BESTECH executives Marc Boudreau and Denis Pitre are making plans to learn how to speak Spanish. They have their sights set on expansion in Latin America in 2010, and understanding a little Español will help the two Sudbury entrepreneurs to export their expertise as a one-stop solutions provider.

“We expect 100 percent growth over the next five years,” says Boudreau, president and CEO of the company that has earned a solid reputation for industrial automation, engineering, software development, power systems and environmental monitoring.

Only a year ago, Boudreau and Pitre, vicepresident and chief technical officer, were making difficult decisions about how to survive the worst downturn in the economy since the Depression.

It was the first major curve ball they had to dodge since they quit their jobs at Falconbridge Ltd. in 1995 to start their own industrial automation company.

Adapting to challenges, developing new products, and finding new markets have been the keys to the success of BESTECH. Its strength is the numerous services (10 divisions) it offers for clients in diverse industries such as mining, pulp and paper, forestry, oil and gas, automotive, manufacturing, insurance, and the public sector.

Boudreau and Pitre’s goals in 2009 “were to keep the team together, diversify to create new business and come out of the recession even stronger than before...BESTECH has received several new large contracts, expanded to new markets and new employees are being hired to meet client demand,” says Amy Fortier, marketing co-ordinator.

BESTECH employs 70 people: engineers, software designers, automation specialists, project managers and support staff. Boudreau and Pitre credit their “amazing staff and managers” for their success.

In 2009, BESTECH opened a branch office in Timmins, and there is a sales office in Toronto. The doors will soon open to its new Electrical Construction Shop in Sudbury, and plans are in the works to open an office in Mexico. BESTECH’s flagship office is located on Lorne St.

BESTECH has won numerous awards including The Best Place to Work Award, 2009 (Young Professionals Association); Company of the Year, 2008 (Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Awards ); Innovation Award, 2000 (Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Awards); and The Innovation Award, 2000 (Northern Ontario Business Awards).

Boudreau is the current president of the Sudbury Area Mining Supply and Service Association (SAMSSA) and a director with MIRARCO. Pitre is the president of the Sudbury Sprinters Speed Skating Club. Community involvement is something they encourage among their employees.

BESTECH won the 2005 Make It Real Award for community involvement. Employees participate in the Easter Seals street hockey tournament, and they support organizations such as the Arthritis Society, the Canadian Cancer Society Relay for Life, United Way Centraide Sudbury, and Sudbury Food Bank.

Boudreau and Pitre, both 44, grew up on the same street in Hanmer and have been friends since before kindergarten. They kept in touch in high school, but “it’s a fluke that we ended up in the same place, at the same time, doing the same thing,” says Pitre.

“We never talked about being engineers....we took the same courses and everything without talking to each other.”

Pitre didn’t expect to come back to Sudbury when he graduated from engineering, but soon found himself working at Falconbridge with his best friend. They talked about starting their own consulting business for several years before taking the leap shortly before their 30th birthdays.

They say they don’t always agree, but they’ve never had an argument. “We have a culture based in trust,” says Boudreau. Pitre adds, “We don’t sweat the small stuff.”