Groupe Savoie – Résidences Soleil’s 25th anniversary
A family business dedicated to the well-being of seniors.
Initially conceived by Eddy Savoie as a project that would provide a home for his aging parents, over the next 25 years, Groupe Savoie built a substantial family endeavour that continues to enhance the lives of people in their golden years. 1988 marked the foundation of one of the greatest socio-economic successes in Québec’s history, Groupe Savoie – Résidences Soleil. Succeeding in such a manner required that the company founder be both a visionary and a born entrepreneur. To succeed so spectacularly from a human perspective required still more, namely the leadership of someone who was highly attuned to the needs of others, someone like Eddy Savoie.
Having observed the frame of mind of seniors who no longer held a job (a description that fit his parents well), he felt compelled to come up with the perfect solution. So much so that he developed a personal mission: to create a place where people in their golden years could continue to blossom. This incredible altruism is the very cornerstone of Résidences Soleil.
“[Translation] I always thought it important that seniors be able to enjoy life in a pleasant and secure environment with comprehensive meal, health and recreational services, specified Eddy Savoie. That is why each Résidences Soleil residence offers these features, features that meet the needs of persons seeking a healthy and balanced life.”
The company spearheaded by Eddy Savoie and his family was able, over a 25-year period, to turn Résidences Soleil into a truly avant-garde, customer-focused and compassionate living concept. The residences, in fact, evolved into environments where people could spend their golden years feeling happy and safe, while surrounded by competent, respectful and happy employees.
Eddy Savoie: a great humanist
An experienced builder fueled by a strong and generous spirit, Eddy Savoie is the personification of his achievements. He is involved in those areas where his presence is helpful, but does so in an inconspicuous manner. He gives of his time to the fundraising campaigns of various organizations, and even serves as chair for some of them, including the Source Bleue palliative care residence, the South Shore Alzheimer’sSociety, the Lung Association and numerous others. An exemplary father, Eddy Savoie successfully transmitted his values and dreams to his children and even grandchildren, who in turn became key members of the organization. His daughter Nataly, whose contribution is pivotal to Groupe Savoie’s activities, serves as the business’ President of operations. His son, Eddy Junior, holds the position of President, Construction. “[Translation] Our parents instilled values in us that even today provide us with the daily motivation we need to carry out our tasks, proclaim Nataly and Eddy Junior Savoie. And these values – compassion, respect for others and a focus on a job well done – are the engine that drives the company’s ongoing growth.”
Top-ranking private company in the seniors’ residences construction and management sector
Since its inception in 1988, Groupe Savoie has designed and created 14 residences for independent and semi-independent seniors in Québec as well as the CHSLD Saint-Lambert sur-le-Golf. “[Translation] Our most recent project, Résidences Soleil Manoir Brossard, sits on the banks of the St. Lawrence River in Brossard. The complex’s first phase is completed and already houses residents. Once finished, the residence will provide homes to nearly 1,000 people in their golden years. The residence’s apartments, which range from studios to 2-bedroom units, are splendid and offer a complete range of services; and because rental rates are extremely competitive, we can also welcome a number of low-income residents,” indicates Eddy Savoie, attesting to his desire to also provide for the less fortunate. Like the other Résidences Soleil residences, Manoir Brossard offers a comprehensive range of health and recreational services, not to mention enhanced security for residents. Résidences Soleil Manoir Brossard makes numerous amenities available to residents, among them an 18-hole mini-putt, two bowling lanes, an indoor swimming pool, a sauna, a therapeutic bath and a cinema.
Groupe Savoie embarked upon its latest project a mere few months ago with the acquisition of the Crowne Plaza Hotel, a property located in the heart of Montréal, near business and cultural activities of all types. This new complex will boast close to 500 apartments with all of the services offered by the Savoie family in an effort to meet the expectations of seniors.
Well-deserved accolades
For the past 12 years, Groupe Savoie has been among Canada’s Best Managed Companies and a member of the Platinum Club for four years running. Each year since 2003, moreover, the company has been the recipient of a Consumer Choice Award.
Eddy Savoie is proud of his achievements and of his support for those who played a role in molding today’s society. He is proud to watch the members of his family, who are an integral part of the organization, carry on his work, and is grateful to the company’s personnel, to whom his wife Carmelle and himself successfully transmitted their values.
A strong and successful business
Groupe Savoie Résidences Soleil is Canada’s largest family-owned private company in the seniors’ accommodations sector (including construction, operations and housing activities). Assets include 14 residences, one CHSLD (residential and long-term care centre), and close to 2,000 employees dedicated to providing services to some 7,000 residents. Quite the feat for a “local” family business to continually grow over a period of 25 successive years.
January / February 2014