Montreal, February 6, 2013 – Campus Montréal, the major fundraising campaign led jointly by HEC Montréal, Polytechnique Montréal and Université de Montréal, announced today it has received a generous donation of $2.5 million from Rémi Marcoux and TC Transcontinental.

This money will be used to create the Rémi Marcoux Entrepreneurial Track, a new program designed to harness the entrepreneurial spirit of students so they become creative, dynamic, socially responsible young business owners with strong professional relationships and a global vision.

The “Rémi Marcoux Entrepreneurial Track” designation also pays tribute to the enterprising man himself. TC Transcontinental founder and board member Marcoux said: “It is a tremendous honour for my family and me, as well as for TC Transcontinental, to make this pledge, which will allow the younger generation to obtain solid skills and advanced training in entrepreneurship, adapted to the present and future realities of the business world,” he added. “I am confident that HEC Montréal will succeed in guiding these future entrepreneurs to ensure they are thoroughly prepared to enter the workforce. At TC Transcontinental, the entrepreneurial culture has always been, and remains, central to our growth; its influence has enabled us to become one of the largest companies of its kind in Canada. This is how we intend to keep growing in the future and we take pride in being able to rely on talented entrepreneurs.”

Not only entrepreneurship development but also the students enrolled in the Entrepreneurial Track program at Campus Montréal stand to benefit from this substantial support, as the heads of the three institutions point out. For Guy Breton, rector of Université de Montréal, “this donation dovetails perfectly with our fundraising campaign, since entrepreneurship is one of the fields of excellence we champion. Our campus is a veritable hothouse of ideas and talent, which, if nurtured well, can foster the development of innovative new businesses.”

Christophe Guy, Chief Executive Officer of Polytechnique Montréal, adds that, just like the arts and other programs offered on campus, engineering can also give rise to a host of projects likely to inspire innovation and creative thinking. “The Entrepreneurial Track provides a springboard for high-potential students to achieve their goals and for others to learn more about the nuts and bolts of entrepreneurship. Quebec needs talented business people with visionary leadership who are ready to tackle the challenges of globalization.”

“With a state-of-the-art academic program and outstanding mentoring opportunities, the Rémi Marcoux Entrepreneurial Track aims to hone such entrepreneurial skills as curiosity, intuition, resistance to stress and high tolerance for risk, and to provide a comprehensive understanding of market forces and the business environment. These skills combined with the ability to run a business successfully, despite the challenges this often entails, are the principles that underpin the Rémi Marcoux Entrepreneurial Track, which guided Mr. Marcoux himself, who is also a highly regarded graduate of our school,” notes Michel Patry, Director of HEC Montréal. “We are deeply appreciative of the trust Mr. Marcoux and TC Transcontinental have placed in us and we readily accept the responsibility that comes with it. We will ensure that this new funding achieves a maximum return on investment, in particular through the emergence of many more strong, successful companies.”

The Entrepreneurial Track’s main purpose is to raise awareness of entrepreneurship among the roughly 800 students enrolled in the Track annually at HEC Montréal, Polytechnique Montréal and Université de Montréal. While some may decide to follow just a few of the courses and activities, undergraduate students will have the opportunity to take the entire program. They will receive a certificate to confirm completion of their entrepreneurial training.

Throughout the Rémi Marcoux Entrepreneurial Track, students will be encouraged to develop soft skills. The Track’s academic component of classes, internships and international exchanges helps them acquire entrepreneurial knowledge and build managerial skills. The extra-academic component includes a range of specific simulation exercises and exploratory activities. Lastly, thementoring component, available exclusively for Track students, will give them the opportunity to forge ties with an entrepreneur, who will serve as mentor. The combination of these three components, with a teacher whose key role is to guide each student individually, is what makes theRémi Marcoux Entrepreneurial Track such a highly innovative program.

Five co-chairs have agreed to lend their names and their time to ensure Campus Montréal fundraising campaign’s success: the Honourable Louise Arbour (International Crisis Group), Hélène Desmarais (Centre d’entreprises et d’innovation de Montréal), Geoffrey Molson (Montreal Canadien Hockey Club, Bell Centre and evenko), Michael Sabia (Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec) and Thierry Vandal (Hydro-Québec).

About Campus Montréal:

When they decided to join forces to mastermind a major fundraising campaign, heads of HEC Montréal, Polytechnique Montréal and Université de Montréal agreed to adopt a shared identity. Campus Montréal represents the alliance between the three institutions that form a dynamic, modern university complex. This shared brand is used on all communications made throughout the fundraising campaign. campus-montreal.ca

About TC Transcontinental:

Largest printer and leading provider of media and marketing activation solutions in Canada, TC Transcontinental creates products and services that allow businesses to attract, reach and retain their target customers. The Corporation specializes in print and digital media, the production of magazines, newspapers, books and custom content, mass and personalized marketing, interactive and mobile applications, TV production and door-to-door distribution.

Transcontinental Inc. (TSX: TCL.A, TCL.B, TCL.PR.D), operating under the brands TC Transcontinental, TC Media and TC Transcontinental Printing, has approximately 9,500 employees in Canada and the United States, and reported revenues of C$2.1 billion in 2012. Website www.tc.tc.

 

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For information:

 

Campus Montréal: Josée Deschamps, 514 397-4047 / [email protected] to contact John Parisella, Executive Director.

HEC Montréal: Julie Lajoye, 438 823-1328 / [email protected]

TC Transcontinental: Nathalie St-Jean, 514 954-3581 / [email protected]

Polytechnique Montréal: Annie Touchette, 514 340-4011, extension 4415 /[email protected]

Université de Montréal: Mathieu Filion, 514 343-7704 / [email protected]