Blainville

"There was no longer any margin left for Bouchard to become a more important player at Provi-Soir, so he decided to leave. He did so on good terms, however, offering to buy a second Provi-Soir franchise,[[13]](private://read/01j5mtjqkzkqnzrmf5b4rr6pr2/#notes13) whose construction was almost finished, in Blainville, north of Montreal. At management’s request, he agreed to stay on in his position until they could find a replacement. He expected it would take them a few months. It ended up taking more than a year, and not one but three successors were hired: a development supervisor, a construction supervisor and a maintenance supervisor. He still can’t believe the implication. “Like an idiot, I was doing all that work by myself,” he says—an amount of work that resulted in personal sacrifice and sometimes resulted in a less than perfect work quality."

"Boussac controls 93.39% of the Comptoir de l’industrie cotonnière and its 40 manufacturing subsidiaries; he holds 95% of the capital of Manufactures de Senones with their 30 subsidiaries, which are more focused on real estate and property. In contrast to a simple commercial structure — the C.I.C.-fabric department, the garment “subsidiaries” (Rousseau, Blainville, Tremblot-Matheron) and “Romanex” and “Jalla” — the legal maze of the 70 companies resembles a termite mound. Through its corridors and shafts transit accounting elements and a lot of money. The tax inspectors who were ordered to venture there have always admitted they got lost there {{id_0000}}{{id_00001}} And with them, the administrative attempts at “adjustments”! Starting in 1954, Boussac pushed concentration of decision-making to the maximum by removing the financial autonomy from all subsidiaries. Their liquid assets are “deposited” to the C.I.C. Alone at the top, Marcel Boussac sets and knows the costs and sale prices: “The balance sheets,” he said, “are for the bankers, the operating accounts are for the accountants, the cash flow is for the business leader!” And to call his chief accountant: “Make me a kitchen account: what’s in my cash drawer?”⁠"