SME Universe | Lightemotion shines internationally

Nothing to do with Christmas lights.

When Lightemotion illuminates a building, it does so with substantial resources.

The Montreal company won the lighting design contract for the Red Sea Museum in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Located in a historic UNESCO-listed building, the museum will showcase the shipping, trading and pilgrimage heritage associated with this port on the Red Sea.

“It’s as much an architectural as a museological mandate,” explains François Roupinian, president and founder of Lightemotion. “We have the mandate to light the exterior building and the interior public spaces, but also all the museography, which is done by Nathalie Crinière, one of the most important scenographers in France. »

Lightemotion is also designing the lighting for the new Black Gold Museum in Riyadh. Housed in a research center created by the famous architect Zaha Hadid, it tells the story of oil since the appearance of man, through 200 works of contemporary art.

“The challenge is that each work is an ecosystem, which has its own staging,” continues François Roupinian. And there is the whole challenge of articulating the light on the museological side, in a space that already existed, with an international team. The architects are in London, we are in Montreal, and the design teams are in France. »

Flagship projects, the company clearly indicates, which bring François Roupinian all over the world.

“I come from Singapore for a project directly with a museum,” he says. This is the first time this museum has asked their scenographer to work with a specific designer. »

Lightemotion, in this case.

The company has 14 employees, including four at its Toronto branch.

It designs exterior architectural lighting, interior ambient lighting, museum lighting and special projects.

“In architecture and in museums, light is not just functional! “, ignites François Roupinian. “We do a staging with the direction of light, the intensities, the tonality in the shots. It really is a luminous journey. It’s the same approach as in the theatre, but in places that are permanent. »

“It’s very hard to sell a lighting concept,” he adds. We make mood boards with reference images, we make renderings. But it’s very intangible and very difficult to explain. »

They succeed, however.

Two big news

“There are two big pieces of news,” announces François Roupinian.

The lighting design firm blows out the candles of its 20^e anniversary.

“And COVID was a turning point for Lightemotion,” he adds. That is to say, we went from 45 projects to seven projects, and it was a great year. »

Before the pandemic, Lightemotion was carrying out about forty projects at the same time, some of which could span more than three years.

“COVID has done a bit of a natural selection. »

The projects that survived were the most vigorous, done for enlightened clients, who saw lighting in a different light.

“We managed to attract decision-makers, people who understand the added value of lighting and who don’t see light as a convenience,” he explains.

“In fact, it has refocused the company on the top of the range and a much more specialized and refined service. »

These projects now allow the company to request fees commensurate with the energy it devotes to them. And also, now, to its reputation.

“These people don’t call us because we’re cheaper and we’re paid in Canadian dollars, but for Quebec expertise. I’m very proud of that after 20 years. »

The birth of the flame

Light is his ray.

François Roupinian had started very young to tweak home-made lighting fixtures and to do the lighting for small techno shows.

He was already 26 when, to consolidate his knowledge, he enrolled in theater production at the National Theater School.

When he graduated in 1999, he designed the lighting for a few multimedia shows and electroacoustic operas, which shone the spotlight on him.

“In 2001, we started doing architecture and museums. Our first projects were Jacques Villeneuve’s Newtown restaurant and a large museum in Singapore with GSM. »

Founded the following year, Lightemotion was taken in tow by the international projects of Montreal firms Scéno Plus, in architecture, and GSM Project, in museology.

“Then, our work was seen by locals and it made children. People who saw our projects in Singapore were connected with a lady from Los Angeles. The set designer for the Los Angeles project was French. He took us to Italy to do the car museum in Turin. »

In short, “business development has always been done by word of mouth”. But because his eyes were full of it.

In Canada too

Lightemotion is also involved in several ongoing projects on Parliament Hill, Ottawa. “Currently, the two major Canadian projects that we are going to deliver in architecture will be the illumination of the East Block and the West Block. We are in the process of being installed, and these projects will probably be finished next summer. »

The company also obtained an astonishing contract with the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO, according to the English acronym), the Ontario SAQ.

“For eight months, we have been working on the master lighting plan for the new branches. This is probably the first time the LCBO has hired designers. We delivered the prototype last week. The customer is completely delighted. They’ve never seen their products lit up like this. »

In short, and it is the lighting designer who says it: “We radiate as much internationally as in Canada. »

Gaspé masks approved by Health Canada

The etrëma reusable surgical masks designed by the Gaspé company Frëtt Solutions have just been approved by Health Canada – the first of this type recognized in the health sector, indicates the company. The ëncore multi-layer filtering textile technology withstands a hundred washes or heat treatment while maintaining its performance. First dedicated to the creation and manufacture of ecological clothing, the small Frëtt Design workshop, which employed half a dozen people, had found a new mission when the shortage of masks hit Quebec in the spring of 2020. Encouraged by local nurses, its founder, designer Michelle Secours, experimented with various medical materials, then enlisted the services of a scientist, and together they developed a reusable mask that withstands a hundred — vigorous — washes. The final product is the result of three years of collaboration with research centers, laboratories and healthcare establishments. An international patent application has been filed in 64 countries.

Mallette opens in Montreal

It is by closing in on two companies that Mallette opens in Montreal. The firm of chartered professional accountants, which until now had about thirty offices across the province, but none in Montreal, has acquired two Montreal companies, thus setting foot in the metropolis for the first time. At the end of November, Mallette integrated the activities of the BLT Lapointe & Associés and Martin Associés group, specializing since 1994 in business solutions, insolvency and restructuring. Shortly before, Mallette had also purchased Faction A, which offers analytical services, allowing the accounting firm to add this specialty to its professional services. With 1,300 employees and 130 associates, Mallette is the 4^e largest accounting firm in Quebec.

Ficodis acquires Hydraulique CL

Conversely, a Montreal company consolidates its presence in the region. Ficodis, an industrial distribution group headquartered in Montreal, has just acquired the Abitibi-based company Hydraulique CL, which has specialized for 30 years in hydraulic and pneumatic products and in the manufacture of hoses. This acquisition allows Ficodis to strengthen its position in the heart of the Abitibi-Témiscamingue mining region and expand its offer with hydraulic and pneumatic services. Founded in 2010, Ficodis has since multiplied transactions. The latest, last July, it acquired JMS Industriel, a Thetford Mines company specializing in mechanical services. In 2021, another Abitibi-based company, IBS-TUBOQUIP, specializing in the distribution of power transmission supplies and fluids, entered its fold. Ficodis itself joined the French group Descours & Cabaud in March 2022. Ficodis now has 36 points of sale in Quebec, Ontario and Long Island, New York State.

11%

This is the proportion of Canadian SMEs that have been targeted by a whaling attempt in the last year. In this type of phishing (we should say spear phishing), the fraudster targets or pretends to be a small business owner. This dispatch comes from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB).