Premier Tech: Billionaire for its 100th anniversary

Premier Tech Group, a Rivière-du-Loup multinational, set itself the challenge of reaching one billion dollars in sales in 2020 a few years ago. It finally reached the target last year. , on its 100th anniversary.

“We’ve historically doubled our sales every seven to eight years, and why haven’t we been able to maintain this commercial pace for the next 10 to 20 years,” says President Jean Belanger, who sees a new generation growing up around him. Passionate leaders.

“Our story is a relay marathon,” he said.

Projecting itself into the future is in the company’s DNA. And Jean Belanger believes that’s part of the secret to Premier Tech’s longevity. The company was founded in 1923 by German immigrants, from whom the Belanger family bought the company. It all started in horticulture with sphagnum peat moss.

“Being a business in an area surrounded by natural resources, in a business tied to the cycles of the land and the seasons, has created fertile ground for a long-term business. And stability is at stake with two families who subscribe to this vision,” said the CEO, a father of four.

Family spirit

There is something of a family spirit about Jean Belanger’s management team.

“My gang – most of us have been together since high school, CEGEP or university – and I, instead of studying, imagined how we were going to run a business! When we joined Premier Tech, they let us do that. […] Esprit de corps is enormous among people who have this desire to set the pace and build. This makes it possible to deliver growth,” predicts the manager.

With his “gang,” he makes three to five acquisitions a year, but two-thirds of Premier Tech’s growth over the past three decades has been organic. Today, Premier Tech has 5,200 employees in 28 countries.

International focus

Jean Bélanger was inspired by Quebec pioneers who knew how to create wealth in their community by focusing on the long term. Creating fair value for shareholders or making money to give you freedom 55 is not his credo.

To build a multinational corporation in the region, he saw not obstacles, but opportunities: pack your bags and take a plane. Often.

Passionate about cycling, the CEO of Premier Tech is a long-distance runner. The company sponsors the Hugo Houle cycling team, last year’s winner of the Tour de France. While Jean Bélanger is a fan of car racing, the company has never been associated with the team, a sport that has nothing to do with the company’s values ​​or its environmental mission.

But now, cycling is an international sport that we celebrate with family and friends and we go to watch for free. And for Jean Bélanger, the whole meaning of teamwork translates into a race: winning is never done alone.

The first tech

Areas of Activity: Horticulture, Agriculture, Equipment, Environment, Technology

• Year of foundation: 1923
• 5200 employees
• 48 factories in 17 countries