History of the Ouellet Group
The Ouellet Group was started as a family business by entrepreneurs who built it from scratch. It is now run by the family’s 3rd and 4th generation. Today, it is an industry leader with over 500 employees in three countries: Canada, the United States and China.
The Ouellet Group’s plants produce and distribute a wide variety of products: heating cables; radiant heaters; kickspace heaters; convectors; electric, gas and oil furnaces; electric baseboards; heat pumps; fan-forced heaters; thermostats; and much more.
The Group operates in multiple markets and serves the residential, commercial and industrial sectors.
History of the group
Its modest beginnings are associated with one man: Jules Beaulieu. Originally from the working class, Jules started work at 12 years of age as a sweeper in a factory. He also learned how to cut leather and subsequently became a shoemaker. As an entrepreneur at heart, he opened his own store and eventually owned several small businesses. He was a man with strong family values, which was behind his decision to buy a heating systems installation company in the 1950s for his two sons.
During this time, in a garage near his home in L’Islet, Mr. Charles-Émile Ouellet, a supplier of metal grilles, was bending hot air ducts for Jules Beaulieu in Quebec City.
But Charles-Émile’s humble business did not remain a backyard venture for long. In 1967 he proposed a business partnership with Jules Beaulieu, which resulted in the incorporation of Ouellet Canada. In 1971, Jules’s two sons, Raymond and Robert, joined as shareholders to expand the business and enter new markets.
The early days were particularly challenging, especially with the 1974 oil crisis and resulting recession. However, Raymond and Robert read the market well and identified the opportunities provided by electric baseboard heaters.
The 1982 recession proved to be another turning point for the company. Several competitors shut down, which helped to boost Ouellet Canada’s growth. But with revenues of only $1.8M in the same year and with the economic crisis, the future was far from certain and doubts were justified. The company benefited from government aid programs, but Raymond and Robert Beaulieu needed to remortgage their house and take on several employees as shareholders, including:
Réjean Lizotte
Gérald St-Pierre
Louis-Philippe Lemieux
Roland Couture
After this, the company took off by implementing an aggressive strategy of product development, which opened up new markets. In 2000, Ouellet posted over $20M in sales. At this time, Martin Beaulieu, one of the family’s 3rd generation, was head of the innovation department.
In 2001, at the age of 62, Raymond Beaulieu bought out his brother’s stake in the company and the stakes of other shareholders, despite very high financial risks. Fortunately, the construction industry in Quebec subsequently went through a strong growth phase, which helped the company to continue its successful development.
Raymond’s three sons – Martin, Philippe and Louis – took over from their father in 2008 by acquiring his stake. They are still shareholders in the company. They continue to serve the market by pursuing a strategy of new product and new market development while focusing on the company’s core strength: responding to the needs of customers, electrical distributors and electricians.
Continued Expansion
In 2004, the Group created Hazloc Heaters, a plant specializing in explosion-proof heaters. It serves various sectors, including the oil industry in Calgary, and employs 30 people.
In the late 2000s, another plant was added: Ouellet Nanjing, in China, which has 40 employees.
With the objective of growing through diversification, the Group has since implemented an acquisition strategy.
The oil furnace business Dettson, located in Sherbrooke, was acquired from the US multinational Carrier in 2010. Today, Dettson Industries is innovating by developing and launching a small-capacity modulating gas furnace model. Heat pump air conditioning is also experiencing phenomenal growth at Dettson. Nearly 120 employees work at the Sherbrooke plant.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the Group has continued its expansion. It has become the supplier of Dimplex and Convectair products in Canada and has bought three companies:
Britech, a heating cable (floor, concrete and snow melting) and self-regulating heating cable (roof and gutter de-icing) manufacturer based in Toronto;
Innovair, a major supplier of air conditioning and heat pump equipment based in Miami, which employs around 20 employees and which sells its products throughout North America;
Chicago-based Delta-Therm, one of the leading self-regulating heating cable manufacturers, which employs 25 people.
Looking to the Future
The Ouellet Group has recently opened a distribution center and offices in Lévis (Saint-Romuald area) to help attract and retain personnel. In 2022, it also acquired a building of over 70,000 sq. ft. in L’Islet, next to the Ouellet Canada plant. This will allow the company to operate in more than 250,000 sq. ft. in the Chaudière-Appalaches region alone.
The shareholders are extremely proud of their history, values, teams, products and business relationships, and are committed to continuing the Group’s growth.
