School BeauceSchool invites you to an immersive experience with Mr. Christian Elie, President of Pelican International, on October 12–13, 2023, as part of the Élite Program.

Born in 1955 and the father of four children, Christian Élie is president of Pelican International Inc., a company specializing in the development, manufacture, and marketing of polymer-molded recreational products. 

Pelican International is well known for its kayaks, canoes, pedal boats, and small fishing boats, as well as for its sleds and toboggans, which can be found in major retailers such as Canadian Tire, Costco, and the Forzani Group (Sport Expert, Atmosphère, etc.) in Canada, as well as Walmart, Dick’s Sporting Goods, The Sport Authority, Academy Sports, and many others in the U.S. Élie attended Stanislas College in Montreal for high school and earned his DEC in Social Sciences with a concentration in Economics at the Collège français. In 1975, at the age of 20, he joined the family business, Pelican. After holding various positions—molder, assembler, quality control inspector, supervisor, and purchasing manager— In 1977, he became production manager. Then, in 1979, he was appointed executive vice president of the company. During those years, Christian Élie earned a certificate in Administration, Marketing & Finance from H.E.C. and took advanced courses in Accounting & Finance at McGill University.

Antoine, Mr. Élie’s brother, joined the company in 1983. While overseeing the management of Pelican, Christian established three overseas molding plants for the manufacture of tanks between 1983 and 1992: in Morocco, Senegal, and Turkey.  Pelican really took off in 1995, when Christian and his brother Antoine bought the company from their father. From 1995 to 2007, Pelican’s average annual growth rate was 20%.  Since 2019, the company has more than doubled in size. This was achieved through acquisitions, the development of new manufacturing processes, and the introduction of new products. Pelican has offices and warehouses in Laval, in Valleyfield since 2015, in South Carolina since 2019, and most recently in California since 2021. The company employs nearly 1,000 people. Its market is primarily in North America, but the company exports to locations around the world. Since 2012, Pelican has been the world’s most widely distributed kayak brand.

“In business, I’m looking for balance. I draw on the resources of others to find it.”

Included in the course

3 meals & 1 night's stay atEEB

This course will give course a taste of our Élite Program, as you’ll join our place cohort of entrepreneur-athletes.