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Josianne Berthiaume, driver of change 

At Englobe, we pride ourselves in constantly evolving.  This is what gave us the idea to draw the portrait and tell the story of Josianne Berthiaume. At 21 years old, she is the first heavy equipment operator to be part of one of our teams and for us, she represents a source of inspiration.

 

Machinery is in her DNA!

"Some people like a particular color, but for me, it's always been heavy machinery.”

Josianne chose a profession that may surprise many, but for her, nothing felt more natural. She inherited this passion from her father, owner and founder of a snow removal and landscaping company. Forget bikes and swings... At the age of 7 or 8, she was already behind the wheel of a tractor. Machines have always fascinated her and are a foundation in her life. Josianne's interest was revealed at an early age and without hesitation, she decided  to study as a heavy equipment operator while continuing her work in the family business.

 

At Englobe, the current is flowing

After graduation, Josianne joined our team in Saint-Henri-de-Lévis and found the same family spirit. As soon as she arrived, she felt welcomed and supported. All the operators are much older than her, so they were quick to take her under their wings. She likes the atmosphere, especially since, with her background and personality as an entrepreneur, she has acquired a great deal of maturity and has always valued working with experienced people she could learn from.

 

The spirit of solidarity and initiative that exists at Englobe resonates well with her values. We are optimists by nature and so is she. But what she appreciates most about our team is that she has a lot of freedom. Given her value of independence, we can guess that she likes it. Here, each team member has to accomplish their tasks, but everyone can do them in their own way and in a safe environment. Plus, her schedule is not routine and her days don’t often look the same.  Working on a composting site with a variety of plant materials, she has to adapt her way of working to each load, which makes her daily life stimulating and full of new challenges.

 

Becoming a source of inspiration

In this profession, women are still rare. When she completed her diploma, out of a cohort of about 60 people, there were only two female students. However, Josianne believes that with time, there will be more and more women.

 

"You have to follow your instinct, your passion and not stop at what the world thinks. I have learned not to let myself be influenced by other people's opinions.”

Among her motivations, she wishes to change the image of the profession and to put aside the clichés. In this line of work, only competence counts, no matter who is behind the wheel. Josianne wishes to pave the way for the future generations of women and to inspire the youngest. The advice she gives them is to establish yourself and who you are: you must have character to be respected. Then, as she tells us, everything will go well.

 

Englobe is one of Canada’s premier firms specializing in professional engineering services, environmental sciences, and soil and biomass treatment.