Young Entrepreneurs of the Year

Éric Lemay and Karine Lemay
Andreanne International

This brother and sister duo was born in Asbestos, Québec, and grew up in Bouctouche. After attending l’École Clément-Cormier, Éric studied Business Administration and Mechanical Engineering at the Université de Moncton. He then worked for Nortel in Ottawa before landing a mechanical engineering position at Allain Equipment. After completing high school in Bouctouche and two years at the Université de Moncton, Karine headed out West to work and learn English. She eventually returned home to help her parents run the family business.

The Lemay’s entrepreneurial talents started blossoming back in 1993, when Éric launched his embroidery business through the Capital Action Program. As for Karine, while still in high school, she also became her own boss when she started her summer business in silk screen printing as part of Les Retrouvailles 1994.

When their parents, Paul and Madelaine Lemay, founded Andreanne Sportswear in 1987, the company was mainly interested in the Canadian clothing industry. At the time, it was making clothing for Sears, Suzy Shier, Le Château and other well-known retailers. It was in 1991 that the company went from making sportswear to bedding. It was during that same year that Andreanne International launched Brunswick Sheets which would become the family business’s signature product.

Éric and Karine have been carrying the torch since 1999. In the beginning, the business was mainly concentrated in the Atlantic Provinces. Today, Andreanne International sells its products across Canada, New England, France, Great Britain and New Zealand. Andreanne International’s products are now widely accessible. They are sold through Coop Atlantic, Home Hardware, Home Furniture and many other gift shops and independent bedding distributors.

Éric and Karine’s objectives are to make Andreanne International’s products known to as many people as possible, all the while offering a personalized service. “We don’t want to have an answering machine to greet a caller”, admits Karine. The key to their success is to offer quality products and services, as well as working relentlessly.

The development of new products remains an important element of the Lemay business. Over the years, production has constantly evolved in order to meet the needs, as well as market demands. The main challenge remains finding ways of keeping production costs down, because the competition created by the Asian market is a constant menace for the company. The idea is to convince people that products made in Canada are of superior quality.

Another challenge facing Andreanne International is the shortage of workers in the region. Even though the employees are loyal to the company, it is nonetheless difficult to find enough workers to fill the demand.

As did their parents, Éric and Karine share the work load. Éric is in charge of administrative management and business development, while Karine handles human resources and production. Éric explains that when their parents handed over the business to them, they gave them carte blanche. “They were a great help because they let us take over”, admits Karine.

The success of the business is due in part to the good work habits that were handed down to them by their parents and because of the tireless efforts of the young managers. They make sure that at least one of them is always on-site and they are not afraid to roll up their sleeves. “As an entrepreneur, you can’t just say I am the boss and I don’t do this or that!” You’re the first one in and the last one to leave”, admits Éric.

After having worked for other people, Éric and Karine cannot see themselves elsewhere but working for themselves, because they love their job and they grew up in that environment. The satisfaction of getting new contracts and seeing the money roll in continues to be the motivation for expanding the company, for increasing production and sales which represent 2.5 million dollars this year.

Even if close to 80% of the company’s sales are generated between the end of September and the beginning of December, Andreanne International ensures constant production and a constant number of employees that work year-round. Though costly, this way of doing things allows them to keep sufficient inventory to meet the demand. The business employs 25 full-time, year-round employees.

Because the business takes up a large part of their lives, the Lemay family tries to stay away from shop talk when the family gets together. Their greatest accomplishments remain the fact that they can work together as a team and that they have been able to see growth in the company over the years.

Andreanne International is also involved in the community. It supplies products to many organizations and hospitals in the region. The company also responded to a request from the town of Bouctouche when it reached out to the residents of Saint-Martinville and to the victims of hurricane Katrina last year. The company gave over $50,000 worth of bathrobes, sheets and other products to this cause. The gesture did not go unnoticed and allowed the company exposure in Canada and in the United States.

Earlier this year, Andreanne International received the Export Achievement Award from Enterprise New Brunswick and the Canadian Association of Manufacturers and Exporters, for businesses with sales of less than five million dollars.

This evening, Éric, Karine and the Andreanne International team are sharing the Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Congratulations!