Meet the ESA team – Adam Frégeau

The story of ESA is above all the story of the people who make up its team.

It is with great pride that we introduce you to those who make our company what it is today.

To learn more about our mission and our team, take a look at our About section.

What is your job title at ESA ?

I am the Chief Financial Officer at ESA. Broadly speaking, I make sure that our finances stay in good shape, but in a growing company like ours, my role includes many more aspects. I handle the technical side, such as regulations and accounting, but also help with managing team dynamics within the company.

Since we work with a small team, do you need to take on tasks outside of your main role often ?

I do it less and less as the team grows, but it’s true that everyone needs to wear more than one hat and support each other across departments. However, our team works well together, so we manage to lighten each other’s workloads.

For how long have you been part of the ESA team ?

This year will be my tenth! I first joined in 2014. At that time, we had a prototype without a name, which eventually became the Récup’Air, our first commercialized product. We didn’t have all the resources we hoped for to create a product that was  satisfying to us, but with continued efforts, we progressed from the ESA-800 to the ESA-1000, and finally to the ESA-3000, which is now our main product.

Were you always interested in the agricultural field ?

It wasn’t at all in my plans to work in this field, but I’m very glad I joined it. After graduating with a degree in accounting, I realized it was a useful tool for me to have, but I didn’t necessarily want to build a career out of it. The question of “what am I going to do in life” haunted me; I only knew that I wanted to be an entrepreneur, but what kind?

How did you end up joining the ESA team ?

I met Gabriel while I was studying for my MBA. The way I saw him evolve through his internships and the technology he was developing caught my attention. I offered to work with him once he had a stable product, and from there we developed a business plan together. We decided to just go for it and to keep combining our efforts, knowing we would fail many times before actually getting somewhere.

How would you describe ESA to someone unfamiliar with the company?

ESA’s main endeavor is to bring modern technology to the agricultural sector, providing our clients with cost-effective ventilation solutions that also reduce their environmental footprint.

One of the major challenges of our generation is fighting climate change, which means reducing our negative impact on our planet. I believe that energy efficiency is a great answer to this problem. It doesn’t solve everything, of course, but it is a significant step for the industry that we must take if we want to make progress. This is what we aim to offer farmers through innovative products, such as the ESA-3000, which reuses energy on farms that would otherwise be wasted.

Have you faced any hardships or setbacks during your time here? How did it get resolved?

Absolutely! I remember when we first started, we talked to friends who also had an up-and-coming company. They were developing buoys that used tidal energy to desalinate water and make it drinkable. They told us “I had to go diving in Florida to fix our systems…” I compared that to our reality of going out in the field at -40°C, trying to figure out why one of our propellers had frozen and was preventing a heat exchanger from working… I must say that I envied their problems a bit! Of course, the grass is always greener on the other side; I don’t doubt the difficulty and reality of their challenges. But in those moments, I wished I could go swimming in Florida as well!

Despite everything, we’ve had plenty of room to innovate, as the conditions we work in can easily be discouraging given the intensity and variability of the northern climate. Another positive aspect is that after facing such tough challenges, other obstacles seem less daunting, allowing us to keep moving forward with more determination.

What is your all-time favorite moment so far in the ESA team?

Something that was truly wonderful to me happened recently: we completed the production of our thousandth ESA-3000 air exchanger. It felt like a goal that was light-years away! Coincidentally, we were also welcoming dealers from across Canada at our factory in Sherbrooke at the same time. They came to undergo training and become experts in the device’s operation, and they were able to celebrate this achievement with the entire team. I think it was a great milestone for the company and a memorable moment that we were able to share with the guests who were present.

Tell me about your day-to-day. What is your role and some of your daily tasks?

It’s hard to say what my daily tasks are, and that’s what I love about my job; my days are rarely the same. I much prefer having varied tasks each day rather than always doing the same thing. Most of the time, when the same task comes back too many days in a row, we end up creating a new role within the company to handle it.

My average day as the CFO primarily involves assessing the biggest challenges facing ESA or anticipating potential issues, and then finding solutions to address them. Once the “problem” part is resolved, I look for opportunities ahead and outline the steps needed for us to be ready to seize them.

Would you say that you prefer addressing problems for the company as a whole, or getting personally involved in the small details?

It’s important for me to work on the details to better understand the context of the problems we face and see what people personally experience in their departments, but I much prefer making strategic decisions for the company as a whole. I gather information from the departments and invest resources in the right areas so that they have the means to succeed and overcome the challenges related to their roles.

In your opinion, what’s something unique that you bring to the company ?

I believe that Gabriel and I make an excellent entrepreneurial duo; we complement each other perfectly. He’s the optimistic side of ESA, while I bring a more cautious perspective! This definitely has its value when planning projects together. I’m always there to highlight the potential downsides and issues related to decisions we want to make.

*Our Animal Production Specialist, Jossoua, enters the room briefly*
What do you think, Joss? Do you think Adam brings anything unique to ESA?

Adam’s someone who’s really generous and fun to work with. When we speak, I feel like I’m talking to a friend, but he always maintains a professional demeanor. Every time we have an order to place, he’s always there to tell us “That’s too expensive.”

What part of working at ESA makes you proud?

What makes me most proud to work at ESA is our mission. The question of my career choice after my studies was making me very anxious at the time, and I feel like I’ve found my place here and am making a real difference in the world. We’re tackling a real, tangible and relevant issue, and we’re doing it in an honest and transparent way, without taking advantage of anyone or anything to achieve our goals. I very much enjoy having a positive impact on the industry by helping farmers significantly reduce their ecological footprints.

I feel incredibly fortunate to be in a position where I can choose my team members. Having a say in who I work with is a wonderful opportunity to surround myself with people who inspire me and share my values.

Everyone at ESA has overcome many obstacles to get to where we are today, and I think that’s what makes our team strong. We aim to create an environment that allows for mistakes, giving our employees the chance to learn and improve. I find that to be a truly rewarding environment.

What is your wish for the ESA team in the upcoming years?

I wish for the team to thrive in each of our roles and to make the future we envision for ourselves, our company, and our clients a reality. I believe our shared desire is to make an even greater impact in the agricultural market, and I think we are well-positioned to achieve this with the great team we’ve assembled.

I wish us rewarding challenges and the right difficulty level that will enable both the company’s growth and the individual growth of every member of our team.