Stories from our crew

If you’ve read our earlier post or follow us on LinkedIn, you might already know that we’re celebrating our 25th anniversary this year!

As we celebrate this anniversary, we thought it would be fun to introduce you to some of the talented people of the Wrecking Crew. Be sure to come back regularly as this page will be updated with new spotlight stories over the next few weeks!

Gabrielle and her year in Paris

 

Gabrielle enjoying cocktails in Paris at a Genetec event

 

We asked Gabrielle Gendron, Talent Management Advisor in the Human Resources team, to share a memorable Genetec experience:

“I got the chance to work in the Paris office for a year. I replaced one of our colleagues who was on maternity leave. My experience was unforgettable. In the Sherbrooke office back in Canada, I worked mostly with the R&D teams. During my time in Paris, I had the opportunity to learn more about other departments and I was able to grow within my role and learn a lot. I also had to work with employees from different countries in Europe, and it was great to learn about their different cultures”.

 

Gabrielle in Paris after watching France win the FIFA World Cup

 

As an HR professional, we also asked Gabrielle what makes her proud of the Genetec employees.

“The employees are curious, passionate, and always seeking for improvements. I feel that they are not here just to work, but to also be part of the team and embrace the corporate culture”.

 

François and triggering alarms at Genetec

François Brouillet, Product Line Manager for the Access Control Group and Genetec veteran of 17 years, was one of the company’s first 50 employees!

When we asked: “What is one moment at Genetec that will forever be engraved in your memory?”, he answered:

“I’m an access control guy, but you might be surprised to hear that I got locked in the office one night! I was working late with the Support Team and didn’t know how to exit the building without triggering the alarm. I still have the video to prove it.

 

François setting off a door alarm while stuck inside an entrance he set up

 

Another thing that has stayed with me is how agile the company is when it comes to pleasing our customers. On several occasions, I had to be in front of the customer and discuss a product feature that wasn’t ready yet, but I went into the meeting with the confidence that we would be able to deliver on our promise. While I was sitting with the customer, the developers were working on the feature, and I was simultaneously waiting for the feature to be ready during the meeting so I could demonstrate how it worked on the spot. Stressful, but exciting, indeed.”

 

Julien and building Legos

 

Julien and his colleagues in the Sherbrooke office

 

Julien Vary, Senior Developer for the Video and Media Group still recalls his first few months at Genetec.

We asked: “What’s something you remember when you were just starting your career with Genetec?”

“Within the first few weeks, I noticed how everyone at Genetec was incredibly tech-savvy and intelligent. I used to think of myself as the know-it-all and “The King of Val D’Or” but soon realized I needed to step up my game. It was a nice reality check. Everyone was on another level compared to what I had experienced in previous workplaces.”

 

Julien also remembers when then-Vice President of Engineering Richard Brault told him that he was going to head up to the new office in Sherbrooke, Quebec.

The Sherbrooke office quickly became filled with Legos and rockets. “They’re passions of mine,” says Vary.

Julien with a rocket

 

“I’m a big fan of Legos. My passion was reignited after the launch of the Lego movie in 2014. I’m also part of a Rocketry group where we build, launch, and recover the rockets. We often require special permits from Transportation Canada to be allowed to launch them at certain altitudes.”

 

Lucie Lefrançois, getting the party started since 1997

We asked Lucie Lefrançois, our powerhouse treasurer who’s been with us since day one, to share one of her favorite work memories. Here’s the one she chose:

“Planning the Genetec year-end parties (YEP) alongside the dynamic YEP committee was one of my responsibilities and I was very happy about it! It’s all about giving recognition and rewarding our employees for their hard work throughout the year. The goal is to make it fun and ensure that the theme is different from what we’ve done in the past. I love the challenge of planning these celebrations and seeing everyone glammed up on the day of the party.”

 

Genetec YEP 2019

 

We also asked Lucie: “Of all the YEPs you’ve planned, which one is the most memorable?”

“There are two. I'll always remember the time we invited Roger Hodgson, the lead singer from Supertramp to perform at our party. That was amazing! I also remember our Great Gatsby-themed YEP at the Bonaventure Hotel. We had access to the hotel's rooftop pool and some of our employees jumped in the pool in the middle of winter, surrounded by snow. How can you forget that?”

Lucie also highlighted the importance of Family Day at Genetec, where employees are joined by their families and loved ones at Genetec HQ, to spend a fun day outdoors.

“It's a great time to see each other in a different context, to meet our colleagues' spouses, and to see the kids having a great time. I look forward to it every year.”

 

Witnessing the transformation of the access control market with John Joyce

It’s been almost 15 years since John Joyce joined the Wrecking Crew and in that time, he’s watched the company and the physical security industry evolve. We asked the now Regional Sales Director for the Eastern Private Sector to tell us what it was like when Synergis™, our access control solution, was just coming into the market.

“Fourteen years ago, I was hired as the Business Development Manager for access control in the United States. At the time, Synergis was at the beginning of the product development stage. We wanted to bring a product that was brand new, a product that the market wasn’t familiar with, to the industry. Seeing how far we’ve come and being part of the journey as the product evolved to become an industry-leading solution was an unbelievable experience.” 

Synergis Cloud Link

 

Given John’s work experience in the industry, we also asked him “What makes Genetec different from other places you’ve worked?” 

“The company’s commitment to technology. I’ve worked at companies where technology stalled, or where they couldn’t see the next wave of technology. At Genetec, we always think 10 steps ahead. It’s been rewarding to see the company transform and grow our product portfolio in response to industry needs. Seeing our team adapt and continuously deliver innovations throughout the years has been incredibly rewarding.”

 

A Genetec Dubai art exhibition by Nadia Seggouchen

Nadia Seggouchen, Genetec Dubai Office Manager and Pricing Coordinator for the Middle East has kept busy over the past 10 years at Genetec. As a dual-role employee who juggles multiple tasks, we wanted to know what Nadia does to unwind after work.

Nadia painting one of her colorful pieces in her home studio

 

“I love painting, it’s my passion. It relaxes me. I’ve been painting ever since I can remember. I was lucky to launch my first painting exhibition outside of my home at the Genetec office. I hung over 20 of my art pieces around the office. They included cartoon paintings and colorful canvases. I love anything with color and enjoy seeing action within an art piece. I was happy to share my passion with Guy Chenard, our Chief Commercial Officer who was in town during my exhibition. He encouraged me a lot and supported my passion.”

 

Collection of original work by Nadia Seggouchen

 

Working at the center of innovation with Paule

Not many of us can say they built a camera from scratch at work – but Paule Brodeur can! As the Manager of Computer Vision and Computer Machine Learning for the Security Center AutoVu™ team, Paule spends her days alongside engineers and scientists, building the latest and most innovative license plate recognition cameras. As a Genetec employee for over 17 years, we asked Paule about one of her most exciting projects to date.

Paule testing out AutoVu cameras she helped build 

 

“Back in the day, license plate cameras were purchased from third-party manufacturers. At a certain point, we decided to make our own cameras from scratch. When we started, we used off-the-shelf components and would only buy certain pieces.

We brought mechanical engineers, developers, computer vision, firmware, and image processing specialists together to develop our AutoVu camera. We were a small team but we were able to create a very good camera out of the gate that was optimized to work with our software, delivering a really competitive solution.

It was a team effort, and we learned a lot along the way. It’s something we were, and still are, very proud of. It gave us purpose.”

 

Putting Genetec software and Nerf guns to the test with Jana

At Genetec, we’re all about working hard and playing hard. This is something that Jana Eid, Content Marketing Coordinator at Montreal HQ, can confirm. Jana started her career at Genetec as a receptionist, which means that she interacted with hundreds of employees, visitors, partners, and customers every week. We asked her to tell us about a memorable moment.

“While working as a receptionist, I was part of the Facilities Team. Sometimes after work, the team would organize Nerf battles. One day, I decided I wanted to participate in the activity. We went to the 2nd floor and put our Nerf guns to the test. We created shields and battled it out with the Technical Support Team. It was awesome to bond with my colleagues and see them in a different setting. We had so much fun!”

 

Jana participating in after-work fun

 

Jana also told us about one of her most interesting projects.

“During my time as a receptionist, I had the opportunity of using Genetec software in my daily tasks. I was mainly using Genetec Security Center and Genetec ClearID™ to manage access rights. As developers were working on a new version of the software, they would often test the platform by downloading it on my PC. The UX Team would sometimes ask me for my feedback on the user interface, and how it could be improved. Having a preview of the latest technology and being amongst the first to test it out before its availability on the market was very exciting.”

 

We hope you enjoyed our stories from the crew! Visit our careers page to learn more about joining the Wrecking Crew.