The recruitment of Antoine Beaulieu as a new board member is one of the highlights of HLSL’s Annual General Meeting. His appointment not only fills a board seat, but he also represents the western sub-region of the Lower Saint Lawrence, which is of crucial importance to HLSL’s outreach efforts. He’s also young!
Antoine Beaulieu is a well-traveled Rimouskois who has lived a little bit all over the place. Now living in Riviere-du-Loup, Antoine, his wife Teresa, and son Nathaniel, recently wrapped up a year living in Miami, USA, where he completed a Master’s in aquaculture while becoming a dad for the first time.
One could call Beaulieu a multidisciplinary entrepreneur. He studied business at UQAR, naval architecture and marine engineering at l’Institut maritime du Quebec, and further expanded his passion by studying yacht design in Arundel, Maine. Antoine is currently involved in the development and construction of a plant in Cacouna, where he specialises in the design and future manufacturing of prefab modular homes (prefabricated construction). Picture these homes as colossal Lego-style building blocks, Ikea-like but assembled on-site. “There is now a demand for accelerating housing construction, and our products have been designed to save time. It is not a surprise that we have a major housing crisis all over the country, including eastern Quebec. I believe there is a solution and I want to do things differently, and also change the perception of prefabs by creating high quality sustainable homes,” says Antoine. For him, this means efficient construction timelines without compromising on quality, employing a controlled environment that remains unaffected by weather conditions. This approach also contributes positively to the environment, minimising waste, and packaging, with any leftover materials being utilised for heating the factory and maybe supporting a rooftop greenhouse, as a long-term circular vision.
Antoine Beaulieu is back in the region for the long-term and could not think of a better place to raise his young son. He and his Polish-speaking wife are expecting their second child. “When I met Heritage, I loved the mission of supporting the English-speaking community…culture and identity. I am so glad to find something like this where I live – it really resonates with me…and if I can help with that, why not!” Beaulieu’s affinity for English has always been strong and he has consistently prioritised it, recognizing the potential it holds for opportunities. Now, with the birth of his son Nathaniel in the USA, maintaining English as an integral part of their culture has become an even more lifelong goal of their family’s heritage. Antoine looks forward to sharing his enthusiasm and expertise as a Heritage board member.
If anyone would like to contact Antoine to welcome him back to the Lower Saint Lawrence or learn more about his business ventures, they can contact him: info@preman.ca.
