Ecorad is a company that specializes in the refurbishment and electrification of cast iron radiators. The founder, Pierre Lemieux, started the company in Saint-Jean-Port-Joli in 2008, even though he had already been interested in these processes for many years. Since then, the techniques he developed with his team have stood out and Ecorad is growing. In 2021, the company decided to remain in Saint-Jean-Port-Joli, but to move to a new factory. The 19,000 ft2 building was designed with Art Massif de Saint-Aubert and features a structure made of wood. What is special about this construction, according to Mr. Lemieux, is that a large part of the building is made and decorated with materials that have been recycled. This shows that recycling is not only the basis of the products that the company restores to new condition, but is even part of the framework of the factory which houses its activities.
The founder explains that, from his childhood, he was made aware of recovery by his father with whom he went on tours to collect objects that had been thrown in the trash in order to restore them or give them a second life. Later in his life, he became more specifically interested in cast iron radiators, objects that no longer worked for many and were increasingly being replaced by new electrical appliances.
For Mr. Lemieux, cast iron radiators are not only useful, they are also true works of art. Indeed, when we restore these devices which have sometimes been abandoned or poorly maintained in recent decades, it is possible to find finely crafted models. Mr. Lemieux explains that at the time the molds which were used to form these radiators were designed from a wooden structure which had been worked by artists. Also, the methods used to dispose of these devices are often very harmful to the environment and the health of the workers involved. He therefore finds it deplorable not to recover these objects for the ecological side, but also for their artistic value.
400 visitors
Last June 1 was the first open house held by the company since its founding in 2008. Mr. Lemieux explains that, although its restoration processes seem to be increasingly known in North America, they are little known. In the region. The team therefore wanted to give a tour of its new factory and show the different stages that radiators go through at Ecorad.
People first discovered the equipment used to move these objects which have a weight which can vary between 400 and 1000 lbs and which are not always on the first floor. They then visited the warehouse in which more than 3,200 radiators are currently classified. This is only part of Ecorad’s inventory, as another warehouse in the United States also contains around 3,000. Visitors then learned about the different stages of the restoration, such as stripping, dismantling, finishing, etc. It was also possible to discover the electrification process developed by the company in order to make these devices more suitable for use in modern buildings.
Although Mr. Lemieux was there to answer people’s questions, he wanted to remain more in the shadows during these open houses while his team guided the visitors. After all, he emphasizes that he is preparing his succession and that he has complete confidence in the ten or so employees who embarked with him on the adventure that Ecorad represented.
