Although some might think it was only natural for Philippe Bergeron to take over the family business and become the fourth generation of Bergerons to own the funeral home that bears his name, this buyout was not in his initial plans. In his younger years, he wasn’t drawn to running a funeral home. However, he had always cared deeply about the success of Salon funéraire Bergeron, where his father, Louis Bergeron, was in charge at the time. From childhood, Philippe was interested in finances and business operations, so it’s not surprising that he always knew he wanted to go into business for himself; he just had to decide in which sector he would invest his entrepreneurial energy. Eventually, it was in the financial sector that Philippe spent the first 10 years of his career, working as an accountant in several different companies. But the call of entrepreneurship was never far away, nor was the family funeral home. Soon, a fortuitous chain of events would remind him of that and alter his professional trajectory.
When an employee at Salon Bergeron took a sick leave, Philippe agreed to replace him on short notice. While he was settling into the responsibilities given to him, his father announced that he was going to retire. This news triggered deep reflection for Philippe, who ultimately decided to follow in the footsteps of his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. “I’d always wanted to work for myself, so I realized this was the perfect chance. [...] My family always thought I’d be the right candidate to take over the funeral home. Let’s say they knew that before I did,” he says with a laugh.
Before making the buyout official, Philippe took a year to test the waters: he planned to manage the company without yet being its owner. At the same time, he sought financing from financial institutions for the acquisition. Feeling ready just a few months later, Philippe purchased all of the business’s shares in January 2008—90 years after the founding of Salon funéraire Bergeron. His predecessor did not completely leave right away; Louis Bergeron wanted to keep working a bit longer and became an employee of his son for a few years. Together, both generations split up the managerial tasks, with Philippe focusing on business development and reducing his father’s responsibilities.
He also inherited a team more experienced than he was in the funeral industry. Rather than an obstacle, this transition gave Philippe a chance to learn—his employees mentored him and taught him everything he needed to excel. As Philippe himself says, “I arrived telling myself that the first year would be about learning, and after that, I’d improve things one process at a time.”
He has more than delivered on that promise, undertaking numerous projects to keep Salon funéraire Bergeron in step with the ever-changing needs of the community. The period of change started strong in 2016 with a major expansion—costing $3.5 million—that doubled the size of their original building. This expansion continued in 2020 when he acquired the Gaudet Funeral Home, increasing the number of Bergeron service locations to five, extending its reach to Bécancour and Daveluyville. The owner’s future objective is to keep growing through acquisition.
Despite all that, Philippe’s greatest point of pride as the owner is the difference he and his team make in the lives of grieving families: “My proudest moment is when I run into a family who thanks me and says that I changed their life by helping them through a difficult time.”
salonbergeron.ca
salonbergeron.ca
