NEWS PHOTO COLLIN GALLANT Luc Beriault, the founder of PLC rectruiting and ActionCoach business consulting, has announced plans to expand the Medicine Hat firm to 50 locations in the United States starting in 2020.
cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant
Luc Beriault says he spent the first 15 years of his business “trying to figure it out.”
After that, the head of Hat-based recruitment firm Positive Life Concepts spent four planning to expand, and now, will open offices in the United States and Eastern Canada.
Beriault told the News on Tuesday that pending final negotiations this week, his company will embark on opening 50 offices in select states then examine the potential for global in partnership with American-based business coach Brad Sugars.
“The goal is 50 locations in six years and then 300 globally,” said Beriault, who said that while expanding the network was always his dream, relative slowdown in Western Canada is keying his interest in other markets.
“We’ll always be a Western Canadian company … this is an expansion and the head office will always be in Medicine Hat.”
The local office, situated in 640 Professional Centre on Third Street downtown, currently employs eight administrators, and offers a suite of services for business. That includes placement and recruitment, but also coaching for employees and executives, and general consultation services.
Beriault offers Sugars’ ActionCoach program to companies, and the new partnership see it blended with PLC’s recruitment activities to create a suite of services at the U.S. locations.
From Medicine Hat, PLC already helps operate franchised offices in Lethbridge, Regina and Edmonton, which service Calgary as well.
U.S. locations will be licensed in initial jurisdictions in Nevada, Texas, Pennsylvania and Delaware.
The goal is to open 10 to 15 offices in those four states within 18 months, then another 35 to 40 over the next several years while expanding to other states as opportunities develop.
Those were selected after examining localized labour markets and potential, as well as the openness to Canadian companies and continental trade.
At the same time, Beriault is examining options for locations in Eastern Canada.
Business author and consultant Sugars operates in 70 counties servicing 15,000 businesses, according to his website, and provides ground-level knowledge about operating in the U.S.
“We’ve been in the U.S. for years, and we know the construction sector, and oil and gas as well,” said Beriault, adding that 50 different states have 50 different sets of regulations.
The recruitment services involves direct hires and permanent placements, plus contract and project workers as well as temporary help. That includes finding local workers for major construction companies that execute major projects, tech support, as well as professionals, matching hard-to-find skillsets, and advising companies and job seekers about retraining and upgrading.
Beriault says that economic booms see hiring improve, while recessions force companies to evaluate their operations, costs and productivity.
“The good thing about what we do is that we’re either busy or extremely busy,” said “When things aren’t so busy, that’s a good time to evaluate what’s happening at a company … No company anywhere can succeed without good people.”
