Groupe Madysta is a vertically integrated, rapidly expanding company based in Trois-Rivières, Québec that provides construction and engineering services for the telecommunications industry and other sectors. Since it was profiled in the March 2022 edition of Construction in Focus, the company has increased its service offerings and prepared for changes within the telecom industry. Through a series of recent acquisitions, the company now has a Canada-wide presence.
The firm, which is nearing its 30th anniversary, promotes itself to clients as a one-stop shop. “Right now, we are the only company that is able to build a telecom network from greenfield to service-ready and provide repair and maintenance,” says Vice President of Business Development François Houde proudly.
The company’s core proficiencies include the installation, replacement, and maintenance of telecom towers, antennas, connectors, and transmission lines. The team can build access roads to remote cell tower locations and install, service, and test underground co-axial, copper, and fibre optic lines. Groupe Madysta operates companies that make steel components, perform HVAC work, and conduct aerial drone inspections.
In addition to its headquarters, the company has offices in Longueuil, Terrebonne, and Sherbrooke, Quebec; Burlington, Vermont; plus “a little office in Ottawa,” says Health and Safety Director Martin Baril-Douville, who also handles regulatory, site, and business development matters.
Thanks to a trio of corporate acquisitions, Groupe Madysta is poised to open new offices in Woodbridge, Ontario; Edmonton, Alberta; and Burnaby, British Columbia, as well as Quebec. This November, the company finalized the purchases of Captel Inc., which performs design, steel fabrication, and installation work on telecommunication infrastructure; Medesa, an engineering company; and Azimuth Telecom Services, which does specialized telecom work.
“This transaction allows us to strengthen our skills and solidify our position as the national leader in telecom network building,” say President and Chief Executive Officer Yvan St-Arnaud and Co-Owner Manon Brodeur. “This transaction also allows [the company] to strengthen its expertise by integrating complementary strengths into its current portfolio and to consolidate leadership positions in these sectors,” he says.
The company also launched Madysta Telecom USA. It offers construction, in-house turnkey management, emergency support, and maintenance among other services for telecom towers, small cells, and fibre optic lines. Starting with this foothold, the business has big plans. “We want to reproduce the same model we have here in Canada: to be able to provide full turnkey project management,” explains Madysta Telecom USA General manager Samuel St-Arnaud.
“Over the past few months, we have worked on job sites spanning from the Northeast to the Southeast, as well as in Texas. Maintaining consistent standards and processes for completing each job is crucial for us. We actively support the crew at every job site to ensure they deliver high-quality work, adhere to safety protocols, and meet project deadlines. This hands-on approach reflects our commitment to excellence and ensures that every project aligns with Group Madysta’s reputation for reliability and professionalism,” says Carl St-Arnaud, Project Manager at Group Madysta.
The firm has also teamed up with a company that provides electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in Canada. Some of these EV stations are linked to telecom networks, an example of the growing integration of the telecommunications industry, he notes.
The introduction of the neutral infrastructure host model in Canada is another big development within the telecom industry. In the neutral host model, telecommunications infrastructure companies lease their assets to communication service providers (CSPs). This allows CSPs to serve their customers without needing to invest in infrastructure, freeing them to focus on service.
Maintaining high levels of quality and workmanship has also been central to success, adds Baril-Douville. As proof of the company’s commitment to quality, it established a training facility in Trois-Rivières, complete with a telecom tower for crews to hone their skills on. Outside experts sometimes come in to offer additional insights. Acquiring this firsthand knowledge about tower-related work also makes a potentially hazardous job less dangerous. “We are giving a lot of training to our people to ensure they work safely. When you are working 300 feet in the air, you want to be safe,” notes Bari-Douville.
Beyond having the necessary skills for the job in question, anyone looking to be hired needs to have a positive attitude. They also have to fit in with their work team and the company in general. While these prerequisites could apply to many companies, they are particularly important for Groupe Madysta’s field staff, who sometimes have to work and live together for several days at a time in isolated locales as telecom towers are often found in rural settings, explains Baril-Douville.
That philosophy is based around the values of health and safety, quality with an emphasis on continuous improvement, and family spirit. As Groupe Madysta moves forward, the plan is to retain these values while enhancing its services and dramatically broadening its market reach. Over the next few years, “we want to consolidate our presence coast-to-coast in Canada and our presence in the United States,” says Baril-Douville.
