22 April 2017

Francine Guay Winner of the 2017 Grande Estrienne Award

Sherbrooke Innopole is proud to congratulate Francine Guay, President of  M.I. Intégration and member of the Sherbrooke Innopole Board of Directors, who has won the 2017 Grande Estrienne award during the 31^st edition of the Gala Reconnaissance Estrie, organized by the Chambre de commerce de Sherbrooke.

After being a stay-at-home mother for 8 years, Ms. Guay leaped into the entrepreneurship adventure with her husband Claude Houle, creating the business Modelage Mécanique CH. Ms. Guay contributed to her region’s economic development through her involvement within various boards of directors, including the Société de développement économique de Sherbrooke (SDES), the Corporation de développement économique communautaire (CDEC), and the Chambre de commerce de Sherbrooke, and she continues today as a member of the Sherbrooke Innopole BoD. Now leading M.I. Intégration, which combines the sales forces and human resources of Moules Industriels and Plastech, and of two other entities in Mexico–MI Integración and SLP Moldes–she is slowly conceding her leadership position to her children so that they in turn continue developing the family business.

Congratulations to the winning businesses!

Several key sector businesses from Sherbrooke were also honoured as part of the Gala. Congratulations to Axial Développement, Classcraft, Laserpro, Matelas Houde, and Verbom,

Axial Développement stood out in the Entreprise numérique (digital business) category. This Sherbrooke company celebrating its 15^th year in business was congratulated for having guided hundreds of companies in developing their web identity while considering their business objectives.

Classcraft was given the PME Innovante (innovative SME) special mention for its fun platform that turns any class into an adventure. Its game is revolutionizing teaching methods by encouraging students to work as a team and addressing educational challenges such as lack of motivation, classroom management, and bullying.

Laserpro won the Relève et transmission de PME (SME transfer to the next generation) award. Specializing in the recycling of laser printer cartridges, this business is proud to have remained faithful to its environmental mission since 1994, and to have a positive impact in the Estrie region.

Matelas Houde, a three-generation family business, won the top award in the Commerce de détail (retail) category. This mattress manufacturer, which has been experiencing significant growth over the past three years, is currently working on an expansion project for its manufacturing plant.

Verbom received the Grande manufacturière (large manufacturer) award. This business’s objective is to extend its aluminum thermoforming technology to other superplastic alloys such as titanium, magnesium, and stainless steel.

The 2017 Gala Reconnaissance Estrie has also presented awards to the following winners:

• Lekfo – Petite manufacturière (small manufacturer)
• Signalisation des Cantons – Nouvelle entreprise (new venture)
• Brio RH – Entreprise de services (service business)
• Estrie Aide – OBNL et Responsabilité sociale (NPO and social responsibility)
• ca – Petite entreprise (small business)
• Rôtisseries St-Hubert Sherbrooke – Ressources humaines (human resources)
• RMSTATOR –Chambre de commerce régionale (regional chamber of commerce) award
• Résidence Le Vü – Rayonnement provincial (provincial reach)
• Corporation de développement du mont Ham – Rayonnement régional (regional reach)
• Art Rupestre International – Rayonnement international (international reach)
• Christina Laflamme, CPA de l’Estrie – Isabelle Boisvenu Award
• Élisabeth Vachon, CSRS – Persévérance (perseverance) Award

Congratulations to everyone!

Sources: La Tribune and La Presse