In brief
| Rank | 21st of 25 |
|---|---|
| Leader | Mariève Beaucage, president |
| Full-time employees in Quebec | 659 |
| Total employees in Quebec | 674 |
| Declared sector | Group of automobile dealerships |
| Head office | Sherbrooke |
| Year founded | 1992 |
Interested in the automotive field? Behind this 21st rank there are 659 people, and the network is still hiring. See the open positions near you
What the ranking says, exactly
The ranking is titled “The 25 largest women-led companies in Quebec in 2026” (our translation). It is part of the feature Women’s leadership: the other glass ceiling (our translation), published in the mid-September 2026 issue. At the top: Hydro-Québec, with close to 25,000 people. The bottom of the table sits at around 600 full-time employees, and that is where Groupe Beaucage sits.
The complete list, with the 25 companies, their leaders and their headcounts, is published on the magazine’s website: read the Les Affaires 2026 rankingFR.
How the rank is calculated
The method is published with the table, and it is worth reading before comparing anything. The rank measures neither revenue, nor the number of locations, nor growth. It measures one single thing: the number of full-time employees in the province.
- The reference date is June 30, 2026. The declared headcounts are those of that day, not those of today.
- Participation is voluntary. Each company fills out a form; the data was collected between July 13 and August 31, 2026. A company that does not respond does not appear, even if it would be eligible.
- With an equal number of employees, companies share the same rank and are separated in alphabetical order.
- Three exclusions. Leaders based outside Quebec, those who sit only on the board of directors without executive duties, and non-profit organizations.
In other words, it is a ranking of employers, not a performance ranking. What it says about Groupe Beaucage is that it sustains 659 full-time jobs in Quebec, and that the person who runs its operations is a woman.
The only automotive group on the list
Going through the 25 ranked companies, one thing jumps out: the list includes electricity, financial services, information technology, air transportation, engineering consulting, insurance, packaging, cleaning services, shipbuilding, clothing, logistics, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, software and health services. No other automotive retailer.
The second particularity is geographic. Twelve of the ranked companies have their head office in Montreal, three in Québec City. The others are spread between Toronto, Lavaltrie, Lévis, Saint-Arsène, Dorval, Laval, Saint-Hyacinthe, Kirkland and Brossard. Groupe Beaucage is the only company in the 2026 ranking whose head office is in Sherbrooke.
Mariève Beaucage’s path
She long believed she would never work in the automotive industry. It was her father, Daniel Beaucage, the company’s founder, who suggested she study automotive management at Northwood University in Florida. She earned her bachelor’s degree there in 2007.
Six years in the United States followed, at two manufacturers: first at Mazda’s North American headquarters, then at Kia Canada as a district manager. She also completed her training at NADA University in Washington. It was only in 2012 that she joined the family business, after proving herself elsewhere, which, by her own admission, mattered a great deal to her.
“People often think that when you work with your family it is easier, when in reality it is rather the opposite.” (our translation)
Within the group, she successively held the positions of director of operations, general manager, then vice-president. In 2025, she completed a four-year leadership program at the Beauce entrepreneurship school (the École d’Entrepreneurship de Beauce). Her appointment as presidentFR was announced in February 2026, thirteen years after she joined.
Her full profile, in ten questions (the first car, the spring break anecdote in Florida, the song she sings at the top of her lungs), remains one of the blog’s most-read articles: Mariève Beaucage: when passion and determination meetFR.
What 659 jobs represent in the region
A headcount stays abstract until you place it somewhere. This one is spread over 29 locations: 25 dealerships (new and used), two collision repair centres, a tire and mechanical centre, and Beaucage Auto Crédit for financing, in seven cities: Sherbrooke, Magog, Granby, Cowansville, Saint-Hyacinthe, Drummondville and Victoriaville. Fifteen are in the Eastern Townships, nine in Montérégie, five in Centre-du-Québec.
These are sales advisors, technicians, service advisors, body technicians, parts clerks, finance managers, administration staff. Trades that cannot be offshored: a repair is done where the vehicle is.
Want to be part of the family? We are always looking for new talent, in the network’s seven cities, with or without automotive experience. See the open positions in your region
That is also what makes the ranking interesting for the region. Companies of this size whose decisions are made on site, and not at a head office elsewhere, are not that numerous. Groupe Beaucage was born in Sherbrooke in 1992, and it has stayed there.
A recognition that adds to others
Four months earlier, in May 2026, the group won for the third year in a row the title of Gold Standard winner in Canada’s Best Managed CompaniesFR, a Deloitte program, its sixth consecutive year of recognition.
The two distinctions do not measure the same thing. One looks at management, assessed by a jury. The other counts jobs, declared and verified on a specific date. They meet on one point: neither is earned in a single year.
The group’s story begins with one dealership. It has 25 today.
Frequently asked questions
Who publishes this ranking?
Les Affaires, in its Women’s leadership feature (our translation) in the mid-September 2026 issue. The ranking is built from forms that companies fill out voluntarily and that the editorial team compiles.
Why 659 employees, and not another number?
Because the ranking counts full-time employees, in Quebec, as of June 30, 2026. The total number of employees in Quebec declared on the same date is 674. A total headcount including part-time staff, or taken on another date, would give another number, which is not a contradiction but a different definition.
Is 21st good or not?
It is an employer rank, not a grade. Of the 25 companies included, twenty are Crown corporations, financial institutions, multinationals or Canadian headquarters of international groups. Groupe Beaucage is a regional family business, founded in 1992 and still owned by the same family.
Is the group hiring?
Yes, on an ongoing basis. The open positions at the 29 locations are posted on the Careers page, with the city and the dealership concerned. They include trades in the shop, sales, customer service and administration, and several can be learned on the job, with no prior automotive experience.
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