Ignore the Quebec school furniture factory in its own backyard

The manufacturer of the famous Quebec orange chairs we see everywhere in our schools is having a hard time understanding that some school centers in his part of the country are shunning him and opting instead for furniture”Made in USA“.

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I have 140 employees who pay taxes. I make $4 million in salary annually at the five factories in the Farnham area,” sighs Jill Berthium, CEO of Alpha-Vico.

They bought K.I. American tables at the Mgr-Douville School in Farnham. They paid them over $2,500 each (10 feet), while I earned them $1,500 (12 feet),” he confirms.

What sets it apart is that the tables are not only more expensive, but shorter than that, so fewer students can sit on them.

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However, in Brome-Missisquoi County, the manufacturer Alpha-Vico can be seen. Participate in the activities of the region. Sometimes he and his sister Claudine provide lunches to the neighborhood students.

American companies will not sponsor our sports teams. “They don’t make pasta for dinner with us,” says the person directing the sales on her side.

“I don’t understand why American standards are required, when we talk about the blue basket and buy local produce. It’s not consistent,” Annie Messier, in sales with her, drops in between visiting a customer.

As people snap up chairs, desks, and tables elsewhere, Alpha-Vico has a hard time absorbing the allure of “Made in USA» In the midst of a local buying drive.

Compulsory layoffs

Today, some of the descriptions are written in English with American standards to eliminate them, Gill Berthium suggests.

“Not all schools do that. We have good clients all over the country. There are professionals,” but he wants to qualify.

However, the decisions of some leave it with a bitter aftertaste, affecting even the factory floor. And what should have happened.

“I thanked twenty employees last week because orders are down,” Jill Bertheum of Alpha-Vico shares with emotion.

What annoys the businessman the most is that the chairs selected are often more expensive as well as manufactured outside of Quebec.

“Sometimes they pay $135 for a chair, when they can get it for $35, so 1,000 chairs is more than $100,000,” the businessman complains.

Defensive positions

interrogated by NewspaperSchool centers were quick to defend themselves.

We are not going to be interviewing about it, because we only spoke with them yesterday. [13 septembre]regarding the reasons for non-compliance for which the request of this company was not selected during the general invitation to bid,” Audrey Lebeouf, responded to communications from the scolaire du Val-des-Cerfs service center.

in registerthe Center claimed to have complied with the invitation to bid for the purchase of 16 tables via Comite d’achats aggregator de la Montérégie et de l’Estrie.

A hundred kilometers away, at the service center of the Marguerite-Bourgeoys School, her spokeswoman Melanie Simard said she did everything in order.

“As a public body, we ensure that the rules governing acquisitions are enforced and enforced. [biens et services] And work out of the definition of need.

“You will understand that we cannot provide details of tenders submitted by companies interested in the needs that we have,” she concluded.

Establishment : 1980

employees : 140

Factories: 5

Customers (Country): Canada, United States

products: Chairs, desks, folding tables and chairs

Source: Alpha Vico