June 2018

64 65 L.P. ROYER, INC. INC. SHOES FOR INDUSTRY I n 1934, in the depths of the Great Depression, in a small village in the Eastern Townships of Quebec, Louis-Phillipe Royer, the town cob- bler and barber, was looking for a way to feed his family and get people employed. “There was a huge shoe-making tradition in New England, so he bought a couple of magazines, and looked at the machinery they had,” says Patrick LeBlond, Executive Director of Business Development and Sales of the company that was to become Royer. “Inspired by the machines they saw in the cata- logue, they built their own originals and started making work boots.” From his home workshop, Royer crafted sturdy boots for those who worked in the fields. “In the beginning, it was a couple of pairs a day, and eventually it grew into a little business,” says LeBlond. So, Royer decided to build a new fac- tory, himself, pouring each concrete block, one AT A GLANCE L.P. ROYER WHAT: A manufacturer of work boots and shoes WHERE: Sherbrooke, Quebec WEBSITE: www.royer.com/us-en