Vincent Lavoie, the entrepreneur who brought a church back to life

"I've always had this fire within me. Ever since I was young, I had this need to create, to build something with my hands. As a teenager, I gave music lessons, then I started my first business in car detailing. After that, real estate attracted me: I bought, I managed, I resold. But in the end, I was looking for a project that would really excite me, something bigger, more creative," says the man who was working at CIDAL when he was thinking about this career change. Transforming a church

Looking for a full-time project, Vincent became interested in churches. "They're often well-located, they have a strong history, but they remain untapped. Why isn't anyone taking advantage of this potential?" When he heard that the small church in Isle-Maligne might be for sale, he jumped at the chance. "I didn't necessarily want to open a restaurant, but once I had the place, I had to think about the best way to exploit it."

At 22, he became the owner. "Five days after the purchase, we opened the dairy, without changing anything inside. The idea was to start bringing in money right away and prove that we were capable of carrying out this project."

Little by little, the Saint-Crème took shape. "The church is strategically located, close to the Véloroute and snowmobile trails in winter, but there was no restaurant in the area. We built it one after the other: first the dairy, then the hotel-relais, and finally the restaurant. Today, we have three very distinct divisions."

Unwavering determination

“It was a risky project. When I presented my financial plan, my banker thought it was unconventional. He warned me about the challenges. But I knew where I wanted to go.”

Unable to immediately find financial support, he approached Jean-Denis Toupin of Proco, an entrepreneur involved in the cycling world. “I didn’t know him personally, but I knew he had a vision. He believed in me, and thanks to him, other investors, like Desjardins, Investissement Québec, and the Ministry of Culture, followed. I don’t often talk about these partnerships, but they were important. When I needed a helping hand, they were there.”

"This $2.3 million project was huge, but I never doubted it. I thought about it, of course, but deep down, I knew we were going to succeed. It required perseverance, a clear vision, and a lot of work," he admits.

Rapid growth

In three years, Saint-Crème has grown from two employees to thirty. “It's been a meteoric rise. There have been moments of euphoria and immense challenges. It's been a real roller coaster. But today, we're at a turning point. We have to ask ourselves the right questions: do we continue to optimize what we have, or do we go even further?”

The idea of a franchise is on his mind. "It's a business model that could work elsewhere, but you need the right location, and above all, the right person to lead such a project. Nothing is out of the question," he says, adding that his phone rings regularly as cities want to offer him opportunities to revitalize their churches.

His attachment to the region remains central, however. "I'm from here, and for me, it's important to develop projects that have a positive impact on the community."

An insatiable entrepreneur

Even with the success of Saint-Crème, Vincent has no plans to slow down. “I always felt like things weren’t moving fast enough. Sometimes I think I could have started younger and skipped college, but the reality is that my accounting and management training helps me every day. Running a business is all about managing numbers.”

But after three years of hard work, he's asking himself new questions. "Start a project from scratch? Maybe not. Buy an existing company and transform it? Why not. What I know is that I need challenges."

Despite everything, he takes the time to appreciate what he has accomplished. "I live in the rectory, and I like it. I've managed to create a business model that suits me, a place where you can have fun while working. For now, I have no desire to sell," says the man who was named Male Personality of the Year at the Lac-Saint-Jean-Est Chamber of Commerce and Industry's awards gala.

In five years? “I still see myself as an entrepreneur, but probably with other projects. Maybe in a completely different field. I like to learn, I like to push my limits. One thing is certain, it won’t be boring.” According to Jonathan Thibeault’s article in the newspaper Informe Affaires: https://informeaffaires.com/regional/commerces-et-services/vincent-lavoie-lentrepreneur-qui-a-fait-revivre-une-eglise