Provincial winners in the eighth edition of the SMEs of the National Bank Recognition Program

Montreal, 16 November 2001 - 

The National Bank today announced the provincial winners in the eighth edition of its "SMEs of the National Bank" recognition program.

• In the Small Business category, the award went to Pyromaître inc. of Saint-Nicolas in the Quebec City region. Founded in 1968 and headed by Mario Grenier, this company designs and manufactures a wide variety of ovens for various industrial processes. It has become a leader in its field by perfecting a high-speed, high-performance heat treatment process that allows its clients to save a great deal of time and space.

• In the SME category, Vulcain inc. of Delson in the Montérégie, headed by Guy Gervais, has been active in the field of environmental protection since 1968. An industry leader in the design, manufacture and maintenance of detection systems for toxic and explosive gases, the company has installed some 50,000 units around the world.

• La Ferme Vianney et Marguerite Turcot inc. of Saint-André–Avelin in Outaouais, the winner in the Agricultural SME category, has been specializing in the cultivation of potatoes, turnips and cabbage since 1974. The farm has fostered customer loyalty by growing, packaging and delivering quality products adapted to consumer needs all year round.

• In the Export SME category, the winner was Armotec inc. of Drummondville, which is headed by François Beaudoin. This company manufactures and markets innovative hardware products for the kitchen and furniture industry world-wide. Since it was founded in 1980, the company has carved out an exclusive niche for itself in Canada, the United States and Europe.

The awards ceremony, held at the Centre Sheraton in Montreal, was attended by all the regional finalists in each category as well as by several representatives of National Bank management. The SMEs of the National Bank recognition program gives the Bank an oportunity to reward its small and medium-size business clients for their achievements over the past year.

André Bérard, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of the National Bank, spoke warmly of the significant contribution that the winners and all SMEs in Quebec have made to their communities. "SMEs are the real engines of the Quebec economy," Mr. Bérard said, "launching new products, bringing down barriers and challenging the rules. We have been honouring them for the past eight years to show our gratitude and ensure that all Quebecers are made aware of the exceptional talent and extraordinary devotion of the men and women who create and build these companies."

The four provincial winners of the National Bank's recognition program are rewarded in different ways. For instance, they all benefit from a major visibility campaign in the Quebec media, and will be featured in a special television program called Distinction PME, to be aired on December 10, 2001 on the TVA network.

Winners of the Agricultural SME, Small Business, SME and Export SME titles receive two tickets to Paris courtesy of National Bank Trust. The Export SME winner also receives $5,000 in airline tickets courtesy of Air France. Moreover, all four have received a $20,000 research and development grant from National Bank Financial.

The winners in the Small Business, SME and Agricultural SME categories are chosen from among the winners in the 14 regions of the National Bank, on the basis of such criteria as competence, dynamic approach and excellence in human resources management. The Export SME winner is selected from a list of provincial finalists chosen for their recent successes on the export market. All winners are designated by a jury of prominent members of the business community after undergoing a rigorous selection process by the accounting firm Samson Bélair/Deloitte & Touche.

Once again this year, the National Bank's recognition program received strong support from the business community and such prestigious sponsors as IBM, TVA, newspapers La Presse, Le Soleil, Le Droit, Le Nouvelliste, La Tribune, Le Quotidien and La Voix de l'Est, National Bank Insurance and National Bank Financial.