Under the leadership of Nancy Asselin, Productiv is the perfect union between quality and human values. Nancy knows that a high-quality product isn’t built just with materials; it’s built with passionate people. At Productiv, every product manufactured reflects exceptional know-how and a socially driven mission: to create an environment where everyone has their place and can be proud of their contribution. Find out how Nancy places manufacturing excellence and a commitment to people at the heart of her business.
A guarantee of quality
Previously known as Coup de Pouce, Productiv already has over 20 years of experience in manufacturing subcontracting. Just over a year ago, Nancy Asselin became the sole owner of the business located in Saint-Elzéar de Beauce, after having been associated with the founder, Hélène Picard, for many years.
What’s the company’s differentiator? It’s a bold subcontracting business that’s always ready to take on new challenges. Nancy likes to say that her highly skilled team can manufacture just about anything – from canoes to water stations, and even crane antennas! And if new, complex projects come their way, they’re not the type to back down: Nancy will readily send her team to the client’s site or bring in the client’s specialists to train her team and develop custom processes, to quickly become self-sufficient.
This adaptability is built on a foundation of rigorous quality control. Every project goes through a phase of technical validation, procedural documentation, and production testing. Moulds are sometimes custom designed to ensure consistency, and the supervision team closely tracks each step.
Productiv is also in the process of obtaining CSA certification, further strengthening its standards for traceability, safety, and compliance. The company already has precision welding stations, electronic assembly equipment, in-circuit testing, and specialized measurement instruments — everything needed to deliver a reliable, tested, and compliant product, regardless of the complexity.
For Nancy, what matters most is being proactive and staying one step ahead for her clients. That’s why Productiv has developed an innovative service: real-time inventory access, a rarity in the world of manufacturing. With this system, Productiv is the client’s eyes and ears on the ground. The team inspects parts, ensures their compliance, and logs them, and the client is notified of what’s happening in real time. The client can then track shipments, view up-to-date inventory, access billing, and track production progress, at any time. It’s a simple, transparent solution designed to keep the client in the driver’s seat.
An important social mission
The business was started twenty years ago to address an important need in the community: creating a path to the future for young adults living with limitations, who, after finishing school, often find themselves without resources or a structured framework for their development. From its beginnings, the organization adopted a clear mission — one that still drives its efforts today: to foster the social and professional integration of these young people, while actively supporting their skills development.
Part of the team is still made up of young people who face a range of challenges, whether an intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorder, or something else. The company represents more than just a job to them: it’s a place to learn and thrive. Thanks to a longstanding partnership with the regional CISSS, a full-time support person working within the organization supports a group of ten young people as they acquire new skills, offering personalized, compassionate supervision. Once they reach a certain level of self-sufficiency, they join the learning lab, where they put into practice what they have learned in a more empowering setting, supported by a coach who oversees the quality of their work.
The business is currently developing tools to better assess individual progress and create a clear picture of skills acquired by each young person as they move through the program. The goal is to highlight their strengths, identify areas for improvement, and give them a concrete progress report at the end of their internship.
At Productiv, the social mission that guided its creation is still central to its efforts. But inclusion doesn’t mean compromising on quality — quite the opposite. The same standards apply to everyone, supported by a rigorous quality control process. All employees work side by side, including those living with limitations. This collaboration enriches not only the work experience, but also human relationships. Inclusion becomes a reality, where everyone contributes in their own way to the team’s success.
A clear path
From the age of seven, when she was selling cattails on the street corner, Nancy knew she would be an entrepreneur. That deeply rooted drive has only grown stronger over the years.
She started her studies in industrial engineering, complemented by courses in business administration, a combination that naturally steered her toward the manufacturing sector, where she immediately felt at home. She then took on the role of project manager in a software implementation firm, working with plants to optimize their processes. This immersion in the heart of operations sparked a growing desire: to one day run her own manufacturing business.
Then, in 2012, she became an independent consultant. For eight years, she helped businesses with their continuous improvement efforts, while keeping a clear goal in mind: one day she would run her own business. In 2020, she decided to take the leap and commit to what she was after.
A stroke of luck put her in touch with someone who knew her former business partner, who, as it happened, wanted to sell their company. That’s when she discovered a unique business model, blending manufacturing and a human focus. For Nancy, it was love at first sight. The company checked all the boxes: a production environment, yes, but one with a unique mission rooted in strong social values. She saw not just the business potential, but also a place where she can fully bring her vision to life.
Important lessons
For Nancy, becoming an entrepreneur wasn’t a matter of chance; it was a question of passion and conviction. Like any entrepreneur, she encountered obstacles — and her biggest one to date isn’t technical or operational, but strategic: increasing her company’s visibility. While her organization has solid foundations, it still doesn’t have a high enough profile.
Over the years, resilience is one of the most important things she has learned. Being an entrepreneur means dealing with the unexpected, including some nasty surprises, like the sudden loss of a major client due to economic conditions, which shook her up and forced her to reassess. But giving up was never an option; her determination is central to her entrepreneurial identity.
At the same time, Nancy is working on her skills in sales, a role she’s learning to master. But one thing comes naturally to her: talking about her team. Showcasing them and highlighting their strengths is easy, because she’s truly proud of them.
Her strong connection with her team reflects one piece of advice she would give to anyone who wants to start a business: surround yourself with the right people. While delegating was a challenge at first, she quickly realized that trust is a powerful driver of engagement. When people feel that you believe in them, they give it their all. That insight allowed her to let go, delegate wisely, and refocus on the company’s strategic priorities.
Her next challenge is to put the company in the spotlight. Because for Nancy, people and quality go hand in hand. You can’t have a quality product without passionate people, and at Productiv, the two dovetail like a dream.
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Nancy was able to count on the support of Dany Rodrigue, Regional Director for Chaudière-Appalaches. She emphasizes how valuable his personalized guidance and proactive approach were in helping secure financing and make her acquisition project a reality.
Thanks to the engagement of invaluable partners: Économie Québec, through its agent Investissement Québec, the Government of Canada, National Bank, the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC), the Fonds de solidarité FTQ, and Fondaction, Evol has a large envelope to support, through conventional loans, businesses with inclusive, diversified ownership that generate positive social and environmental impacts in line with the UN’s sustainable development goals (SDG).