GROOM-CALLAGHAN SUPPLY CO. LTD
 

Quality. Trust. Dedication.

Groom-Callaghan Supply Co. Ltd was acquired in 1988 by
Marcel Baril Ltée of Rouyn-Noranda, Québec.

The group employees over 100 employees through five locations dispersed in Ontario and Québec. We are an ISO Certified Company.

We strive to make every transaction with every customer a satisfying one.
This commitment is embodied in our motto:
                    "TOTAL CUSTOMER SATISFACTION"
We are also involved in distributing and manufacturing high density
polyethylene pipe and fittings.

Company History

THE BEGINNING

In 1956, Northern Ontario's newest Wholesale Industrial Supplier was born. D. T. "Don" Groom and T. C. "Tom" Callaghan founded the company that from day one had become one of the most popular Whole Industrial Supplier in Northern Ontario and especially it's hometown Sudbury, Ontario.

In 1988, the company was sold to Northern Quebec's wholesale industrial supplier, Marcel Baril Ltée.         Marcel Baril was the president at the time when Groom-Callaghan Supply Co. Ltd was acquired.

A LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT

The Baril family has been a prominent member of Abitibi's business community since 1932 when, at the height of the mining boom, Adrien Baril opened his general store in Duparquet, Qc. It was in that shop that his sons Marcel, André, Jean-Claude and Gilles learned the rudiments of business and learned the English language. Assets which would serve them well throughout their careers.

The boys went on to study business at the Collège de Berthier. When they returned to Duparquet in the mid-Fifties, they found that the town had fallen upon hard times. The land had been emptied of its minerals and the town was quickly being emptied of its people. At the general store, sales were down. The family business could not provide a future for the Baril brothers.

Adrien Baril offered his sons an old truck and an empty warehouse in La Sarre, Qc. with which to launch their own business. Marcel immediately emerged as the leader, and the company he founded with his brothers bore his name : Marcel Baril Ltée. Soon afterwards, Marcel succeeded in securing a $25,000 line of credit from a local bank. A fine business sense and hard work did the rest.

Over the next twenty years, the Baril hardware wholesale business grew and prospered. In 1975, finding it inconvenient to operate out of three warehouses scattered around La Sarre, Marcel Baril decided to relocate. He chose Rouyn-Noranda, a boom town which was more centrally located for a business serving all of Abitibi-Témiscamingue, as well as northeastern Ontario.

At its new location, Marcel Baril Ltée continued to expand, becoming the exclusive eastern Canadian distributor of a leading line of high-density polyethylene pipes. The company opened an office in Laval to develop this new market, without however straying from its core business: the distribution of hardware, plumbing products and construction material. In 1988, the company strengthened its market position once again with the acquisition of Groom Callaghan Supply Co. Ltd of Sudbury, a faltering business which Marcel Baril Ltée quickly turned around.

While building his business, Marcel Baril also tended to his young family. His eight children were growing and taking up more and more of his time. On weekends, he would still rise early to head to the skating rink, ski slopes, or cycling track. A generation of young hockey players in La Sarre remember him as the coach who helped them lace up their skates. His work with young and old earned him the gratitude of the community and induction into the Order of Canada.

Marcel Baril is also remembered at the Chambre de Commerce du Québec; the straight - talking Abitibi native served as president of the Chamber in 1979-80 and founded the Mercuriades awards for business excellence. In 1994, the Chamber paid tribute to him as a visionary trailblazer.

Marcel Baril passed away on July 3, 1993 at the age of 64. Up until the end, he remained active in the company he had founded 38 years earlier. "He never thought of retiring," recalls his wife Gisèle. "Always, he wanted to continue building."

Today, the company continues to thrive and expand under the strong leadership and knowledgeable guidance of five of Marcel's eight children. Jean-Yves has succeded his father as chief executive officer, Michel is the general manager of Groom Callaghan Supply operation in Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Marie-Josée runs the Laval, Qc. operation, which sells HDPE pipe, Claude is in charge of production operation for HDPE pipe and fittings in Rouyn-Noranda, Qc., Guy is manager of industrial and institutional accounts for Marcel Baril Ltée. and operates out of the head office in Rouyn-Noranda, Qc.

They are all supported by a loyal, dedicated and knowledgeable staff.