Réal Plourde

"Facing the several dozen people present, he began to speak. He thanked the employees for their continued efforts. Then he went on to deliver a prediction that left his audience stunned. Their company, he told them, would become the largest convenience store chain in Quebec. “The other partners and I just stared at each other,” says D’Amours. “We definitely had a long way to go to catch up with Provi-Soir, which had 200 stores, or Perrette, which had 125. We only had 12!” Fortin was also in shock. “Bouchard hadn’t told us about his announcement beforehand. Réal Plourde and I agreed that it was a very nice goal—but could we actually achieve it?”"

"This type of exercise was nothing new for the Couche-Tard team—although they were used to a more modest scale. They had become experts in their unique choreography: Jacques D’Amours handled leases and distribution, Richard Fortin examined the financial records and debts, Réal Plourde analyzed human resources and the operational structure, and Alain Bouchard looked at real estate and the global business plan. Each team member was important, each had his own strengths. It was a given that no decision of that scale could be taken unless they all agreed."

"When the presentation was over, all the interested groups were granted access to a room containing all the company’s data: contracts, leases, financial results, accounts, employee records, technical assessments. Each potential buyer had two days to dig into the massive amount of information. Réal Plourde remembers a funny scene at the marathon. “The seller was pretty impressed to see the founders of Couche-Tard with our noses in the books, while the other groups had sent lawyers and accountants.”"