Are you more radio, Briado or Music?
In the morning, I mainly listen to the radio spoken and the news. In the afternoon, when I am by car, I speak on the phone almost all the time, to get news from my colleagues, my parents or people with whom I don’t have time to exchange a lot.
How long do you take for dinner at work?
Unless I have a business dinner or I am with colleagues, I dine while working. It’s not something that bothers me.
What advice would you give to a younger version of you?
Never burns bridges. Sometimes you can like a person less or prefer others, but burn bridges gives nothing. After several years, you can meet people and appreciate who they have become. Also, life is full of ups and downs, and it is in difficult times that we see where the real winners are. You shouldn’t be afraid of difficult times.
What is one of your best qualities?
We are a big team, my brothers and I cannot manage everything ourselves, so we have to trust people. This is one of my qualities: I trust people automatically when I meet them, and I have the capacity in a few minutes to get a good idea of whom they are.
And in contrast, a defect?
I am not the most organized person in the world, my wife could tell you about it on this! I need tools, people and help around me so that I do not scatter.
For you, what is a good boss?
He is someone who is able to go get the best of people, to have confidence in his world and to give the tools necessary for success. Everyone is different: some need a lot of face -to -face attention, others need a call, a text, some need to be answered quickly … so it is to be able to give what each person needs. While remaining healthy, because it can be complicated, sometimes!
What book or what film are you used to recommending?
I have three young children at home, and for me, a good film, it is one that we are able to listen to all together. I said to the joke a few years ago that my favorite show was PAT’PAROUILLEand it was still true, because it is not often my choices of movies to me that we will decide to listen. But a series that I liked a lot, is Yellowstonealmost the only one that I have listened to in full in the last 10 years.
What was your best investment?
Investing in competent employees and their training is really something that is very precious. Do not be afraid to hire the key person in a role, the best, even if it costs a little more than what you would have liked. My brothers and I spent a lot of money at a very young age to bring people competent here into areas that we knew less, and listen to their opinions. It was really the start of our success.
Who was an important mentor in your career?
It is certain that our father had a great influence on us, we have a very special family relationship. I spent the end of the weekend fishing with my father and my two sons, just us, no friends, and it’s often like that. On the entrepreneurial side, he helped us a lot to develop our instinct, and he taught us several things about our job. But on the business level, there is a coach called Jocelyn Rioux who really gave me a boost in the last 10 or 11 years. We were never afraid to pay for coaching or take the time to do so.
For you, what is ideal retirement?
My parents are snowbirds and spend winter in Florida, and I saw how they liked it and the network they got there. It was all the time I wanted, with my wife. It is certain that at the moment, Florida, it is not the most tempting with what is happening south of the border-I have not yet readjusted my dreams, maybe I will choose another destination, but it would be something similar. And spend the summer here, go fishing often.
Who is Matthew Atwill-Morin?
The Atwill-Morin group is a construction company whose head office is in Montreal, which specializes in the repair of buildings and structures. She also has offices in Toronto, Quebec, Gatineau and Halifax. A 40-year-old Matthew Atwill-Morin took over from his father, Dave, as he was in his twenties, and has increased Atwill-Morin, who employs more than 1,000 people and whose turnover exceeds 200 million.
