Finding Space In the Bay of Quinte: Venture Carpets’ Story
March 12, 2024
When St. George, Quebec-based Venture Carpets was looking for a new home, Supply Chain and Logistics Manager, Éric Faucher, found space to grow in Belleville in the Bay of Quinte region. For almost a century, Venture Carpets has manufactured textiles, specifically textile floor coverings. The makers of module carpeting, also known as carpet tiles, is currently 50 employees strong at their manufacturing plant in the Bay of Quinte, creating modular carpeting solutions for new builds and refurbishment projects, and for distributors throughout the US and Canada.
How the Bay of Quinte Became Home Sweet Home
Venture Carpets’ Supply Chain and Logistics Manager, Éric Faucher, began to look for a new space in 2009. As the company had been based in Quebec since its inception in 1928, Faucher began his search there, but found that the plants available for purchase did not have the space to accommodate their needs and growth plans.
Enter the Bay of Quinte.
Faucher found a plant in the region that had closed down due to the impacts of the 2008 recession; post-recession saw the manufacturer move to the United States, and equipment moved to China. Venture Carpets knew they wanted to stay in Canada and almost 20 years later they are still the only manufacturers of carpet tiles in Canada. Beyond site availability, Venture Carpets also found support and resources in the Bay of Quinte.
“We got a lot of help from the area and QEDC and the Government of Ontario. A lot more help from the Government of Ontario than we could get from the government in Quebec,” says Faucher. “We found the support of the right people, who had the right contacts, and all they [the Bay of Quinte] wanted was to help us build up our new plant.”
For instance, Venture Carpets had to outfit their new plant with new equipment and it was, of course, quite expensive. The Bay of Quinte’s City of Belleville helped to finance the purchase of new equipment; because of that help, Venture Carpets was able to put together a financial plan to help them grow their business.
The Bay of Quinte Is “Carpeted” In Opportunities
At first, Faucher admits they didn’t succeed in the way they expected, but that changed in 2013, when Venture Carpets identified a new opportunity in a new market through their location in the Bay of Quinte: distributors. Venture Carpets repackaged their products for local consumer purchase in big box DIY stores, like Home Depot and found immediate success.
The Bay of Quinte’s convenient location between cities like Montreal and Toronto allows Venture Carpets to reach distributors throughout North America.
Contact Venture Carpets to learn more about their products and Bay of Quinte plant. The Quinte Economic Development Commission (QEDC) provides information, connections, and resources for manufacturers in the Bay of Quinte. QEDC supports the region’s businesses, entrepreneurs, and local workforce.
