16 February 2015

PRESS RELEASE – A recycler of laser printer cartridges for nearly 20 years, Laserpro has new growth projects with the arrival of a new President, Alexandre Champagne, who bought the cartridge recycling division last fall. As the enterprise is well-established in its regional market, the new entrepreneur aims to increase sales by expanding its distribution network across Québec.

In his succession project, Mr. Champagne was able to count on the technical support of Pro-Gestion Estrie to guide him in the process, in addition to benefitting from $10 000 in financial assistance from Sherbrooke Innopole’s New Entrepreneur Fund. The project will consolidate 11 existing jobs and is expected to generate up to four new positions in the coming years.

Josée Fortin, General Director of Sherbrooke Innopole, Alexandre Champagne, President of Laserpro, and Johanne Thibault, management advisor at Pro-Gestion Estrie

“We are very aware of the fact that the transfer of ownership is a concern if we want to ensure the economic vibrancy of our communities and we are working in concert with regional partners to rise to this great challenge. Seeing a young entrepreneur like Mr. Champagne take the helm of a Sherbrooke jewel like Laserpro is welcome and encouraging; it is a great example to follow. We are proud to support him in his succession and growth project,” highlighted Sherbrooke Innopole’s Director General, Josée Fortin.

Laserpro has built an enviable reputation as the only producer of recycled laser cartridge in the Estrie region and has, to date, focused its cartridge sales within the region. Over the past few years, the business has been busy developing a distribution network that now extends to three resellers located in Granby, St-Georges-de-Beauce, and Coaticook. Mr. Champagne’s medium-term goal is to expand this network to at least one reseller in each of Québec’s administrative regions.

Before acquiring Laserpro, Alexandre Champagne held the position of Director of Sales for two years. Dynamic and motivated, he foresees positive growth prospects for the company.

“As many businesses have gone green by adopting local and environmentally-friendly procurement policies, I have no doubt that we will be able to expand our activities to the other regions of Québec, and why not one day carve a place for ourselves on the Canadian market. Our reputation is already well-established as a trailblazer in producing high-quality recycled cartridges in the Estrie region. It’s a significant calling card when we expand into new markets. Moreover, I am surrounded by a team with many years of experience, in which I have complete confidence,” explained Alexandre Champagne.

In addition to manufacturing and selling recycled ink cartridges, Laserpro will retain its printer maintenance service via its point of service on Galt Ouest. The business is also an authorized HP and Lexmark centre, which enables it to provide warranty service for these two major printer manufacturers and to have fast access to replacement parts. The digital printing division, previously integrated into Laserpro’s service offering, is now its own distinct business, Technopub, and will remain the in the hands of Stéphane Yelle, who was the owner of both of these departments for nearly 20 years.