Carrying out a small project impeccably can pay off for the future of a company. Especially when the client is a giant like Couche-Tard. Thirdbridge, a Montreal application development company that is expanding internationally, is a good example.
Published at 1:01 am
Updated at 10:00 a.m.
Pierre-Étienne Bousquet was in Arizona when The Press reached out to him to discuss his company’s future plans. Here’s one of them: the opening of a first office in the United States, which he is currently coordinating.
“We’re going to be able to approach new customers from here,” says the young thirty-something, aware of the challenges inherent in this highly competitive market. “You set foot in the United States and no one knows you, all the work has to be done, to be started again. These are great challenges for the whole team, and we’re very excited about it,” says the company’s co-founder.
This one is well established in Quebec. Its clients include big names like Desjardins, DuProprio, as well as… Couche-Tard.
Pierre-Étienne Bousquet and his partner Nicolas St-Aubin got their “foot in the door” at Couche-Tard by doing a small “repair” on one of their applications several years ago. “We proved ourselves, we really delivered during this first mandate. We then had a second, then a third… Couche-Tard is now one of our big clients, and we are really proud,” mentions Pierre-Étienne Bousquet.
Thirdbridge developed Couche-Tard’s consumer application and is working on various projects for Circle K, which has more than 10,000 stores worldwide and is owned by the Laval company.
“They are a very demanding client, they are not international by chance, they ask for a lot, and we are proud to be able to remain trusted partners for them,” says Pierre-Étienne Bousquet.
The contracts with Couche-Tard have allowed the entrepreneurs to travel internationally and discover new markets. In addition to the office being prepared in Arizona, which will join those in Montreal and Quebec City, Thirdbridge also has full-time employees in Poland, currently working remotely. The team, which is growing rapidly, is made up of 70 people.
Intuitive applications
Launched in 2012, Thirdbridge develops applications for companies, intended for external or internal use. Its specialty: designing products that are easy to use without the need for training.
“We are bombarded with many platforms, tools, applications, and our time is precious. We don’t have time to learn. When we download a mobile application, for work or personal use, it must be intuitive, the task for which we downloaded it must be carried out as easily and quickly as possible,” explains Pierre-Étienne Bousquet.
“If it’s not done in the first few minutes, you often see a high dropout rate. For companies that invest heavily in this, it can all fall apart in the first few minutes,” he adds.
EcoloPharm expands its facilities
PHOTO PROVIDED BY ECOLOPHARM
The company markets medicine containers that require less plastic than standard bottles and pill boxes, among other things.
Drug packaging designer EcoloPharm has just launched an expansion project for its Chambly facilities. This $15 million investment will add 1,860 square metres to its facilities. Founded in 2009, EcoloPharm offers several types of bottles and pillboxes, several aspects of whose design have a lower ecological impact than the competition — in particular, they require less plastic and are transported with less packaging. “This project symbolizes our determination to promote sustainable development while meeting the growing demand for eco-responsible packaging solutions in pharmacies “, mentions the president and general director, Sandrine Milante.
Jambette wants to double its production by 2030
PHOTO PROVIDED BY JAMBETTE
Jambette’s pre-assembled play modules have been manufactured in Lévis for 40 years.
Jambette’s play modules are so popular that the company plans to double its production and sales by 2030. It has just opened a 4,200-square-metre plant in Lévis, which required investments of more than $16.5 million. “Thanks to the new production line that we have set up in the plant, we will gain in productivity, which will allow us to better serve our current customers and explore new markets, particularly in the United States, where we anticipate great growth opportunities,” says Marie-Noël Grenier, President of Jambette.
Paella Marisol enters IGA
PHOTO PROVIDED BY PAELLA MARISOL
Three flavors are available at IGA: chicken, fish, and vegetables.
Quebec company Paella Marisol’s spice, rice and broth packets are now available in IGA grocery stores. Busy families are among the target audience: the 1-2-3 Olé line of products allows you to cook a paella base in about twenty minutes, to which you can then add the protein of your choice. IGA’s Local Accelerator program helped the team achieve this goal. “This partnership marks a major turning point for Paella Marisol and we are excited to be able to share our passion for paella with even more Quebec households,” says Krolos Raposo, co-founder and CEO of Paella Marisol.
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Number of new Panda children’s shoe stores that have opened this year in Quebec, less than a year after the brand was acquired by Groupe Nero Bianco. Despite the rise in popularity of online commerce, the group continues to focus on physical points of sale, particularly in the regions. It is in Rimouski and Chicoutimi that the new Panda stores have just opened, and a branch should be added in Lévis in early 2025.
