Like father, like son: Mario and Mathieu Dupuis

Joining the company 10 years apart, father and son Mario and Mathieu Dupuis have both found room to grow their careers with J.D. Irving, Limited’s Sawmill Division.

Mario, General Manager of the Saint Leonard Sawmill (Scierie Grande-Riviere), first joined the company in 2013 as a sawmill superintendent. Mathieu did so a decade later, joining Grand River Pellets in 2023 as a general operator and is now on a similar career trajectory.

Both have experienced career progression within the Sawmill Division. After four years at the Saint Leonard Sawmill, Mario transferred to Grand Lake Timber in Chipman, N.B., where he would soon be promoted to be the site’s general manager. He moved back to the Saint Leonard Sawmill in 2019, where he’s held his current role ever since.

Over at Grand River Pellets, Mathieu also moved his way up from general operator to loader operator before becoming a production supervisor in November.

“When I first joined the company two years ago, I had no specific intent to ascend to a supervisory function,” Mathieu said. “But as time moved on, and my knowledge of the business and the people increased, I developed a curiosity to grow from within and follow in my father’s footsteps.”

Located across the road from each other, the sawmill and the pellet plant are separate operations, meaning Mario and Mathieu do not cross paths at work day-to-day. But that doesn’t stop Mario from watching with pride from afar as his son charts a career of his own.

“I am a very proud father to watch him transition to this role and highlight his drive and willingness to succeed within the company,” Mario said.

As for Mathieu, he notes that he’s had a strong role model to follow.

“Similar to my father, I believe my work ethic, drive and ambition match his,” he said. “To that extent, I would be more than happy to assume any type of supervisory function within the company, following in his footsteps.”