Tribute to an employee | The return of the “patent” prodigal son

After nearly twenty years working as a manager for private companies, Daniel Leboeuf finally returned to work at Groupe TAQ, a social economy company that he founded in the 1970s. His employer today highlights the contribution of this calm and humble man who plans to retire in three months.

It was at the end of the 1970s, remembers Daniel Leboeuf. “There was no company in Quebec whose mission was to facilitate the integration of people with disabilities into the labor market,” he recalls. The government of René Lévesque had just adopted the Law ensuring the exercise of the rights of disabled people one of whose objectives was to facilitate their access to the labor market.

Given the government’s desire to support new projects in this direction, the stars were aligned for Mr. Leboeuf to start a social economy business: Groupe TAQ.

Groupe TAQ has since made its mark by offering subcontracting services to companies for various jobs: assembly, packaging, labeling, warehousing. In 45 years, the number of employees has increased from 18 to 450, of whom 360 are people with disabilities. Because its mission remains the same: to promote the socio-professional integration of people with functional limitations by developing business partnerships.

However, in the 1990s, Daniel Leboeuf left the company to work in the private sector. A parenthesis that lasted almost 20 years. In 2018, he returned to his first love… as an employee, this time. “I kept to myself what I love most: finding solutions and being close to the people who work,” smiles the 71-year-old man who plans to retire in March.

Even if he only works three days a week, Mr. Leboeuf remains a pillar of the organization, assures Gabriel Tremblay, general manager of Groupe TAQ, who wanted to pay tribute to him in The Press. “Daniel has always understood the world in which we work; he always managed to organize himself so that people collaborated. »

Mr. Tremblay speaks with knowledge of the facts. He has known Daniel Leboeuf for almost 40 years. It was he who convinced him to come back and work at Groupe TAQ. “His office is next to mine. I see him talking with young people every day. He can help them professionally as well as listen to their moods. »

But beyond the human side, “Daniel is a patent master,” smiles Gabriel Tremblay. An important asset for a company whose mission is to facilitate the integration of people with disabilities into the job market. “He is able to analyze the task required and organize himself to form templates for the work which allows people who have limitations to get involved in production. He is technically capable of thinking differently to get people to work. »

He cites the example of a contract obtained with Lumca. The Longueuil company had a major contract with the City of Montreal and part of the assembly was to be done at Groupe TAQ. “It was complicated,” says Gabriel Tremblay. But Daniel analyzed in detail what needed to be done. He broke this down into easy-to-do tasks. One employee could focus on one step while another became a specialist in another step. »

“I have never looked at people with limitations with pity. It’s part of my approach. I am certain that everyone can work and achieve a lot. You simply have to find what allows someone to do their job well,” says Daniel Leboeuf, not without humility.