For a long time, actor, author and television producer Louis Morissette put his entrepreneurial background on hold because it was not particularly glorious in the artistic world to be associated with the business world. An embarrassment that has faded over time, while today he fully assumes his role and his duties as an entrepreneur.
It is also the Louis Morissette inc. whom I meet in the Notre-Dame offices of Groupe KO to discuss his latest business projects and his philanthropic involvement with the Véro & Louis Foundation, which he set up with his spouse Véronique Cloutier to support autistic adults.
His entrepreneurial spirit, he inherited it from his father Jacques Morissette who was co-founder of the Venmar ventilation company in Drummondville, which was sold in 1995. The company was chaired by Pierre Marcouiller, who later passed at Camoplast, which became Camso, and which has since been sold to Michelin.
“I worked in all of Venmar’s departments, 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’m happy today because it serves me well,” explained the president of Groupe KO.
After his studies in administration, Louis Morissette enrolled at the School of Humor, and founded a group of comedians who got a TV show on the old Quatre-Saisons channel. It was there that he decided to become a producer.
“There are many things that were cut, always invoking the budget. I asked to see the budget and I understood that there was a way to do better otherwise,” he says.
He writes and co-produces a first series, THATwhich tells precisely the life of young students in administration… This is how the KO Group was born.
Today, the company oversees five divisions: KO TV, for television production (20 to 30 productions per year), KO Scène, which produces comedy shows (Pierre-Yves Roy-Desmarais, Laurent Paquin…), KO Média, active in magazine publishing (Vero, Elle Quebec, She Canada…) and books, KO 24, which produces films (co-production of the film The Mirage, The guide to the perfect family…), and finally KO Growth.
This last division makes investments in sectors that are not necessarily linked to culture, in particular 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 oversees KO Croissance.
“In each of the divisions, I am the majority shareholder, but I have key employees who are also shareholders… In KO TV, we are six partners, including three women, and in all the other divisions, my general managers 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 which with his partner Véronique Cloutier.
“We’ve been based on rue Notre-Dame for years, but our teams are on three different floors. We will be moving next December to Longueuil in a brand new building. All of our divisions will occupy the ground floor,” said the businessman.
He and his wife are partners with the GesDev group and the Fonds de solidarité FTQ in the Novia project, which is nearing completion. Composed of two towers that bring together more than 350 apartments, right next to the Longueuil metro station, the Novia is one of the elements of the revitalization of this key sector of the South Shore which will soon host 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 financial arm of the Quebec government 14 months later.
“It was Jean Saint-Gelais, chairman of the board of Investissement Québec, who asked me to join the board. He wanted to have someone from the world of culture around the table. I met Jean St-Gelais when we created the Véro & Louis Foundation, he gave us a lot of advice. »
I agreed to sit on the board of Investissement Québec, but quickly I did not feel comfortable, I saw the risks of being associated with the CAQ or claiming that I favor certain projects rather that others. I’m still too active.
Louis Morissette
Too active, even if he has appointed a CEO to oversee the KO Group in his place?
“I stay there to ensure the strategic planning and the management of certain projects, but I want to have more time, in particular to return to the stage and write series”, he explains.
And also take care of the Véro & Louis Foundation, which he co-founded 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 who made a donation of 7 million. Planning and building a new residential center will cost approximately $6.5 million. We are going to 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 a bit like the sixth division of the group he created, it’s a commitment that is close to his heart and keeps him busy. A successful entrepreneur must also participate in the success of others.