| |
Communications
Honorary President
Marc DeSerres, president
DeSerres
Marc DeSerres enthusiastically agreed to carry
the torch for the 12th edition of the Contest. “In a sense, a
business is a work of art, and an entrepreneur is like an artist.
Entrepreneurs must be creative and original, and they have to be as
passionate as artists. In Québec, art is an integral part of our
heritage, and our society evolves through art. Entrepreneurship has a
similar impact. Indeed, Québec evolves through business creation, but
also by developing a strong culture of entrepreneurship among young
people. It is essential to encourage the next generation of
entrepreneurs to create the Québec of the future!” added DeSerres.
Heir to a family business founded by his grandfather more than 100
years ago, Marc DeSerres gave new life to the company by creating a
niche and resisting the high-tech trend. “Felt-tip pens will always
be fashionable,” he declared. Today, the president of DeSerres
owns 26 stores across the country, with more than 700 employees.
Natacha Jean, President-Director General of the
Québec Entrepreneurship Contest, announced, “We are very excited
that this outstanding entrepreneur has agreed to be the honorary
president for the new edition of the contest. It is essential that the
next generation of businesspeople know about these entrepreneurs who
had to reinvent their businesses constantly, to be innovative and
creative in order to move forward. DeSerres is an example to follow,
as he's something of a trail-blazer in this field; he created a
business model that worked in a time when the cards were stacked
against him. An inspiring model in the current economic context!”
Every year, the provincial organization invites a well-known public figure to represent the Contest. Over the years, the honorary presidents have always been prominent personalities, such as:
Louis Garneau, Louis Garneau Sports
Denise Verreault, Groupe maritime Verreault
Guy Laliberté, Cirque du Soleil
Cora Tsouflidou, Chez Cora Déjeuners
Bernard Voyer, Explorateur
Monique F. Leroux, Mouvement des caisses Desjardins
Jean-Pierre et Marc-André Coallier, entrepreneurs de père en fils
Isabelle Courville, présidente, Grandes entreprises, Bell Canada
Jean-Marc Léger, Léger Marketing
Anne Marcotte, présidente de Vivemtia
Daniel Vézina and Suzanne Gagnon, owners of laurie raphaël restaurant
All rights reserved 2008 – Québec Entrepreneurship Contest
|
