"Stoked" is one of Alexandre Lemerise's favourite words. And with good reason: the assistant director of Empire 47 (E47), an outdoor ecotourism centre just north of Québec City, manages several teams of enthusiastic employees and volunteers working with his non-profit organization.
And E47 is all about being stoked, even when it comes to choosing suppliers. "We prefer doing business with Québec enterprises; our volunteers and clients insist on it!" says Lemerise. E47 acquired its rental fat bikes from Spherik, Rocky Mountain and Panorama Cycles, three Québec bicycle manufacturers.
Here is another example of local supply chains in action. E47 turns to provincial companies, like L’organisation and Velosolutions Canada, when it comes to managing, designing and constructing mountain biking trails. "Reaching out to Québec experts is essential. They can visualize and lay out exciting trails in places where foreign specialists might not think of putting one," he adds.
Being stoked has been the watchword at E47 since its founding in 2014. "Our volunteers, who have a clear preference for products made in Québec, have been driving our success over the past few years," Lemerise says. The number of clients visiting the centre jumped by over 80% in the summer of 2020.
To get people talking about them in the media, the company also works with Productions 4 éléments, a collaboration that is showcased in the Doing Business Together section of the OSEntreprendre Challenge.
Number of fat bikes assembled in Québec that make up the rental fleet available at E47.