About

Now Gérald, along with his sons runs Appareils Provencher Appliances, a busy depot picking up used goods refurbishing the good stuff or tearing down and recycling the losers. Ever the academic, he has spent years perfecting a business model that works and that his customers appreciate. Every other day he adds a few more lines to the book of instructions that he will pass on to his sons. It is the kind of basic business instruction that only years of experience could relate. A few examples, “Don’t ever buy anything that you can’t understand” – “Stand by your guarantee” “Look after your customer.” “Be prepared to negotiate”

With instructions like that and with most customers coming from referral, one might think APA could be bigger. Although it started with a 400 sq ft garage and now has reached 25,000 sq ft, yes they would like to get bigger. Unfortunately the back room repair shop, storage areas, winding aisles of antiques, deals and discounts is already using all the space and they can’t expand any more at this location.

APA has a great central St Boniface site. It is a landmark in the green building at the corner of Goulet and DesMeurons. APA does a good job on service but almost all its clientele comes from referral. Can you say that of most major retailers who have to constantly advertise to replace those they have alienated? Consistent growth means that Gérald now works with over a dozen employees including his two sons and together they annually process over 3,000,000 pounds of waste appliances avoiding the landfill completely.