40 Years. 40 Faces. | Patricia, Administrative Assistant

“After almost 30 years, I still love what I do.”

When you talk to Patricia, it quickly becomes clear just how closely her story is connected to GPR’s.

Patricia joined GPR in 1997 and is among those who have witnessed the company’s evolution firsthand over the past three decades. Through the years, she has worked alongside several generations of employees and members of the Belleville family: Pierre, the founder, his wife Gisèle, their children Dany and Gino, and then the next generation, whom she watched grow up. Her journey has given her a front-row seat to many important chapters in GPR’s history.

For more than 20 years, Patricia worked at reception. She was often the first voice customers heard and one of the first faces they saw when they walked through GPR’s doors. After a period away from work, she gradually returned before taking on a new challenge in accounting.

Today, her responsibilities include customer invoicing, payment follow-ups and accounts receivable.

For Patricia, the job requires, above all, organization, attention to detail and strong people skills.

“You have to be very organized. Without that, it just doesn’t work.”

Even though numbers are a big part of her day, it’s the interactions with people that she enjoys most. Over the years, she has built great relationships with many customers and still values the human connection that comes with her work.

“I really love it. Talking with people.”

She also appreciates the sense of accomplishment that comes at the end of a busy day. She enjoys seeing things move forward, checking tasks off her list and knowing that, in her own way, she is contributing to the company’s day-to-day operations.

But when Patricia talks about what has kept her at GPR all these years, her answer always comes back to the same things: the people and the values.

“I work with an extraordinary team.”

Over the years, she has felt the company’s support during important moments in her life. She still remembers something Pierre Belleville told her when her children were young, words that have stayed with her ever since.

“He told me, ‘If your kids want to call you, they can call you as often as they want.’”

For Patricia, gestures like this perfectly capture the spirit that has always been part of GPR: a culture where people come first.

Even after all these years, that sense of connection remains just as strong.

“I’m not leaving unless they make me,” she says with a laugh.

For someone approaching 30 years of service, that says a lot. It speaks to how much she still enjoys coming to work every day and to the special connection she has built with the company over the years.

Looking back on her journey, Patricia is also grateful to have discovered accounting. While she enjoyed her many years at reception, this change gave her the opportunity to keep learning and growing while remaining in an environment she deeply appreciates.

Outside of work, many people might be surprised to discover another side of Patricia. While she enjoys looking her best and coming to work well put together, she is also a true nature lover. Since moving to the countryside, she has embraced her garden, her flowers, her animals and the peaceful surroundings of country life.

“Nature is very important to me.”

That balance between her work, the people around her and the peacefulness of the countryside is part of what makes her happy every day.

After nearly three decades at GPR, Patricia continues to come to work with the same enthusiasm. Happy to see her colleagues, happy to contribute to the company and grateful for the journey she has built here.

And when asked to describe her team in just one word, her answer comes naturally:

“Extraordinary.”