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BCH Unique Inc./ Altrum
St-Martin, Quebec
http://www.bchunique.com
Awards, promotional products
Primary markets: Canada, United States
Number of employees: 250
Bernard Bolduc, president
Bernard.bolduc@bchunique.com

Awards company wins one for itself

Bernard Bolduc knows all about prizes. The company he heads designs and manufactures a wide variety of corporate milestones, gifts and hand-made awards. This year, following recognition of BCH Unique/Altrum as one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies for 2015, Bolduc will be able to pick one up himself.

“We’ve received several industry specific recognitions but have never won anything of this scale before,” said Bolbuc. “It is a real thrill.” Bolduc, who took over as president of BCH Unique/Altrum in 1991, after buying out his father’s shares, quickly put his stamp on things. This included leading investments in custom cast acrylic manufacturing machinery, as well as in processes and new technologies, which enable the company to produce original items with short lead times.

Products are marketed through two channels. The company services its financial sector clients, which account for 80 percent of its $30 million in annual sales, directly under the Altrum brand. Other clients are serviced under the BCH Unique brand, through a range of distributors.

By all indications, the strategy has been a great success. BCH Unique/Altrum’s head office, which houses a vast mix of artisans, designers, production, customer service and other personnel, is located in an impressive 40,000 square-foot facility in St-Martin Quebec.

The company operates a second plant in Amsterdam, New York, which employs nearly 150 people. BCH Unique has also been helped by the rebound of its financial client base following the 2008-2009 crisis. The sector, which now accounts for more than a third of the market capitalization of the S&P/TSX, provides strong demand for awards, to recognize the financial managers who delivered those results. Bolduc is only to happy to supply them. In coming years, he will to do so with one eye on his three kids, all in their early 20s, to see if they will take an interest in the business.

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Peter Diekmeyer Communications Inc.