The creation of Groupe Desgagnés

The changing of the guard

Although Yvan’s son Sylvain was still sailing, Groupe Desgagnés was bought in May 1987 by Louis-Marie Beaulieu, the company’s chief financial officer. Buying back 80% of the company’s shares, he operated an ambitious reinvestment program to grow the group’s activities in order to secure its place as a leader on the St. Lawrence, the Great Lakes and in the Arctic. Less than a year later, Groupe Desgagnés became the new owner of Relais Nordik, a company contracted with servicing the Basse-Côte-Nord Territory.

Sale of Groupe Desgagnés

Today, Groupe Desgagnés can boast an annual turnover of $325M, and a workforce of over 875 people throughout Quebec. A few members of the Desgagnés family remain shareholders of the company, and many more are still employed as captains, crane operators, engineers and inspectors.