Whoever would have been the winner of the Montreal Grand Prix, Jean-Philippe Caron would also have come out a winner: the trophy that the Formula 1 driver would lift had been designed by his company, Protocol trophies of exception.
A trophy designed by his daughter Lili-April, more precisely. He had entrusted the task last March to the young industrial design student. “My dad really gave me carte blanche: do what you think,” she says.
Protocol designs and has made-to-measure trophies created by a Beauceron partner for sporting, cultural or corporate events.
It was the tire manufacturer Pirelli, one of the two major sponsors of the 2023 Montreal Grand Prix, who contacted him last February to entrust him with this mandate.
He already knew the reputation of Jean-Philippe Caron, it must be said.
At the request of its promoter François Dumontier, he had designed a first trophy for the 2015 Grand Prix, whose scrolls were inspired by the layout of the Gilles-Villeneuve circuit.
Official sponsor of the Grand Prix in 2019, the Pirelli office in Milan then contacted him for the first time for the creation of a new trophy, this time inspired by the maple leaf.
“Pirelli people are proud to encourage local talent,” he says. It is very important to them. »
Back in 2023, Pirelli suggested he follow the maple trail again.
After some initial proposals, Pirelli asked him for a more abstract concept, “where you wouldn’t see something very specific, but rather a feeling of victory. That’s when I thought, why not ask my daughter to propose? It would be fun to give her this chance to shine through a creation that really comes 100% from her. »
Lili-April Allaire-Caron tackled it in March, when she was completing her second year in industrial design at the University of Montreal.
“My goal was to make a trophy that was going to represent aerodynamics,” she describes.
“I looked at the shapes of a Formula 1 car on the internet for inspiration and started developing shapes. Then I focused on the top part, the driver protection. I made the shape more abstract, then I transformed it, lengthened it. »
Her father assures that he did not influence his daughter’s process in any way.
“She came in with three proposals, and then we discussed them together. »
One of these was retained, which Jean-Philippe presented to Pirelli with the three of his own, without specifying who the authors were.
“They chose Lili’s. »
Lili-April’s trophy shows three hollowed-out silhouettes, identical but of decreasing size, cut from solid aluminum plates and fixed in a cylindrical aluminum base.
Their layout takes up the profile of the driver’s roll bar, extended by what can be read as the nose of a Formula 1 car.
The FIA governs the design of its trophies with rules almost as strict as those of its cars. “I get a kind of instruction booklet,” says the president of Protocol.
The victorious pilot’s trophy must measure between 55 and 65 cm in height, without exceeding a weight of 5 kg. The one designed by Protocol measures precisely 65 cm. “My goal is to create a spectacular trophy, which will do the maximum height, while respecting the weight limit. »
In 2015, Jean-Philippe Caron foresees a significant acceleration of his activities, with the possible opening of his own factory. However, its momentum has been hampered by the pandemic and the interruption of sporting and promotional events.
He offers an additional explanation: “After the 2015 Grand Prix, I found myself with my children full time. For the past six years, I have been raising three children on my own. The growth of my business has not been as fast as I would have liked because I prioritized my children. »
However, activities have resumed. His father works with him. “Every day, we deliver one or two projects for various clients,” says the entrepreneur. He draws them by hand and asks a graphic designer to produce 3D renderings which are presented to the client.
“Last week we delivered trophies for the Sainte-Justine hospital, we did the Lauriers de la Gastronomie trophies,” he gives as an example.
The day after our meeting, Jean-Philippe Caron was going to deliver the wooden boxes containing the precious trophies to the organizers of the Grand Prix.
“My father and I went to pick them up in Beauce two weeks ago, says Lili-April. I even had the chance to assemble part of my trophy at the factory. »
The winning trophy.
It’s not about climbing the cathedral. However, justifying its corporate name, La Cordée has opened a new store at Promenades Cathédrale, where it offers a mobile climbing wall. The company hopes to reach a peak of popularity with its active clientele with this unique initiative in Canada. Covering an area of 25,000 ft2 (2320 m2), this new branch aims to “invigorate the shopping experience” by inviting its customers to test the products on site, in various specially configured spaces. In particular, there are bicycle, cross-country skiing and hiking workshops accessible from the outside. The store located in downtown Montreal pushes the ambition to revive the experience in nature with a landscaped course including a green wall. La Cordée, which now has eight stores, celebrates its 70th anniversary this year.
Do not confuse bucket, boiler and a jump in Chaudière-Appalaches. The pretty region that stretches south of Quebec is relaunching its Gourmet Stops initiative this summer. It invites local people and tourists to support nearly 160 gastronomic SMEs – producers, restaurateurs, processors – by tasting the local succulence. Companies that participate in this program of the Table agroalimentaire de la Chaudière-Appalaches (TACA) have access to various promotional tools and online training. Note in passing that the cost of their membership is $150 and that the Stops Gourmet road sign is rented for $50 the first year, $30 the second and $20 the third. The Chaudière-Appalaches region is the second most important food production region in Quebec.
A little jump to Gaspésie, this time… We now know what face the Sea Mountain Station of Mont-Saint-Pierre will take, the most important economic and tourism recovery project in Haute-Gaspésie for several years, evaluated at 6 $.5 million. The leaders of the Solidarity Cooperative for Economic, Tourist and Social Development of Mont-Saint-Pierre (the CSMSP) presented the images of the concept, which is deployed on five axes. It includes in particular a Place du village in a former inn, a Virtual Free Flight Center in the church, which will fly over more than 40 years of history, and an observatory at the top of Mont Saint-Pierre, which will offer a spectacular view. on the Chic-Chocs, the glacial valley of Mont-Saint-Pierre and the St. Lawrence River. “It’s focus summer 2024! exclaimed the general manager of the Mont-Saint-Pierre mountain resort, Julie Coulombe, in a telephone conversation. “The summer of 2023 is one of preparation and set-up. Nearly 25 jobs will be created in this locality thanks to this project. “We have the contractors, the plans and the quotes,” she added. It was important that the project be supported by the local population, she says, and she is delighted that of the 170 inhabitants of the place, around 50 attended the presentation which was made on June 9. .
Canadian small businesses saw overall job growth of 0.09% in May, according to the Intuit QuickBooks report. The figure seems infinitesimal, but it is the first increase after three months of decline.
