ASDR pushes the boundaries of innovation. Nothing is beyond the reach of this group of passionate visionaries who refuse to fail and believe in the impossible!

Stephen Authier, president and co-owner of the ASDR Group, begins his career in the field of engineering. He works there for more than 20 years. During this time, he sees all the benefits of collaboration between engineers and manufacturers.

Collaboration

 We would be more agile and efficient in delivering projects and our cost and schedule estimates would be more accurate. 

A seasoned manager, he is convinced that he can reinvent standards by offering turnkey services to mining companies.

This is how the ASDR project comes to be.

Diversification

The adventure begins in 2006 with the purchase of a production workshop. Stephen teams up with his brother, who takes over responsibility for the workshop.

At first, ASDR manufactures four products: ore chutes, safety bumpers, ventilation doors and buckets.

 Obviously, in order to grow we had to diversify production and hire an experienced team. And that’s what we did. 

In the second year, the company grows from 4 to 15 employees. 

There is a solution; we just need to look for it, recognize it and find the best way to implement it.

Stephen likes to say that ASDR is a creature with multiple tentacles that does things differently. The shareholders have a solid plan for growth that has been enhanced by the many business opportunities coming their way.

“A company like ASDR is not built on instincts alone. We have implemented agile strategic planning that adapts to the changes transforming the industry.”

Over the years, Stephen and his team build the services they need to complete projects around the small workshop.  “And the future still holds great surprises for our clients.”

Aiming high and learning fast

Surpassing oneself is a real driver for growth at ASDR.

We have grown by taking on great challenges. We have learned a lot from these projects. And the beauty of it is that we are still learning a little bit more every day. 

To this day, the same modus operandi is apparent. Stephen makes deals. He then sits down with his team to find solutions to problems and create the tools they need to solve them.

“When we started out, we signed a contract to service heavy truck bodies without even having the right workshop to do the work. Thanks to this project, we have built the largest industrial paint shop in northern Quebec. The same goes for water treatment. We were learning and developing our services as we went along. Marc worked long hours in a laboratory to understand chemistry and polymerisation!”

At ASDR we are used to suffering a lot because of our temerity! We are pulling our hair out during the project, but afterwards we are better for it. And ready for another challenge!

Stephen and his administrative team are vigilant in managing the company’s finances. This allows the entrepreneur to look forward to a bright future. However, he is aware of the challenges which lie ahead in the coming years.

Continuing to manage growth

For the entrepreneur, the biggest challenge remains managing growth. “I often compare ASDR to a teenager. We have grown fast. Our arms are still too long for our body, but we are stabilizing.”  

It takes time for him to realize the importance of surrounding himself with specialists. “In our minds, we think that if we perform a task or a project, anybody can do it. Stubbornly trying to do everything ourselves has hindered the growth of the company. Over time, we have come to realize the value of having the right people in the right places. Specialists make us better.”

The company’s expansion creates a certain imbalance. “We realized that we could not run an organization of 60 employees the same way we would a company of 300. It takes processes, structure and people with very clear responsibilities.”

The restructuring is well underway when Stephen and his team put the right people in the right places and develop new management tools.

“Before, we used to make decisions for 2 or 3 million dollars in the hallway. Now, we have created committees so that it’s not a single person making decisions. The challenge for us is to get used to working with our committees, to let them do the analysis before deciding.”

We need to surround ourselves with professionals and specialists in their field to become better in ours.

Tackling the communication challenge

Stephen and his management team are sometimes caught off guard by the rapid growth of the company. “We’re always one or two steps behind. So, it’s difficult to communicate the progress of ASDR. We don’t write our story as we go along. We act and move on to the next project, the next challenge, neglecting to transfer knowledge.”

People of action, they are however conscious of the importance of making ASDR shine and of sharing successful stories to inspire employees.

“As soon as one project ends, another begins. We give each other a little pat on the back, but we do not necessarily take the time to sit down, take stock and properly evaluate our actions. Even less so to communicate them adequately! Our attention is already focused on the next opportunity.”

 We have very high expectations of ourselves and the team.  

The managers admit that you have to be tough to work at ASDR.

Our 365 employees are exceptional; they are people who are very flexible and open to change.  

Nothing is permanent at ASDR. You have to love challenges and be able to live in the unknown.

If they are demanding of themselves, they are equally demanding of their employees.

“In essence, we are warriors, passionate people and relentless developers. We are constantly challenging our team to realize new projects or design a new technology. Jumping in the unknown with both feet gives us wings!”

The self-taught visionary

Stephen Authier
President & CEO

Stephen studied business administration technnology. He quickly realized that producing paychecks was not his cup of tea! He returned on the school banks to complete a course in industrial design.

After his studies, he worked in the mining industry at Agnico Eagle and Aur. Identifying deficiencies in project engineering, he founds his own firm with a colleague. “We had no experience, but within a few years, we became the reference in the industry. This reputation enabled us to sell our firm to a major engineering firm and to be their gateway to the mining companies.”

Stephen is a natural entrepreneur. From an early age, he sniffs out and seizes the opportunities that come his way. He is best known for his innovative ideas, which enable him to solve his clients’ problems.

“I am a self-taught daredevil who built his career on books and on a series of trials and errors.”

The éminence grise

Philippe Authier
Vice-President, Industrial Services and Manufacturing

Employed by a mining company, Philippe joined his brother at ASDR as soon as it opened. With almost 25 years of supervisory experience, he was and still is the company’s number one employee. 

Philippe is a man of few words, but his opinion carries a lot of weight. An influential advisor, his knowledge of the mining sector is respected by all his colleagues.

“At ASDR, I am the good father of the family. A competent second-in-command who wants things to work 100%!”

Problem-solving mode

The developer

Marc Turcotte
Vice-President, Water Treatment

Before joining the ASDR team, Marc ran one of the largest agricultural businesses in Abitibi-Témiscamingue. He is responsible for the growth of ASDR Environment.

He climbed the ladder one step at a time. But not without challenges! “I remember June 1st, 2008 very well. I was standing in the Malartic plant and I was thinking: what have I done?”

Marc learned his trade in the field… and in laboratories, where he familiarized himself with chemical compounds. This trained firefighter knows how to put out fires and solve the problems that inevitably arise on sites.

“We often say to ourselves that, had we been engineers, ASDR would not exist, because the risks we took were not calculated at the level of an engineer’s calculations!”

The analyst

Dan Misiano
Director of Operations, Water Treatment Division

Dan launched his career in sales. Recruited by Marc’s team, he left the metropole to return home. It was a fairly drastic change of life that he does not regret.

When he joined ASDR, the company only had six employees. Curious and motivated by an unquenchable thirst for learning, Dan dabbled in everything. “I started working directly on site, which gave me an understanding of the construction and operation of a water treatment plant.”

Just as passionate as his colleagues, Dan had an analytical and methodical mind that added some structure to the organization. A quality that enabled him to rise through the ranks fairly quickly within the company.

“There is no such thing as failure. There is always a solution to a problem. This is the way of thinking and doing that we pass on to the team.”