SAINT-GEORGES, QUEBEC, CANADA—In 1983, hardwood manufacturer Mirage was born when owner and president Pierre Thabet purchased Boa-Franc, a local woodworking company with three employees and $150,000 in annual sales. At the time, the goal was to grow the mill into a $1 million enterprise.

Twenty-five years, one devastating fire and a few recessions later, Thabet’s goal has not only been reached and surpassed, that small company has grown to one of the wood flooring industry’s major players with nearly 400 employees and annual sales estimated between $100 million and $125 million.

It almost didn’t get to this point, as six months into his new venture, “everything went up in smoke,” Thabet has said from time to time. Not letting the devastation get to them, he and his employees were back producing products three months later. In 1990, Mirage began producing prefinished flooring, which today is more the standard, and in 1992, the company expanded south and introduced its first products to the U.S.

Today, Mirage operates a manufacturing area of 565,000 square feet, the equivalent of 10 football fields. With more than $75 million in infrastructure investments, the company produces enough hardwood flooring to cover more than 64,000 homes every year.

This has all been accomplished while maintaining an eye toward sustainability and environmental integrity, he noted. Some examples he pointed to include using only non-genetically modified wood and legally harvested lumber from sustainably managed forests, as well as implementing a profit-sharing policy for employees and supporting various causes and organizations. Additionally, Mirage has achieved Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Chain of Custody Certification.

“We started gearing our corporate values and strategies toward sustainable development long before green issues acquired the urgency and attention they have today,” Thabet said. “Our sustainable development efforts are at the root of how we do business, and also position us well to maintain the strength and stability to operate successfully in the years to come.”

For more about Mirage, call 800.463.1303.