NH rolls out 'bienvenue' mat in Canada

By LORNA COLQUHOUN
New Hampshire Union Leader Correspondent
Sunday, Jun. 17, 2007

QUEBEC CITY, Quebec – If his company ever decides to branch out into the United States, Richard Turgeon would head south with it.

The director of the Three Rivers branch of Westburne, one of Canada's largest electrical and telecommunications distributors, Turgeon was one of more than three dozen business owners and representatives at the Chateau Frontenac Tuesday, invited by the state of New Hampshire to hear about the benefits of doing business in the Granite State.

"If my company said 'yes,' of course I would go there," Turgeon said.

And that was even before the presentation began.

Tuesday's event was the third business recruitment mission in Quebec in the past three years by the state's Division of Economic Development, in partnership with Public Service of New Hampshire. The contingent included Department of Resources and Economic Development Commissioner George Bald, as well as economic development leaders from Colebrook and Berlin and representatives of the Business Resource Center.

The invitation-only presentation drew dozens of business owners from the Quebec City area. Some, like Turgeon, represented large companies. Others, like Yvon Morel of Tubulair Modern, which builds custom-made stairs and handrails, employs five people.

"I could be thinking about the U.S.," he said.

The hour-long presentation followed a cocktail reception and dinner at the hotel and was conducted in French, a touch that impressed many of those attending. Beginning with the experiences of Melanie and Marie-Josee Vaillant, who came down from Quebec several years ago to open the wholesale gift business KHEOPS International in Colebrook, to details about the Colebrook and Berlin areas of the North Country, the guests learned of the state's business friendly climate and how the state is willing to help once they make a decision to come south.

The presenters also touched upon the rich French-Canadian heritage the North Country has.

"There is great interest in expanding," said Roland Cotnoir of the Colebrook Development Corp. "We aren't here to steal business or close companies, but we are offering an opportunity to expand."

Colebrook is no stranger to Quebec businesses. In addition to KHEOPS, the clothing manufacturer Codet has a plant in the town's industrial park. For about seven years, Bonneville Windows were also produced in town, before it closed down the operation in late 2000.

The town is eager for more businesses. Several years ago, the Colebrook Development Corp. constructed a 10,000-square-foot building in the industrial park and the former Manchester Manufacturing building, with 180,000 square feet, also awaits new business.

Cotnoir and Beno Lamontagne have been involved with the Colebrook Development Corp. for years, traveling many miles and meeting scores of people, touting the town, which has weathered sharp drops in its manufacturing base over the years.

"We do not achieve overnight success," Cotnoir said. "It's long term planning and we have a lot of patience."

Both men have been on previous recruitment missions to Quebec with the state. Last year they went 45 minutes up the road to Sherbrook. They were in Montreal in 2004.

But whether it is the strength of the Canadian dollar, which is nearly at par with the U.S. dollar, or the changing global market place, the tenor of the Quebec City mission, they said, was different than the others.

Before returning to Colebrook on Wednesday, the two had breakfast with a business owner they had met at the presentation who wanted more information.

"The feeling is that there is much more openness to what we're offering and what they do," Lamontagne said.

By Thursday morning, less than two days after the presentation, "at least four companies are interested in visiting New Hampshire," according to Michael Bergeron of the Business Resource Center.

State officials are setting up meetings in the next few weeks with representatives of Service Techniques Industriels, which specializes in industrial mechanical maintenance, who have expressed an interest in learning more about the North Country.

Supermetal Structures, a steel contractor with plants in Quebec, Alberta and Alabama, has expressed an interest in the Nashua area, Bergeron said.

"That was extremely good," Turgeon said after the presentation.