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Claudette Paré
Claudette Paré, Owner
Company: Sani Bleu Inc., Saint-Romuald, Quebec
Contact Info: Tel: 418-834-0999; e-mail: cpare@sanibleu.com
Description: Sani Bleu Inc. rents and sells portable toilets in the greater Quebec City area and elsewhere in Quebec, including the Gaspé and occasionally Montreal. The company specializes in rentals (98% of sales) - either on a short-term basis for cultural, sports or political events attended by large numbers of people, or on a long-term basis (one month or more) for construction sites. The company currently owns some 750 polyethylene chemical toilets, and a fleet of 10 trucks and a dozen trailers which it needs to transport them. It has five full-time employees and also hires four or five seasonal workers during the peak season from May to October.
Background: Claudette Paré, co-owner of the company, says she has entrepreneurship in her blood. "My father ran a car dealership and I worked by his side for 18 years. He often inspired me in my decisions," says Claudette. "His death in 1980 was followed by a restructuring of the company and the new organization didn't interest me, so four years later I left my accounting position at the dealership." The energetic businesswoman then joined Sani Jet Inc., an industrial cleaning business, in 1984 as general manager. Although she worked there for 14 years, the job did not quench her thirst for achievement. And so in April 1991, Claudette and her companion, Jean-Bernard Marceau, became partners in Sani Jet Inc., managing a subsidiary (Sani Jet Plus Inc.) which specialized in renting portable toilets. The small partnership, in which Claudette and Jean-Bernard had a 50% stake, started modestly. "At the time, we each worked half-time. We started with one truck and 18 toilets," she recalls.
Path to Growth: "What's good about our line of business is that companies absolutely need us. They can't do without our services. Even ministers and presidents need toilets!" exclaims Claudette. In 1998, she and Jean-Bernard bought out the rest of the shares of Sani Jet, purchased a building to serve as head office, garage and warehouse, and renamed the business Sani Bleu Inc. In 1999, Sani Bleu moved from third-largest toilet rental company in the Quebec City market to second largest when it bought a competitor, Sani Mobile. "We doubled our number of units to 400/450," adds Claudette. The firm continued its expansion in 2004-05, by building a new 9,000 sq. ft. head office to house its vehicle fleet. "We can't park them outside because the toilets are fitted with a water tank, and the water freezes in winter," she explains. Sani Bleu now has a 70% market share of Quebec City's toilet rental business, including some high profile contracts with the Jam des Neiges Festival and the Saint-Jean Baptiste Festival held on the Plains of Abraham, two events that require over 100 toilets on site. Some events, albeit a minority, call for toilets to be moved between locations. For example, Sani Bleu has provided toilet services to the last three Gaspésie bicycle tours, where it must deploy two trucks to move some 30 portable toilets after each leg of the annual event, held in early August.
Competitive Edge: "What sets us apart are service, quality, cleanliness, which is our top priority, and the variety of our toilet models (we have nine!), all of which are manufactured in the U.S. and distributed by an Ontario wholesaler," explains Claudette. She also speaks highly of her employees, who are versatile, extremely helpful and, above all, highly available. "This is extremely important," adds Claudette, "because from May to October, we work eight days a week."
Main Challenge: How big does the company want to grow? That is the question Sani Bleu must now answer. "Our most fervent wish is to maintain our present customer base and expand through another acquisition if the opportunity presents itself," explains Claudette. However, if and when such an acquisition does take place, it will be the last. "We can't get too big because the Quebec City market is limited," she says.
Women are a Rarity: To her knowledge, Claudette is the only female owner of a toilet rental business in Quebec City and in the province of Quebec. "People are often taken aback. At the beginning, customers and suppliers would call and ask to speak to the 'boss,'" she recalls. "I told them I could help them since I know how the equipment works, having accompanied my spouse on numerous deliveries." And it wasn't just men who were surprised. "Most of the comments I heard came from women who knew me in the car business. They didn't understand how I could be interested in this line of business, but after I spoke to them about our different products, which are often misunderstood by the public, they understood better," explains Claudette, who says she is proud to have built up a business from scratch.
Growth Tips:
- "When you embark on a venture, you have to have self-confidence and tell yourself it's going to work."
- "Be positive. When I run into difficulties, I don't get upset. I tell myself things will get better tomorrow."
- "I wouldn't advise anyone to go into this line of business on their own. You need support from someone, preferably your spouse, because in order to succeed and be competitive, you have to be available 24/7. You also need business expertise and technical knowledge when making such large investments."
How RBC Royal Bank Helps: Claudette has been an RBC Royal Bank customer since the founding of Sani Bleu Inc. in 1991, but it was eight years later that the bank played its biggest role in the company's success. "When we purchased our competitor in 1999, the bank made a real difference," explains Claudette, who says she appreciates the services of the various customer service representatives she has dealt with.
Succession: Two years ago, one of Claudette's children, Joël Fournier, joined the company. "During his studies, Joël used to work summers with my partner. He worked for two financial companies before coming onboard and he now manages the business." According to Claudette, Joël will eventually take over the reins. "Now that everything is well in place, I'd like to spend more time with my friends and my big family, including my 90-year-old mother, my brothers and sisters, my children and my grandchildren. Perhaps in the future my partner and I will be able to take a longer vacation," hopes Claudette.
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