COGECO inducted into the Panthéon des entreprises québécoises, an initiative of the Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec
NEWS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CNW CODE 01 – ALL MEDIA
COGECO inducted into the Panthéon des entreprises québécoises,
an initiative of the Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec
Montréal, April 13, 2012 – With more than 850 business communit y representatives in attendance at
the gala crowning the annual Mercuriades competition, COGECO was inducted last evening into the
Panthéon des entreprises québécoises. Created in 2009 to coincide with the centennial of the
Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec (FCCQ), this hall of fame pays tribute to Québec’s
leading businesses, celebrating their histories and visions for the future.
The President and CEO of COGECO and Cogeco Cable, Louis Audet, joined by members of the
second generation of the Audet family, accepted the award from 2012 Mercuriades Gala Honorary
Chair Monique F. Leroux, who is also President and CEO of Desjardins Group, one of the earliest
companies inducted into the Panthéon.
“The Mercuriades Gala is the ideal opportunity to acknowledge, in a most special fashion, the
achievements of companies that, like COGECO, have helped to build the Québec of today,” said
Françoise Bertrand, CEO of the FCCQ. “We are exceedingly proud to welcome COGECO into the
Panthéon des entreprises québécoises and to underscore the contributions of this family of
visionaries, who are an ins piration to entrepreneurs and c ompanies everywhere that seek to s cale the
loftiest summits of business success.”
For his part, Mr. Audet remarked: “On behalf of the entire Audet family, I accept this prestigious
distinction bestowed on us by the Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec. We are
delighted to share it with all of our board members and employees who have played a part in the
company’s constant growth over the past half-century and more. COGECO is truly honoured to be in
the select company of Québec’s greatest corporations.”
About the Panthéon des entreprises québécoises
Created in 2009 to mark the 100th anniversary of the FCCQ, the Panthéon des entreprises
québécoises is to Québec’s great entrepreneurs as the Hockey Hall of Fame is to the greatest players
in the history of that sport. Thus far, 29 Québec companies have been inducted into the Panthéon, in
recognition of the way they have shaped Québec’s economic landscape by consistently performing
among the very best, and of their contributions to Québec’s influence across Canada and
internationally.
To be inducted into the Panthéon, a company must have an impressive track record. It must be a
private enterprise, a co-operative or a p ublic, for-profit company that controls its investments, financing
and development. It must have its principal place of business in Québec, or be an enterprise founded
in Québec that has maintained significant operations in Québec since its founding. It must employ at
least 1,000 people and have sales in excess of $1 billion. It must, of course, still be business, and it
must have had sustained growth for at least the past 30 years. To find out more about the Panthéon
des entreprises québécoises, visit www.lepantheon.ca
.
…/2
About COGECO
COGECO Inc., founded in 1957, is a diversified communications company with shares listed on the
Toronto Stock Exchange (“TSX”), under the ticker symbol CGO. The Company strives to meet the
communications needs of consumers and advertisers through cable distribution and radio
broadcasting. Cogeco Cable Inc., its cable subsidiary, relies on its cable distribution base to offer
Analogue and Digital Television, High-Speed Internet and Telephony services. Through its subsidiary
Cogeco Diffusion, COGECO owns and operates 13 radio stations across most of Québec with
complementary radio formats serving a wide range of audiences, as well as Cogeco News, its news
agency. Cogeco Diffusion also operates Métromédia, an advertising representation house specializing
in the public transit sector that holds exclusive advertising rights in Québec, where it also represents
its business partners active across other C anadian markets.
About the FCCQ
Representing more than 150 chambers of commerce, the Fédération des chambres de commerce du
Québec (FCCQ) is the largest network of businesspeople and businesses in Québec. Founded in
1909, the FCCQ today represents more than 60,000 businesses and 150,000 businesspeople
involved i n all sectors of the ec onomy, througho ut Québec.
-30-
Information:
Marilyne Laroche-Corbeil
Co-ordinator, Corporate Events and Special Projects
Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec
Tel.: 514 844-9571, ext . 3241