Solid wood furniture maker in Quebec gets a half million dollar grant

A dining room table made with mixed materials from Créations Verbois.

Photo By Créations Verbois

RIVIÈRE-DU-LOUP, Quebec — Créations Verbois, a solid-wood furniture manufacturer owned by five stakeholders including two women, received more than $500,000 in financial assistance from the Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions (CED).

The repayable grant of $523,104 will enable the business to acquire and install high-performance production equipment. The aim of the project is to pursue the technological shift of this already highly automated company, aligning it directly with its growth strategy.

Founded in 1999, Créations Verbois specializes in the design and manufacture of contemporary furniture made of solid wood, glass, and brushed aluminum. 

In June 2021, the business’s shares were sold to a group of entrepreneurs that included two women under the age of 40. Marie‑Ève D’Amours is a stakeholder in the business and its general manager, while Aglaée Côté is the sales and service director. The two are working together to expand Créations Verbois’s growth and profile. And while the Rivière‑du‑Loup SME may have great ambitions, providing excellent customer service and creating a stimulating, healthy, beneficial work environment for their employees are important principles in the management team’s choices.

Women such as Marie‑Ève D’Amours and Aglaée Côté play an instrumental role in the country’s economic development. Following International Women’s Day, celebrated on March 8, the Government of Canada wishes to showcase their leadership and know‑how, which are essential in building a Canadian economy that is stronger, more resilient, and more inclusive.

“Our government has set itself the mission to support the growth of Canadian businesses and the economic diversification of communities, which cannot be done without the key contribution of our women entrepreneurs," said the Honourable Pascale St‑Onge, Member of Parliament for Brome–Missisquoi, Minister of Sport and Minister responsible for CED. "Assisting women from Quebec who choose the path of entrepreneurship leads to inclusive growth in our regional economies, paving the way for a prosperous future. SMEs such as Créations Verbois are key drivers in our economy and our communities, and I am delighted with CED’s support for this project by this thriving business. The success and spin‑offs of this project will contribute to the economic vitality of Rivière‑du‑Loup and the greater Bas‑Saint‑Laurent region.”

Marie-Ève D’Amours, General Manager, Créations Verbois, said, "We are delighted with CED’s support for Créations Verbois’s automation project. Thanks to this financial assistance, we will be able to integrate a new digitally controlled machine that will be loaded and unloaded by a fully autonomous robotic cell. This new equipment will enable us to greatly increase our production capacity as we machine solid wood boards, creating even more opportunities to develop our products. This is a major addition to our fleet of machines, something we are very proud of!”

 

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Larry Adams | Editor

Larry Adams is a Chicago-based writer and editor who writes about how things get done. A former wire service and community newspaper reporter, Larry is an award-winning writer with more than three decades of experience. In addition to writing about woodworking, he has covered science, metrology, metalworking, industrial design, quality control, imaging, Swiss and micromanufacturing . He was previously a Tabbie Award winner for his coverage of nano-based coatings technology for the automotive industry. Larry volunteers for the historic preservation group, the Kalo Foundation/Ianelli Studios, and the science-based group, Chicago Council on Science and Technology (C2ST).