Get to know the people behind your glasses. Today's optician: Luc Sauvageau aka The Don
Name : Luc Sauvageau
Nickname : Don Brandon
Years of experience 45 years (!!!)
Territory : Mile End, Longueuil, La Prairie, Châteauguay, Brossard
To borrow a sports metaphor, Luc is the veteran that can be used in any situation. Calm and efficient, his mere presence helps stabilize everything else. Customers feel confident, and so do his colleagues! How can you not with more than four decades of experience? When Luc shares his wisdom, you can't help but listen. This is the kind of authority that comes with his status of Don/President of l'Association des opticiens du Québec.
HOW DID YOU BECOME AN OPTICIAN?
When time came to choose a career, I didn't want to be mess around. I already had a DEC in Health Sciences and I had no intention of spending too much time in school. On top of that, several university programs I was interested in had very limited quotas. When I learned that CEGEP Édouard-Montpetit was about to launch an orthèses visuelles department, I was immediately intrigued. I applied and ended up being part of the first ever cohort, the class of 1977. I guess that makes me a bit of a pioneer (laugh).
HOW DID YOU END UP WORKING AT BONHOMME À LUNETTES?
I owned a franchise from 1989 to 2011, so for about 22 years. At some point, I ended up making the decision to sell, but I stayed on as manager. That's when sales targets were introduced and they made me rather uncomfortable. I thought it was a lack of consideration for our customers, some of whom had been coming to see us for a long time. So I resigned and it was during this period that Gino (aka Dr Spock) started trying to recruit me to come and work at Bonhomme. I agreed to meet Philippe and I finally started not long after. A great adventure that has been going on for 7 years!
IS THERE AN INTERESTING STORY BEHIND YOUR NICKNAME?
Shortly before I joined the team, Catherine had been hired and her nickname was Brenda. So when Philippe was looking for mine, he simply suggested a male counterpart: Brandon. The “Don” came later. Because I have been president of l'Association des opticiens for 14 years, Philippe often joked that I was the Godfather of opticians, so he started calling me Don Brandon.
WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT YOUR WORK?
The human touch. I like to see people, I like to exchange with them. I also think that we help people, we help them with our knowledge. Even when it is more difficult and the client arrives with requests that do not hold water. Instead of just saying "no", I take my time to discuss the issues, explore the different options and try to find the best possible solution.
WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT WORKING AT BONHOMME À LUNETTES ?
Conviviality not only with customers, but with colleagues. There is a very nice vibe around here, and a rigorous way of doing things that makes it all so pleasant. We always try to help customers and I think they are happy with our efforts. The vast majority anyway. At my age, I could retire, but I don't really think about it. Not yet. When we came back from vacation recently, I was very happy to be back. For me, working at Bonhomme à lunettes is pure happiness.
