Nomads may sometimes want to settle down.
This is what the Go-Van group is banking on, as it is launching into real estate with its Berryman mountain project in the Quebec region.
This is a project that includes around fifteen lots and small homes in Sainte-Brigitte-de-Laval, near Lac-Beauport.
The crowdfunding campaign ended on August 26 and the $100,000 goal was slightly exceeded. By reaching its goal, the group is eligible for support from the Ministry of Tourism’s Horizon Fund, which will invest the equivalent of the target amount.
“We were confident,” says Go-Van founder Julien Roussin Côté. “It takes a good game plan to get into this.”
His company is collaborating with Maelstrom Immobilier on this project. This group has become known for its Montagne Le Maelström where you can rent chalets, in the same region.
Maelstrom has owned this land for about ten years, the zoning is recreational tourism and the new project will include several types of accommodation, including this Go-Van village. The first phase is expected to open in the summer of 2025.
Officially, the Go-Van project is presented as an oasis of peace for van nomads, more nicely called vanlifers by their tribe. People who work remotely and want to do so in great peace are also good potential clients. Liking the outdoors is a plus.
It can also become an opportunity to access property ownership, according to Julien Roussin Côté, whose company had already dipped its big toe in real estate by launching Go-Box last year, these refined housing boxes with a reduced environmental impact but maximum visual impact.
Neonomads who already have their vans remain the natural clientele of the Berryman project, but Julien Roussin Côté assures that he is expanding his register since the demand is high for smaller housing, for environmental and economic reasons.
The first four units in the mountain village are reserved. They come with one of these mobile modules and there is already a waiting list for phase II. The units are selling for between $40,000 and $110,000, depending on the options chosen.
By purchasing a unit, the owner rents the land and also buys a service. In his absence, his box can be rented, like good old time-sharing.
It’s also a great option for a family purchase, says the founder of Go-Van, who points out that two father-son duos have already bought a lot.
The Berryman project, explains Julien Roussin Côté, comes with this community spirit that already exists in the philosophy of the followers of nomadism, who always end up crossing paths somewhere.
Moreover, they were gathered last weekend at the El Campo festival where hundreds of Westfalias and other converted vehicles arrived in Sainte-Anne-de-Sorel, sometimes with impressive attention to detail and design.
Proof that even with a life on the run, you sometimes need to chat with your neighbor.
St-Denis Thompson: Executives take over
Big change for general contractor St-Denis Thompson: the two main executives are transferring their shares to the management team that is taking over. The new president Ian Lapostolle has been with the company since 2009. He is now part of the trio of main shareholders who hold almost 90% of the company. A group of executives is getting their hands on the rest of the shares. “We hope that this will increase the sense of belonging that these people already had,” says Ian Lapostolle. “It puts in place a structure that also supports succession and sharing.” Concretely, the founding president Serge Marchand and the vice-president and general manager Jean-François Routhier (who owned 64% of the company) are not going very far. They become sales director and general manager respectively. The transaction was supported by Desjardins and the Fonds de solidarité FTQ network.
Cheese from free-range cows
The Perron cheese factory in Saint-Prime, a municipality located on the shores of Lac Saint-Jean, is launching eight new products, including two that boast of being greener – in terms of production. The Perron cheddars aged 1 year and 2 years will be identified as being made with milk from free-range cows, which means that the cows were able to move freely around the farm and some went outside. All Perron cheeses are made with milk from local producers. These new products are the result of the Nutrinor Sustainable Agricultural Pact, “a continuous improvement approach in agriculture that is unique in Quebec and to which 125 agricultural producers who are members of the cooperative have adhered.”
PHOTO PROVIDED BY NUTRINOR
Perron cheddars aged 1 year and 2 years will be identified as being made with milk from free-range cows, which means that the cows were able to move freely around the farm and some went outside.
A new home for FoodHub
The FoodHub solidarity cooperative has a new address in Montreal where it offers production spaces for food processors who are starting out or who want to test products or markets. The incubator is taking advantage of its new premises to invite young food processing companies to join the next cohort of its three-month intensive program where new participants will benefit not only from the space, but also from support in developing their businesses and networking opportunities.
Gould Industries Brings Bags to Costco
Montreal-based Gould Industries is becoming the recycling bag supplier for the 36 Costco locations in Canada. Note that not only are the bags intended for recycling, they are also made from residual materials themselves, since they will be produced in part from recycled pipes from Quebec maple groves. The company makes garbage, compost and recycling bags and has been working with recycled plastic for years. “We’ve always found a way to integrate recycled material into our products,” says Frederico Panetta, CEO of Gould Industries, which now has 120 employees. The bags are sold under private label, with Metro and Jean Coutu being the largest customers. The president hopes that this open door at Costco will lead to new contracts. “We’re taking it step by step,” he says, adding that his group is already in discussions with the American part of Costco.
PHOTO ROBERT SKINNER, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Frederico Panetta, CEO of Gould Industries
The number
4.9 billion
According to a report by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, six workers’ compensation boards in Canada are overcapitalized by a total of $4.9 billion. The group believes that SMEs would benefit greatly from this money, in a context of lower consumption. The boards in British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Yukon are the ones that have exceeded their target capitalization rate.