By / Natalie Bruckner
If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. Mathieu Hamel did, and he ended up becoming the vice president of Isolation Élite Inc. in Blainville, Québec.
Of course, it wasn’t quite that simple. Growing up, Hamel was passionate about sports and the human psyche. He had dreams of becoming a physical eduction teacher, or perhaps a psychologist… but he ended up working in a restaurant as a cook.
He knew at the time it wasn’t a path he was destined for, and so he began searching for an office job to give him clarity. In doing so, he stumbled upon the insulation industry. Despite having no experience in the sector, Daniel Desbiens, co-president of Nadeau, decided to give him a chance. “I remember him saying, ‘If you want to learn, here is your chance, show me what you’ve got.’ He was a great teacher and a mentor for me,” Hamel says.
For the first five years, he worked in customer service. “It was great as I got to learn about all the product applications and worked with various personality types,” he says. Hamel’s interest in helping people by getting to understand their needs was quickly recognized, and he was promoted to the position of sales rep. “I did that for ten years,” he says. “During that time, I was able to deepen my knowledge of customers’ needs. The biggest lesson for me was learning that when a situation is urgent, go above and beyond to help your customer and give them the best service.”
Just one example of when Hamel stepped up in this way was when he received a call from a customer who needed materials delivered to a big job site, asap. He had the materials there in record time. Working with his team he arranged a plane to fly a shipment of material from Montreal to Newfoundland, with no stopovers. It was all in a day’s work for Hamel.
His skills didn’t go unnoticed. In 2007, he was approached by the owners of Isolation Élite Inc. and offered the opportunity to join—he jumped at the chance. “Going from being a sales rep in distribution to contracting was a big transition,” he says. “I also knew I always wanted to be a business owner and when that opportunity came along, I grabbed it with both hands. It’s the best decision I have ever made in my entire career. I am a very passionate business owner.”
Over the past 12 years, the company has grown very rapidly, tripling its business during that period, and while that trajectory brings with it many challenges, the three owners, Patrick Lévesque, Richard Filion, and Hamel have driven the business forward, with smiles on their faces.
For Hamel, a big part of his passion comes from the people he has met in the industry over the years. He describes them as a big family. “The insulation sector is a small part of the big construction industry and our trade is unique,” he says. “Being small means we have to stand together to be stronger.”
His passion doesn’t just stop there. Hamel is a huge advocate for the environment and loves how insulation can play a big part in helping the country reach its energy reduction goals. He is keen to ensure the world is left in a cleaner state for future generations—a generation that includes his three children Béa (17), Éli (16), and Léo (10).
It isn’t just in the workplace that Hamel likes to set an example, either. He is also a community-minded man, and he, together with his wife of 22 years, Sophie, have been hosting pre-marriage classes for their local Catholic community for 13 years. “It has been a great experience sharing some of our experience with younger couples,” he says.
His love of sports hasn’t left him, either. Hemel is a three-time Ironman finisher and has competed in half Ironman races, too. While he has hung up his Ironman gear for now, you can still find him ripping it up on his bike or out for a swim pretty much every day.
As for the future? Hemel definitely plans to leave the heat of the kitchen as a long distant memory and instead head for cooler climes… by hitting the slopes! “My entire family shares a passion for downhill skiing,” he says. “In fact, my youngest two are in a mogul ski team, and my eldest and I teach skiing on the weekends. That’s part of my retirement plan. I have my Canadian Ski Instructors Alliance (CSIA) Level 2, and plan on completing my Level 3 and then teaching skiing as much as possible.”
Learn more about Isolation Élite Inc. at isolationelite.ca/en ▪
