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The CEO's Column: Local Businesses in Global Media (October 2022)

Children are back in schools, and fall has officially returned, with all of its seasonal events and activities. First of all, I would like to congratulate Omy Laboratoires, Nexapp, PetalMD as well as all the other businesses from Québec City that have made the Globe and Mail list of Canada’s top growing companies.

Other organizations in Québec City have also made a good impression outside the province. Here are some of the business news from the past few weeks. 

GARAGA

Established in the Beauce region, Garaga specializes in designing and making garage doors. The company recently announced the acquisition of a second manufacturing facility in Bemidji, Minnesota, in the United States. By acquiring North Central Door, Garaga is also gaining a distribution network of over 150 points of sales across several states. In addition to continuing its growth outside Quebec, the company is also planning on increasing the size of its Saint-Georges head office by 50%.

United States : https://www.journaldequebec.com/2022/09/08/garaga-poursuit-son-expansion-aux-etats-unis 

OVA

In September, the virtual reality company OVA, which had already entered an $8 million contract with the Canadian Armed Forces, announced that they had been approached by the US Air Force. The Québec City startup is currently working with the Royal Canadian Navy to create a campus in the metaverse, which will allow for significant cost savings for training sailors. We can already see the enormous potential of OVA’s technology and I, for one, am excited to see what will come of these projects!

United States : https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2022/09/07/une-entreprise-dici-seduit-larmee-americaine 


OPSENS

September was quite a month for OpSens, a medical device cardiology-focused company OpSens. After receiving clearance from the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for the SavvyWire, its new guidewire for transcatheter aortic valve replacement procedures, the Québec City company announced the first use of its technology in the United States. OpSens is now planning a controlled launch in a limited number of US hospitals by the end of 2022, before a widespread launch in the beginning of 2023.

Canada / United States : https://www.theglobeandmail.com/investing/markets/stocks/OPS-T/pressreleases/10361998/opsens-announces-first-savvywire-procedure-in-the-united-states-by-dr-philippe-genereux-of-morristown-medical-center/ 

EXFO

EXFO, a Québec City business that develops test, monitoring & analytics solutions for the global communications industry, was selected by Gigaclear, the UK’s largest rural full-fibre broadband provider, to support its expansion plans. EXFO’s technology will help Gigaclear substantially reduce network deployment and turn-up time.

United Kingdom :  https://www.lightwaveonline.com/test/network-test/article/14282640/uks-gigaclear-using-exfo-for-rural-ftth-fiber-monitoring 

Congratulations to all these businesses that are making the greater Québec City region shine throughout the world. I am very happy to see them contribute so brilliantly to Québec City’s global recognition, and they can count on Québec International to support their growth.

Please continue to share stories of local businesses that made the news abroad at info@quebecinternational.ca. I would be happy to share the news in my future articles.

I wish you a beautiful fall season!

Carl Viel
President and CEO, Québec International