André Roberge, Guy Girard and Michel Brulé Honored
Stephane Quesnel
On Wednesday, August 31, Quebec’s tire industry came together to inaugurate three of its pioneers into the Tire Hall of Fame. The event, organized by the ASPMQ, was held at the Marcel-Dulude Centre in St-Bruno. In case you missed it, here’s an overview of the Gala’s 5th edition, which was attended by 200 dedicated ‘Hall-of-Famer’ colleagues, family and friends.
First Honouree: André Roberge
The Hall of Fame’s first honouree, André Roberge, was told in High School that he did not have what it takes to complete his advanced studies. It took a lot of intestinal fortitude, but he entered the job market at a very young age.
Biding his time before returning to his studies, he landed a temporary job at Métivier, a tire shop, in 1966. He liked it so much there that he never made his way back to school.
Métivier gave an important kick-start to André Roberge’s career. “At Métivier, I learned everything there was to know. I took marketing classes, learned English and was promoted to Operations Manager and then, Sales Director. Afterwards, I occupied several senior positions at CTR in Quebec City, and later on, at Bridgestone.” After this stint, he was offered a position at a retail company, which eventually led him to becoming the founder of Réchapage 2000. He’s been the President of the company for 15 years now. Second Honouree: Guy Girard
Compelled to leave his hometown of Asbestos, Guy Girard was offered a position within Michelin’s distribution centre division in the early 1980s. A straight up guy with many talents, he landed different senior positions in several Canadian cities before working in the United States. Michelin called on his expertise to introduce and implement an inventory system throughout North America.
Not wanting to leave his home turf, Mr. Girard decided to start up his own business. “I asked myself, what is it that I’ve learnt well so far? I learned management skills at Michelin and I know tires. So, in 1993, I decided to purchase a business, Centre du Pneu St-Constant. My intention was to see it grow and prosper.” He first focused on directly selling to tire installers. Afterwards, he bought a shop in La Prairie, followed by a distribution centre in Delson and finally, opening a truck centre.
“My vision was to create a network of tire centres so I could expand into the distribution market,” says Guy Girard. The company currently employs over 100 people.
His dedication to the community and the industry is remarkable. Whether it’s the Chamber of Commerce, the CPA or the ASPMQ – he never misses a chance to spend his time furthering everything to do with tires. “My employees are very reliable. This allows me to attend to the kinds of affairs that, indirectly, contribute to our growth as an important industry,” Guy Girard told the 200 guests.
Third Honouree: Michel Brulé
His father ran a garage in Thurso. There, Michel Brulé learned basic mechanics and was introduced to the tire market. Later on, he became the Service Manager at Firestone’s St-Jérôme branch. At the time, part of his duty as Service Manager included going out on the road to help other employees install tires. In a video shown to the audience at the event, Michel Brulé reveals that: “It was then that I fully understood the legacy that my grandfather and father had left me: a passion for business and a passion for tires.”
Firestone had granted him many leadership positions throughout several of its Ontario branches. Afterwards, when he worked at the Quebec City branch, he discovered a new passion: “There, I realized that the tire industry was my rightful place. I truly found my niche in the OTR tire market.”
And so, during the development of the Bay James area, Michel Brulé was called upon to cover Quebec’s northwest division. He successfully convinced Firestone’s decision-makers to let him manage the territory from Montreal, rather than from Toronto. What a victory for Michel Brulé!
First Honouree: André Roberge
Second Honouree: Guy Girard
Third Honouree: Michel Brulé
