“ Congratulations to Richard and Eric on 25 years and still going strong . They , like many of us , put all of themselves into their business and it shows , leading an incredibly positive company that values loyalty , passion , and great morals . Great people and solid relationships are what make the music community the best place to work and Richard and Eric embrace that every day by treating all of us like family .”
- Ryan Schroeyens , Owner , The PA Shop & London Guitars
but only worked for about a year when , because of the economic downturn at the time , he was let go . “ It was a very sad day ,” Eric recalls . But with business having picked back up , Richard and Eric reached out to Boiteau in 2014 to see if he ’ d consider rejoining the company .
He was initially welcomed back into the fold as the Quebec sales rep . “ He did a great job . We worked very well together , and he showed a lot of drive and willingness to go beyond the call of duty and to get more and more involved in the company . We saw a spark in him , so we decided that we would give him the opportunity to migrate to sales manager and he ’ s been doing a phenomenal job ,” Eric explains . “ He ’ s a great fit in here and he ’ s a great team leader , too . He works very closely with the reps and he does a great , great job . I couldn ’ t be happier . I see Louis building this with me as my father plans his retirement . I hope to have Louis , and I ’ m pretty sure I will , because we have very comparable ambitions and I hope to have him with me in the long run and to eventually have him as my right-hand man as we grow beyond where we are now .”
“ ADI was a second family for me ,” Boiteau adds . “ When I left ADI in 2004 , I knew that I would come back one day . After 10 years working for other distributors and having owned two businesses , I came back to ADI because I
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• Palmer Musical Instruments was convinced that my experience would help move the company forward . I have been back at ADI for four years now and every day I could not be happier . I must admit that I am lucky because I ’ m surrounded by a great team , both internally and by my representatives on the road , and the success of the company is a team effort .”
Even has ADI grows , it still has to contend with a very competitive audio and MI distribution industry , and do so with with some of the country ' s biggest MI and pro audio distributors within a relatively small radius of their Boucherville , QC offices . But Richard and Eric say being a medium-sized company has its advantages . “ Given our size , we have a clear view of all aspects of our business and every aspect of our business is given proper attention and care . We are very adaptable and able to fully implement changes very rapidly ,” says Richard . “ We are highly focussed on the brands we are entrusted with . We are also able to provide a level of personal attention that would be very difficult to achieve with much larger companies . Because of this , and because we all work very closely together and with our suppliers , our policies flow smoothly to the front lines because we are unhindered by multiple levels of leadership .”
“ Every time I see one of our products in use , I smile and point like a kid ,” says Richard . At heart , he ’ s still like a kid , enthralled by the magic and beauty of music . He ’ s spent his adult life getting to play with the toys of his passion and share them with friends and family who share that enthusiasm , and he ’ s done it on his own terms . “ I ’ m still here because I ’ m having fun and because when I get up in the morning , I don ’ t come to work , I come to play . I ’ m just that kind of person . I ’ m very passionate about this business that I ’ m in and I essentially created something for myself , corporately speaking . I ’ ve never worked for anybody else in my life . I ’ ve just always been a very independent person and very independently minded , if you want , and driven and motivated .”
And though Richard is in no rush to leave , the succession plans are in place for Eric to take over ADI in the next few years . Leaving it in his son ’ s hands , Richard has no worries about the company he has put his heart into for the past 25 years . “ He ’ s my pride and joy ,” Richard says of his son . “ I ’ ve let him grow within the company and he ’ s really just taken the bull by the horns and he sees his future bright and glowing .”
And as we wrap up our conversation , Richard says one last thing that perfectly summarizes ADI ; “ I just created a company that was a reflection of what I wanted to do in life and enjoy it . I ’ ve made that possible for myself and my family to grow and live with it .”
May it keep going for another 25 years and beyond .
RICHARD LASNIER ( MIDDLE ) WITH RODE ’ S PETER FREEDMAN & COLIN HILL IN 2004
Michael Raine is the Senior Editor of Canadian Music Trade .
CANADIAN MUSIC TRADE • 27