For a long time, actor, author and television producer Louis Morissette gave up his entrepreneurial background because in the art world, being associated with the business world was not particularly glorious. An embarrassment that has faded over time while today he fully embraces his role and responsibilities as an entrepreneur.
Posted 1:54pm Updated 6:30am
It is also Louis Morissette Inc. that I meet at Groupe KO’s Notre Dame offices to discuss his latest business ventures and his philanthropic commitment to the Véro & Louis Foundation, which he established with his wife Véronique Cloutier to to support autistic adults.
He inherited his entrepreneurial spirit from his father, Jacques Morissette, who co-founded the Drummondville ventilation company Venmar, which was sold in 1995. The company was managed by Pierre Marcouiller, who later moved to Camoplast, which became Camso and which has since been sold to Michelin.
“I’ve worked in all departments at Venmar, I did my internships there when I was studying International Business and Marketing at university. Studying at McGill allowed me to learn English and I am happy today because it serves me well,” said the President of Groupe KO.
After studying administration, Louis Morissette enrolled in the School of Humor and started a group of comedians who got a television show on the old Quatre-Saisons channel. There he decided to become a producer.
“There are a lot of things that have been cut, always citing the budget. I asked to see the budget, and I realized there was a way to do it differently, better,” he says.
He writes and co-produces a first series, CA, which precisely narrates the life of young administrative students… Thus the KO Group was born.
Today the company manages five departments: KO TV, for television productions (20 to 30 productions per year), KO Scène, which produces comedy shows (Pierre-Yves Roy-Desmarais, Laurent Paquin…), KO Média, which works in publishing Magazines (Véro, Elle Québec, Elle Canada…) and books, KO 24, which produces films (co-production of the film Le mirage, Le guide la famille parfait…), and finally KO Growth.
This last division makes investments in sectors not strictly linked to culture, notably a stake with the Messier, Savard group in the ownership of the Le Mirage golf course. It is the new CEO of Groupe KO, Stéphane Rochon, who runs KO Croissance.
“In each of the businesses, I am the majority shareholder, but I have key employees who are also shareholders… At KO TV, we are six partners, including three women, and in all other businesses, my managing directors are also shareholders,” says Louis Morissette.
Take some distance
In addition to the activities of Groupe KO, which mobilize around a hundred employees, Louis Morissette also makes personal investments, some of them with his partner Véronique Cloutier.
“We have been based on Rue Notre-Dame for years, but our teams are located on three different floors. We will be moving to a brand new building in Longueuil next December. All of our areas will occupy the ground floor,” says the entrepreneur.
He and his wife are partners of the GesDev Group and the Fonds de solidarité FTQ in the Novia project, which is nearing completion. Comprised of two towers housing more than 350 apartments adjacent to the Longueuil tube station, the Novia is one of the elements in the revitalization of this key South Shore sector, which will soon house a performance hall.
Two years ago, the appointment of Louis Morissette to the board of directors of Investissement Québec caused some surprise. He left the finance arm of the Quebec government 14 months later.
“It was Jean Saint-Gelais, CEO of Investissement Québec, who asked me to join the board because he wanted someone from the world of culture around the table. I met Jean St-Gelais when we set up the Véro & Louis Foundation, he gave us a lot of advice. »
I agreed to sit on the board of Investissement Québec, but quickly became uncomfortable, seeing the risks of being associated with the CAQ or claiming that I favor certain projects over others. I’m still too active.
Louis Morrisette
Too active even if he has appointed a CEO in his place to run the KO group?
“I’m staying there to ensure the strategic planning and management of certain projects, but I’d like to have more time, particularly to return to the stage and to write series,” he explains.
And also take care of the Véro & Louis Foundation, which he founded together with Véronique Cloutier to create living environments for adults with autism.
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
Véronique Cloutier and Louis Morissette announced last week the upcoming construction of two new shelters for adults with autism.
The Véro & Louis Foundation announced last week the upcoming construction of two new shelters, which will be added to a first existing resource since 2021 in Varennes.
“We had a good helping hand from Mr Marcel Lussier who won a large sum in the lottery and made a donation of 7 million. A new residential center will cost approximately $6.5 million to design and build. We will open one in the Laurentians and another in Victoriaville, also thanks to the support of the François Bourgeois Foundation,” says Louis Morissette.
For the President of Groupe KO, the Véro & Louis Foundation is something like the sixth division of the group he created, a commitment that is close to his heart and preoccupies him. A successful entrepreneur must also share in the success of others.