A Quebec lover, a major publishing and printing entrepreneur, Pierre Péladeau, the founder of MontrealJournalHe died exactly 25 years ago to the day, leaving a legacy that goes beyond his contribution to the business world.
• Also read: 25 years later: Pierre Péladeau loved local culture and artists
• Also read: 25 years later: Pierre Péladeau was open to Quebec independence
The current President of Investissement Québec International, Hubert Bolduc, will always remember the evening of December 24, 1997. Before midnight, he received a call from Pierre Karl Péladeau informing him of the death of his father at the age of 72.
Photo archive, Martin Alarie
Hubert Bolduc, President of Investissement Québec International
Mr. Bolduc, who began his career as a communications consultant at Montreal University Hospital Center, left his Christmas Eve to organize a late-night press conference.
“It was huge in the news. I thought about communicating with some journalists, but all the media were there. He was one of the first big names in Quebec Inc. to leave us. He was important, influential and respected,” recalls Mr Bolduc, who has been orchestrating communications for the Péladeau family since Mr P was hospitalized in early December.
strong footprint
Extremely rare for an entrepreneur, he left a strong mark on several sectors of Québec society.
- In politics, Pierre Péladeau was one of the first Quebec businessmen to openly support Quebec independence.
- And in culture, it is the origin of the Québec star system as we know it today.
In the business world, although not everyone shared Pierre Péladeau’s opinion, his contribution to the promotion of entrepreneurship and the development of a Quebec Inc. was more widely recognized.
“Working with Pierre Péladeau was a very good school,” says Rémi Marcoux, founder of Transcontinental, who was a controller at Quebecor at the beginning of his career. I really liked him that after we gained his trust he gave a lot of leeway. I adopted this approach, which has served me well. »
Photo archive, Daniel Auclair
Remi Marcoux, founder of Transcontinental
Inevitable
At the end of the summer of 1997, Mr. Péladeau granted a final river interview to journalist Pierre Maisonneuve, who turned it into a book entitled Playing to Win.
“I chose it because it was important,” says Mr. Maisonneuve, who worked at the Journal de Montréal early in his career. He could be tough in business, but many didn’t make life easy for him. He could have suffered. »
The journalist portrays Pierre Péladeau as a man who is sensitive to people who have snubbed him and who wanted to prove his ability to succeed.
Archive photo
Pierre Péladeau receiving his honorary doctorate from the University of Laval, June 14, 1997.
Perhaps this was the source of his energy as a builder to avenge the fate that had ruined his father during the Great Depression of the 1930s.
Twenty years later, he had borrowed $1,500 from his mother to buy the Journal de Rosemont, taking his first steps in publishing.
Both a master builder and a great patron
More than newspapers, Pierre Péladeau built an empire over the years and became the first billionaire born in Quebec. With international customers such as Paris Match, Quebecor World has become the world’s leading printer.
Daniel Paillé, vice president of private placements at the Caisse de Depot et Placement du Québec, when he met Mr. Péladeau on the Caisse’s board, recalls an industrious businessman.
Archive photo
Daniel Paillé, ex-elected and former chairman of Quebecor
“He listened. He was very serious. He asked a question or two about an investment, and those were THE right questions,” recalls the man who went on to become Quebecor’s vice president of business development.
Those who worked for Mr. Péladeau at the Journal de Montréal paint a picture of a creative and generous builder who cared about his people and never failed to support them.
The art of mobilization
“He was an extraordinary motivator. People wanted to work for him. He believed so strongly in what we were doing,” recalls Ives Beaudin, who started his career at the Journal in 1970.
“He knew some of the staff by their first names, he made a detour to come up to you and congratulate you. He got you high,” adds Guy Perras, who has dedicated his writing career to the Journal.
“He is a man who cannot be loved. He was so nice,” recalls photographer Jacques Bourdon, who dedicated 42 years of his life to the journal and applauds the audacity of his former boss’s risk.
Dedicated to many causes
Pierre Péladeau, a great philanthropist, worked for several causes in his life, helping here the University of Quebec, there a support center for alcoholics, but above all the Orchester Métropolitain de Montréal, which he saved from bankruptcy and whose audience he enlarged .
Archive photo
Maestro Agnès Grossmann and Pierre Péladeau in 1994.
“He wanted to make music accessible to as many people as possible. It corresponded to his information mission with his newspapers, he wanted to be close to the people”, remembers Marie DuPont, who was recruited as director by Mr. Péladeau, who also had the audacity to appoint a conductor in Agnès Grossmann.
A Quebec giant Inc. pays homage to him
Couche-Tard founder Alain Bouchard says in his biography that Pierre Péladeau was the first Quebec businessman not to snub him, while others saw his company as having a “convenience store economy.” Believing in Mr. Bouchard’s immense potential, Mr. Péladeau invited him to join Quebecor’s board of directors in 1995. He sat there until 2009. Here is the letter Mr. Bouchard wrote to mark the 25th anniversary of Pierre Péladeau’s death.
Photo The newspaper
Alain Bouchard and Pierre Karl Péladeau photographed together at an event a few days ago.
I was a young entrepreneur and at the time there were very few successful examples in Quebec to point to.
Mr. Péladeau was the perfect example for me with his candor, no frills directness and business opinions that matched my standards.
I read everything that was written and followed his conferences on all the forums he attended. It is an extraordinary act of generosity to have an entrepreneur busy building his business who volunteers for this type of exercise.
He was relevant and inspirational as he later quoted our company in his speeches. His right-hand man at the time sent me his speeches and had to update them with every intervention because we were growing very quickly ourselves.
One day he invited me to join the board of Quebecor. It was a great pride for me to get closer to this man I admired and respected. To my great surprise, at the first meeting I attended, he declared: “Bouchard, look at him, follow him, he will be bigger than us”.
Unfortunately he left us very quickly without warning, we knew he needed treatment but everything seemed fine. For me it was the premature departure of a great entrepreneur, a great man.
– Alain Bouchard, Founder and Executive Chairman of Couche-Tard
Archive photo
Pierre Karl and Eric Peladeau
Yes, happiness exists.
I have benefited doubly from having both a mentor and a constant source of inspiration, my father, a man who is larger than life to me.
On the other hand, I have the privilege of leading this wonderful company that he founded and firmly established in Quebec, but which will also, and above all, have motivated thousands of citizens to continue to take control of our economic levers, which are ours companies and our entrepreneurs.
His enormous courage and his unshakable will to assert himself are the vectors of my esteem and that of my family.
Thank you, Dad.
– Pierre Karl Peladeau
His hard work and determination to make Quebecers a success story led many to emulate him.
No one is bound by the impossible – we keep an immeasurable memory of it.
Thank you Peter P!
– Eric Peladeau
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