Les médaillés de la relève competition - Back for a Fourth Year

MONTREAL , Jan. 26 /CNW Telbec/ - The McGill-HEC Montréal International Business Families Centre (IBFC), PricewaterhouseCoopers and BCF Lawyers, Patent & Trademark Agents today launched the fourth annual Les médaillés de la relève competition. The event, the only one of its kind in Quebec , is for private businesses whose owners have managed to successfully hand over the reins to a team of family members or managers from within the organization.

This year, for the first time since it was founded in 2006, the competition will have an Honorary President, Patrick Lemaire , President and CEO of Boralex. "It is a real pleasure for me to support this initiative," he stated. "Small and medium-sized firms are at the very heart of the Quebec economy. The more we can do to help them make the transition from one generation to the next, the more we can help our economy prosper and grow."

"Patrick Lemaire's own story is a good example of a successful business transfer in Quebec . That's why we are so happy to have him support our competition. His backing is very appropriate and confirms the importance of succession and transition planning for Quebec businesses," explain Yves Bonin, Partner and PCS Leader with PricewaterhouseCoopers, and André Morrissette, Partner and Chair of the Board at BCF.

Patrick Lemaire is the son of Bernard Lemaire , one of the founding presidents of the Cascades Group. In 2006, he followed in his father's footsteps and took the helm at Boralex, a renewable energy production company acquired by Cascades in 1989.

Jean-Paul Gagné, Editor Emeritus of Les Affaires, has agreed to chair the Les médaillés de la relève jury for the fourth straight year. The jury consists of five corporate leaders and a HEC Montréal professor. "Creating and directing a company is generally a lifelong commitment," he notes. "It is important to make entrepreneurs aware of the need to properly plan their succession, so that the business can survive and flourish after they leave."

Businesses that have successfully handed over the reins from one generation to another are invited to submit an entry by Friday, March 26, 2010 . Details on how to enter are given (in French) on the contest site, www.lesmedaillesdelareleve.com. The names of finalists and the winning team members will be announced at a ceremony to be held on May 26 .

About the organizers

PricewaterhouseCoopers (www.pwc.com) provides industry-focused assurance, tax and advisory services to build public trust and enhance value for clients and their stakeholders. PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Canada (www.pwc.com/ca) and its related entities have more than 5,300 partners and staff across Canada .

BCF Lawyers, Patent & Trademark Agents (www.bcf.ca) is a firm of more than 125 lawyers, patent agents and trademark agents whose business law practice has been keeping pace with the changing needs of the business world. BCF is a member of the Meritas international legal network, one of the world's largest groups of independent law firms. Its principal areas of expertise are in buying and selling businesses, corporate finance, taxation, intellectual property, litigation and restructuring and insolvency.

The McGill-HEC Montréal International Business Families Centre (IBFC) is a source of information and resources on best practices, tools and expertise for managing family businesses. Since 2008, the Centre has developed a bilingual and multiethnic network of over 30,000 alumni, allowing it to collaborate with organizations in Quebec and throughout Canada and around the world.

For further information: Colette Vanasse, Director, McGill-HEC Montréal International Business Families Centre, [phone], [email protected]; www.lesmedaillesdelareleve.com