MONTREAL, Feb. 8 /CNW Telbec/ - Desjardins Group, the largest financial
institution in Québec, is proud to announce the names of the finalists for the
Desjardins Entrepreneurship Prizes, offered in collaboration with Fondation
Desjardins. These prestigious prizes, each worth $40,000, highlight the
outstanding achievements of Québec businesses that contribute to social
advancement and community enrichment.
The finalists, from many regions across Québec and Ontario, are divided
into five main categories, thereby allowing a greater number of businesses to
benefit from Desjardins' recognition.
According to Stéphane Achard, Senior Vice-President of Business Markets,
"Desjardins puts all its strengths - the skills of its people, its
accessibility and its offer of a complete, integrated service - to work for
entrepreneurs who put their trust in us. The Desjardins Entrepreneurship
Prizes are our way of saying "thank you" to many of them.
The winners of the Young Entrepreneur Prizes will be announced on
February 21, 2007, during the 24th annual conference of the Québec Fondation
de l'entrepreneurship. All other winners will be announced during the "Grands
Enjeux de SECOR / Les Affaires" conference presented by Desjardins on April 17
and 19.
Desjardins Young Entrepreneur Prizes, in collaboration with the
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Secrétariat à la jeunesse
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The finalists representing the Eastern Québec region are:
Frima Studio, Québec City - Steve Couture, President
Nutrableu, Normandin - Pierre-Luc Simard, President
The finalists representing the Central Québec region are:
Automation LM Inc., Saint-Pie - Alexandre Pigeon, President
Groupe COMU Ltée, Sherbrooke - Frédéric Côté, President
The finalists representing the Western Québec region are:
MSB Design Inc., Saint-Hubert - Sony Boudreau, President
Laboratoires Mauves Inc., Vaudreuil - Eric Chagnon and Catherine Dupuis,
Co-Presidents
LES EVADES Inc., Montréal - Charles Gagnon and Benoit Lach, Co-Presidents
Honourable Mention to a company from Ontario:
Ben's Cycle, Rockland - Benoît Lalonde, President
Desjardins International Commerce Prize, in collaboration with EDC
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The finalists are:
Solareh, Saint-Laurent - Bernard Dalbec, President
Cyme International T&D, Saint-Bruno - Marc Coursol, President
Desjardins Productivity Prize, in collaboration with Tecsult
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The finalists are:
Conception M.B. Meubles Bois Inc., Louiseville - Michel Paillé, President
Alphonse Lepage Inc., Rivière-du-Loup - Guy Bonneville, President
Desjardins Financial and Social Performance Prize, in collaboration with
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Bell
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The finalists representing the Eastern Québec region are:
Coopérative de l'Université Laval, Québec City - Yves Kogovsek, Executive
Director
Ateliers Léopold-Desrosiers Inc., Matane - Jean Marie Doiron, President
The finalists representing the Central Québec region are:
DEFI-SM, Sherbrooke - Michel Lequin, President
Les constructions Richard Deslandes Inc., Saint-Liboire - Richard
Deslandes, President
The finalists representing the Western Québec region are:
Les Vergers Lafrance Inc., Saint-Joseph-du-Lac - Eric Lafrance, President
GFI Solutions Inc., Montréal - Gilles Létourneau, President
Desjardins Business Ownership Transfer Prize, in collaboration with
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Samson Bélair / Deloitte & Touche
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The finalists are:
Caravane 185 Inc., Saint-Antonin - Gilles D'Amours, Owner and President
Placage au Chrome de Ste-Foy Inc. & RMH Industries Inc., Saint-Augustin
de Desmaures - Pierre Juneau, Eric Moreau, Alain Langlois and Claude
Régnier, Co-owners
Following a rigorous analysis process, the Desjardins Entrepreneurship
Prize winners will be selected by a jury of respected panellists. The jury
members are: Charles Désourdy, President and CEO, Ski Bromont; Maurice Landry,
Director of Project Development, Tecsult; Catherine Ferembach, Assistant
Deputy Minister, Secrétariat à la jeunesse; Marc-André Nadeau, partner,
Financial Advisory Services, Samson Bélair / Deloitte & Touche; Louis
Gaudreau, Vice-President Strategies and Business Integration, Connexim; Frank
Trentadue, National Account Manager, Export Development Canada (EDC); and
Michel Magnan, Professor and Associate Dean, John Molson School of Business,
Concordia University.
About Desjardins Group
Desjardins Group is the largest integrated cooperative financial group in
Canada, with overall assets of $133 billion, as at September 30, 2006. 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 40,000
employees and the commitment of 7,600 elected officers, Desjardins offers its
5.5 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.
For further information, or to see a picture of the jury, please visit
our virtual newsroom.
For further information: (journalists only): Nathalie Genest, Advisor,
Information and Media Relations, (514) 281-7275, 1-866-866-7000, ext. 7275
