We recognize the contribution of three pioneering entrepreneurial families in our communities at the Gala of the Pioneers of Francophone Entrepreneurship in Manitoba. This event will highlight the pronounced link between economic success and a strong community, as well as the importance of the intergenerational knowledge transfer for the economic development of Manitoba’s bilingual municipalities.

The three families being recognized at the Gala are:
André Collet and Gilles Collet
The Albani Gallant family
The Rose and Emery Mulaire family

In 1986, brothers André Collet and Gilles Collet started up a gravel business that now employs 35 local people. In 1990, they also took over West-End Tire, which today has more than 100 employees and three offices, including one in Alberta and another in Ontario.

In 1923, the Albani Gallant family purchased a business in Letellier and turned it into a grocery store that is still in the Gallant family today, 87 years later. The family business is now the distributor for the Del’s brand, featuring renowned specialty Manitoba meat and food products.

The Rose and Emery Mulaire family has produced four generations of entrepreneurs. The couple’s four sons, Guy, Eugène, Gilles and René, followed in their father Emery’s footsteps by taking over the St. Pierre-Jolys grocery store; they also built the area’s first pharmacy and have started up businesses in Somerset, St. Lazare and St. Boniface.

We are pleased to pay tribute to the hard work, determination and achievement of these three pioneering families from the francophone business community. The Manitoba Gala of Francophone Entrepreneurship Pioneers will be held on Friday, May 28 at the Canad Inns on Regent Avenue West. Tickets are now on sale at 233-ALLÔ ($75 each).