The Beauchesne group of companies, a major dealer presence in the province of Quebec, has joined Castle Building Centres Group’s commercial division.
Founded in 1964 by Édouard Beauchesne, the Beauchesne group grew over time to three yards around the Montreal area. It joined with the two Quebec City locations of Distribution Ste-Foy in 1978, to form a powerful multi-outlet pro dealer in Quebec.
“We are excited with this new chapter as we team up with Castle,” Carl Leonard, president of Groupe Beauchesne, said in a release. “We believe the group is positioned for major growth through this partnership.”
In 2009, Beauchesne joined with Watson Building Supplies of Ontario and Shoemaker Drywall Supplies on the Prairies to found a powerful GSD buying group, WSB Titan. While under the leadership of Doug Skrepnek, the group was purchased by an American company, GMS Inc. of Tucker, Ga., in 2018. Beauchesne was not actually part of the sale, but Beauchesne stayed connected with the group on an affiliated basis.
Skrepnek himself resurfaced in the industry as co-owner of Encore Drywall Material Supplies last year, operating two locations, in Vaughan and Trenton, Ont. Encore quickly became a part of Castle’s commercial division.
Given his past connection with Beauchesne, it was not surprising that Skrepnek was involved in Castle’s signing of the GSD. Skrepnek and the Leonard family have been both business colleagues and close friends for many years. Says Skrepnek: “I think we chose the right group for growth and we chose the right group for flexibility.”
Castle president and CEO Ken Jenkins called the deal “a pivotal moment for Castle in Quebec.” Dubbing Beauchesne “a powerhouse,” Jenkins hinted at more big announcements to come from Castle in the year ahead.
