Team
A shipyard of proud and committed people
We’re a tight-knit crew. Team spirit and collaboration guide our every action. We’re more than a team: we’re a family of highly driven people who all want to accomplish great things. Our goal is to deliver you a custom-made ship, working with you every step of the way to make sure it’s exactly what you need.
We know we can count on our veteran employees with remarkable knowledge and skills. We also have ambitious and determined young people, full of fresh ideas, in our ranks. All our staff members have the skills and abilities to carry out your project efficiently and with care.
At Chantier Naval Forillon, you will be supported by a competent team that is proud to deliver custom-made, high-tech, and trustworthy vessels of exceptional quality!
Captains on board
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Jean-David Samuel President and CEO
Jean-David thrives on the challenges that arise daily at a shipyard. With his protective side and his sense of humour, he knows how to motivate his team to keep them on track and make the Forillon Shipyard the leader in shipbuilding.
After returning to the Gaspé Peninsula in 2008, Jean-David joined the shipyard as a naval architecture technician and project manager. His initial interest in ferry construction projects soon turned into a greater desire to revolutionize the marine industry—a goal he was able to pursue by becoming Director of Operations in 2013, General Manager in 2015, and President and CEO in 2018.
Even today, his vision for the future is clear. “I want the Forillon Shipyard to be a front-runner in promoting the world of shipbuilding in Quebec, and for the province to be recognized as a leader thanks to our local businesses.”
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Jean-Nil Poirier-Morissette Technical manager
Jean-Nil, our Technical Manager, has been a co-shareholder of Forillon Shipyard since 2018. For this naval architecture technician, the shipyard crew is like a second family. Jean-Nil is delighted to have had the chance to join the team in 2013, and his passion has only grown since.
He enjoys doing concrete tasks and joining the collective effort to build the best-equipped ships in Quebec (not to mention boosting morale among his colleagues). Like all his peers, the amazing atmosphere is, for him, reason enough to aspire to a long career at the Forillon Shipyard.
“I’m really passionate about my work and when a ship takes shape, I get very excited. I’d still like to see so many other vessels be built, including the fishing boats of the future—high-tech boats that will become the standard in the marine industry.”
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Jean-Daniel Minville Operations manager
Jean-Daniel, who started as an engineer in automated production, hadn’t planned to make a career in the marine industry. However, working at the Forillon Shipyard as a student sparked a keen interest in him; an interest that’s still present (and growing) today.
As Operations Manager since 2018, he expects nothing but the best when it comes to the ships and, more than anything, loves going the extra mile every day. Building multiple types of vessels and equipping them with different technologies are equally thrilling to him.
In his role as a shareholder, a source of pride and motivation, he hopes to continue fostering the varied expertise that makes Forillon Shipyard an industry leader. “My goal is to increase our production while keeping our friendly spirit, and to help write the next chapter of this exceptional shipyard.”
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Frédéric Demers Human resources manager
Frédéric studied business administration, but ended up preferring “administrating” people. Now Human Resources Manager at Forillon Shipyard, his approach towards the team is one of humanity, openness, and nuance.
For Frédéric, sound human resources management is an art form, one that involves supporting others and helping them improve. Beyond his love of ships, working with a united group of people with diverse skillsets really floats his boat.
The shipyard has a reputation as a “sexy” employer (reach out to him to hear the whole story) and Frédéric works hard to keep that up. “Everyone agrees that we’re a company that takes care of its employees—an inspiring company with a great atmosphere. I want to spread the word!”
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Pierre-Émile Côté Project manager
Pierre-Émile is a respectful and cheerful project manager who’s always on the lookout for solutions. If you want to discuss a new project, he’s your man. He’s also part of the team that makes sure projects move along swiftly and (fortunately) that budgets are respected. They also keep clients up to speed on production stages.
He first accepted this position with the company so he could work alongside his family, but it didn’t take long for his duties and his colleagues’ involvement to light a fire in him! Pierre-Émile is good at using his imagination to come up with projects that are out of the ordinary and, as a shareholder, he dreams of working on even more of them.
“Quality is crucial to me and to the entire Forillon Shipyard team. I’m dreaming about bringing on more and more technological equipment and infrastructure, because the future will come faster than we think! I want to be able to serve all the customers who put their trust in us!”