To quote a Jacques Brel song, "There are the living and there are those who are at sea."  Today,  Serge Gendron is at sea, aboard his sailboat, crossing the Celtic Sea.  I am very pleased to be here on his behalf to accept  the 2012 grand prize for excellence, presented by the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec.

My father embodies all the values advocated by the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec : integrity, accessibility,  rigour, accountability and consistency. But what makes him exceptional is his  trust in the  people he works with, the many interests  he is passionate about,  his commitment to family and the success he brings to everything he undertakes.