

Originally founded in Montréal in 1928, this company offers a range of more than 100 regular and organic dairy products. Liberté has been producing certified organic products for the past 15 years. It first extended its market into Western Canada and the Eastern United States, then, two years ago, to the whole of the U.S. Waste management, energy efficiency, eco-friendly packaging, environmental compliance, support for responsible purchasing and responsible business practices are all aspects of the sustainable development policies that Liberté Inc. integrates into its day-to-day management, in addition to offering only natural products.

The finalists representing the Central Québec region are:

Auberge Le Baluchon, Saint-Paulin - Louis Lessard, President

In addition to lodging, the Auberge offers a combination of haute cuisine, health care and a chance for patrons to recharge their batteries. Founded in 1990, the retreat now has a staff of 190. The business is concerned with a number of aspects of sustainable development, including reforestation with noble wood species, water purification, energy savings and the transformation of used cooking oils. They also use organic and environmentally friendly products, showcase local foods, and design and offer activities that highlight local talent and history.

Armoires Cuisines Action, Sainte-Sabine - Christian Van Gennip, President

This 130-employee business is a leader in cutting-edge kitchen cabinetry. The company attributes its excellent performance to a number of factors, particularly its talented and knowledgeable staff as well as its culture of continuous training. Committed to helping young people, the business actively contributes to the next generation of workers through scholarships. Because of its concern for the environment, the company also works hard at reducing its environmental footprint by lowering the amount of waste it produces and energy it consumes, optimizing travel for deliveries and allowing for flexible schedules to encourage carpooling and the use of bicycle paths.

The finalist representing Ontario is:

Bridgehead (2000) Inc., Ottawa - Tracey Clark, General Manager

Bridgehead specializes in fair trade and organic coffees and teas, operating nine cafés in Ottawa. Its first coffee shop opened in 2000. Bridgehead's mission is to put its clients in touch with small producers organized into cooperatives through fair trade practices. They created a sales-by-correspondence service, which today has more than 10,000 clients across the country. Fair trade practice is the founding principle of this business, which helps improve the lives of people working under difficult conditions in South America.

In addition to the partners for each of the prize categories, Desjardins would also like to thank Les Affaires newspaper and Fasken Martineau Dumoulin for their collaboration.

About Desjardins Group

Desjardins Group is the largest cooperative financial group in Canada, with overall assets of close to $160 billion, as at March 31, 2009. It comprises a network of caisses, credit unions and business centres in Québec and Ontario, and some twenty subsidiary companies in life and general insurance, securities brokerage, venture capital and asset management, many of which are active across the country. Drawing on the expertise of its 42,000 employees and the commitment of its 6,300 elected officers, Desjardins offers its 5.8 million individual and corporate members and clients a full range of financial products and services. Its physical distribution network is complemented by leading-edge virtual access methods. To find out more, consult www.desjardins.com.

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Source (for journalists only):
André Chapleau
Director, Information and Media Relations
Desjardins Group
514-281-7229 or 1-866-866-7000, ext. 7229