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Groupe Deschênes CEO François Deschênes (EMBA’10) was recently interviewed for a piece in Montreal French-language newspaper La Presse. He spoke about recently being put in charge of the family company, the corporation’s growth and acquisition strategy, and the dynamics involved when there are four family members on the board of directors.

Over the company’s history, it has grown from a small Quebec business to the third-largest distributor of plumbing and electrical products in Canada, as well as the largest Canadian-owned player.

Part of the company’s success has been due to its decentralized approach, which keeps an entrepreneurial spirit alive in its subsidiaries and bears in mind that the needs of a plumber in Quebec City might differ from those of one in Montreal.