Four years ago, Keith and Éric Éthier were respectively professor of philosophy and manager of an event services company. Today at the head of MedSup Medical, these brothers from Magog distribute between 20 and 30 million medical instruments every week and have the mandate to provide 70 million rapid screening tests to the Quebec government.
“Eric is a master logistician, an outstanding operator. I’m more into numbers, relationships and discourse,” reports Keith Éthier, elder and philosopher of the duo, who warns that he “thinks out loud.”
In 2018, the duo created MedSup from nothing, except their entrepreneurial spirit. This manifested itself in Eric from an early age.
“At 12, he had taken the garage of the house hostage and had transformed it into a workshop to start a business. He organized events for teenagers. He was a DJ, he bought old loudspeakers, he fixed them, he planned, ”says Keith during a videoconference interview with his colleague.
The young entrepreneur then founded Média Spec, a technical and logistical solutions company adapted to various events, ranging from congresses to musical performances. Keith then contributed to it while continuing to teach at CEGEP. This experience turns out to be less far removed from the distribution of medical supplies than it seems.
“Event management is problem management, it is disaster scenario planning. It is very compatible with a pandemic, ”underlines Éric, president of MedSup. “Responding to government emergencies, we do that all the time now,” he adds.
Another similar point: a good part of the supply of event material is done in Asia. Finally, it was notably by managing events for medical associations that Éric became aware of certain material needs and made many contacts in the field. MedSup was then making its humble beginnings by supplying non-medical equipment, such as lab coats and uniforms, to pharmacies and clinics.
Respond to government emergencies, we do that all the time now
An explosion in demand
But the pandemic has changed everything. Demand for syringes, gloves, gowns, masks and other basic medical devices skyrocketed, and large distributors failed to meet them completely. This is where MedSup came in, with a different business model.
“Big distributors usually don’t have a lot of inventory. What goes into the warehouse is immediately taken out and redirected. We had no choice but to have good stocks to respond to ad hoc requests, uneven over time, very urgent, “explains Keith, who left teaching at CEGEP to focus on his role as director. general. MedSup currently has a strategic reserve of 300 million medical devices.
To succeed in their expansion without falling, the two brothers had to surround themselves with competent people, believes Éric. One of them is Chinese-Canadian businessman Zhong Li, who also calls himself John Lee, president of the aluminum distribution group Sinobec. Li Family Holding, linked to Mr. Li, is now MedSup’s largest but not majority shareholder.
“His skills have enabled us to gain in efficiency, in international logistics, in networking, in solidity”, says Éric. He helped the company break down cultural and language barriers in Asia. MedSup now has facilities in Ontario and British Columbia, as well as teams in the United States and Asia.
Strengthen the autonomy of Quebec
A major priority of the two leaders of MedSup, however, is to repatriate part of the production and expertise to Quebec. An example of this is their rapid COVID-19 testing strategy.
The first million tests promised to the Quebec government will be imported from China. But thanks to agreements with foreign suppliers, the Quebec company is already working to build a factory in Saint-Laurent to produce them here in February or March. Its test model is still awaiting approval from Health Canada.
Backed by a partnership with the Quebec research company IR&T (Imagery Research & Technology), the Éthier brothers then intend to develop a whole new generation of rapid tests, easier to use for the general public. And they don’t plan to stop there.
“In our Saint-Laurent plant, we have reserved an entire floor for medical technology start-ups to give them a chance to take advantage of our laboratories and our distribution network. Quebec is a breeding ground for good, high-level medical ideas. But it’s often the marketing stage that’s missing, and that’s where MedSup is super good,” says Éric enthusiastically.
It is a very demanding human experience
A production plant project for another type of medical instrument is also underway, but the two leaders believe that they cannot yet reveal its nature.
The two fathers say they also attach great importance to reducing the environmental footprint of their activities. They also founded the Go Zero protective equipment recycling program. They also partner with social economy enterprises to encourage the inclusion of people with employment limitations.
Through this whole experience, Keith and Éric Éthier feel that they are helping to limit the suffering caused by COVID-19. “The pressure is strong, recognizes Keith. It’s a very demanding human experience, because in the end, there are instruments that serve to support vulnerable people. »