Hello! This is Karie, the daughter of Jean-Claude, the second of the 3 Bernèche brothers. Let me tell you about Cardinal a little, after all I have spent more than half of my life here! A lady does not reveal her age, but I leave you with a clue. When I started in the company, the village was celebrating its 75th anniversary, do the math!
1984
The adventure began in 1984 when Gaétan, Jean-Claude and Raynald Bernèche joined the company, which was founded in 1980 and had its head office in Kemptville, Ontario, then in Quebec City, before moving to Angliers in 2015. The company, which was until then a distributor of equipment, wanted to start manufacturing sawmill equipment.
It was at this time that the Bernèche brothers were asked to join the company as they had the expertise to launch the project and design the The manufacture and installation of equipment, all of which are custom built for specific customer needs.
Like many large companies, it was in a small garage that everything began in 1984. A garage owned by the company 'Bernèche et frères' for their trucking activities and which has been transformed into a factory.
Transformation
The building has undergone 3 major changes over time. The first expansion took place in 1989, then a few years later there was the addition of the independent building of the painting workshop and in 1998 the 2nd expansion that gives the current area.
At the beginning, the company employed about ten people, whereas today it employs more than fifty. The majority of employees are based in Angliers but also in the company’s various branches in Port Perry, Dieppe and Québec.
The main markets covered are hardwood, pine and cedar processing and biomass upgrading. Customers are mainly in Eastern Canada but also in the US and Europe.
Actual owners
The current owners are Pascal Labranche (my husband the lucky one!) and his son Dannik. I sold my shares in 2023 and am now a consultant for the company.
Thanks to its continued efforts, the company enjoys an enviable reputation and is recognized for the quality of its products and the excellence of its service. An important link in the economic chain of Témiscamingue!