Buddha with sunglasses.
This is the astonishing image that the Quebec company Nolk created by almost simultaneously acquiring the Montreal active leisure clothing brand Rose Buddha and the American eyewear company Revant Optics, from Portland, Oregon.
However, the two targets are located on opposite sides of the continent.
Launched in 2018 by a group of experienced entrepreneurs and specializing in supporting e-commerce, Nolk has brought together through acquisitions a portfolio of small, emerging companies that design and manufacture premium consumer products.
“Many brands have been created over the last decade with the so-called direct-to-consumer model,” explains Alexandre Renaud, co-founder and CEO of Nolk. “Me and my partners at the time talked to several of these entrepreneurs, and they are still having difficulties. It’s easy to start, but difficult to grow. We said to ourselves that we would create a portfolio of these different brands by selecting companies that could grow better in an ecosystem rather than alone. »
The concept is similar to the LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton group, he says, denying any other comparison with the luxury giant. The brands that Nolk brings together have in common an eco-responsible sensitivity.
“It’s still a rather overused term, but on each of our brands, the material, the product or the thinking behind the product must include an element of eco-responsibility. »
The company has set up a database called GeniusWire which “allows us to identify brands and contact them,” he explains.
This is how Nolk spotted and acquired Kana (cast iron kitchen utensils), Loctote (anti-theft bags), Freakmount (phone holders for motorcycles) and Opposite Wall (wall decoration).
Otherwise, suggestions come from his network and a few agents.
“We don’t run a company in difficulty,” he explains. Recovery is an expertise in itself. Generally, what we do is acceleration. »
Five and a half years after its creation, Nolk has assembled around fifteen brands in four divisions.
The company is “always on the market” for great opportunities that arise. “Rose Buddha and Revant Optics qualified. We started the process with them at the end of 2022.”
Rose Buddha’s hand had been – serenely – extended by the chairman of its board of directors, Dominic Gagnon. “He wrote to us to tell us that they were looking at other options for the future and the next growth,” relates Alexandre Renaud.
Founded in 2016 by entrepreneur, actress and yoga teacher Maxime Morin, Rose Buddha designs and manufactures yoga and leisure clothing from natural or recycled fibers, particularly from plastic bottles.
In all, “90% of the collection is assembled in Quebec,” specifies Alexandre Renaud. “Customer engagement is super strong. In the market, purchase or repeat rates between 60 and 70% are very efficient. »
The challenge – and this is where Nolk brings new life – will consist of spreading the scent of the virtues of Rose Buddha outside of Quebec. Because “80% of revenues are local sales,” he emphasizes. The rest is Canada. Very few in the United States.”
Based in Seattle, Oregon, Revant Optics manufactures replacement lenses for sunglasses, allowing consumers to keep their expensive frames.
This repairability “is part of our mission”, affirms Alexandre Renaud. “They make and cut all the lentils in Portland. We also internalize production in North America. »
How did an eyewear maker from Oregon catch Nolk’s eye? The wink was launched by one of his agents located in Portland.
Alexandre Renaud went there to meet the president of Revant, Jason Bolt. We suppose that one or two hooked atoms then stick together, that intuition launches some signals of complicity.
“Intuition is a form of measurement, but it is unconscious,” he answers. There is a calculation behind it. And each person has their own equation. »
Alexandre Renaud’s French-speaking equation has found a resolution.
The president of Revant “decided to come with us precisely because of our vision, our philosophy, our somewhat left-field or Gallic village approach,” he expresses.
Jason Bolt doesn’t speak French, but his wife is French.
“He’s turned on to social issues. He worked for the Obama campaign in 2008. All of that meant he was super receptive to our way of working and presenting ourselves. He told us that of all the interested groups, we were the most consistent in the process. »
Like several other brands in the group, Revant Optics and Rose Buddha are retaining their identity and their team. Their presidents Jason Bolt and Maxime Morin remain at their head.
“For us, it’s ideal when the founder wants to join the group and wants to continue to participate in the growth,” comments the CEO of Nolk.
Main work in culture, but does so discreetly. The small Montreal strategy and design office received the mandate to completely redo the brand image and web experience of the Gund Gallery at Kenyon College, in Ohio. From now on, the institution is simply called THE GUND, in a sober typography in capital letters, created especially for the occasion. What is the connection between Montreal and the town of Gambier, 160 km southwest of Cleveland? The Kenyon College museum has been directed since 2021 by Daisy Desrosiers, who studied at the University of Montreal and UQAM. The new chief curator had the mandate to revitalize the august institution. Hence his call to Principal. “We didn’t want to make an imposing or imperial logo,” comments Bryan K. Lamonde, creative director and co-founder of Principal. “It’s a signature that is lasting. It is neutral enough to evolve over time and leave room for works and content. » With a dozen creators, Principal works mainly with cultural organizations and large institutions. “Our hobby horse is brand images that last,” he says. But Principal doesn’t just do art. Mandated by the Canadian agency Hulse
Please note that Prinoth is expanding. The Granby company, formed from Bombardier’s former maintenance vehicle division, announced an investment of $25 million to increase the size of its factory from 120,000 ft2 to 200,000 ft2 ( 11,150 m2 to 18,580 m2) – a substantial increase of 66%. Work is underway and is expected to be completed in November 2024. The Granby plant assembles the Panther family of tracked utility vehicles, the Bison ski slope grooming vehicle and the SW50 sidewalk snow clearing snowcat. It employs almost 300 people. The expansion aims to increase production to support the continued growth of its markets. It should lead to the creation of around thirty new positions. Prinoth is part of the HTI (High Technology Industries) group, Sterzing, Italy.
Exciting news that shows that Pyrowave is on the right path. European packaging giant Knauf Industries and tire manufacturer Michelin have produced batches of finished products using styrene made entirely from plastic waste recycled in Canada by Pyrowave technology, rather than virgin styrene made from hydrocarbons . Knauf Industries was able to manufacture expanded polystyrene parts using 100% recycled styrene. For its part, Michelin produced at its factory in Bassens, France, a prototype batch of four tonnes of styrene-butadiene synthetic rubber, the styrene of which had been entirely produced with Pyrowave recycling technology. In both cases, the tests carried out on the elastomers thus obtained demonstrated that they had properties identical to elastomers made from virgin materials from fossil sources. These are significant steps for Pyrowave, which demonstrates that the styrene produced with its technology retains its properties in manufacturing processes sensitive to contamination. The Quebec company has developed an entirely electric technology to depolymerize used polystyrene by microwave, in order to produce a pure styrene monomer identical to virgin styrene.
Six Flags, the American amusement park company, has entrusted the Montreal company Connect
