The Ordre du Mérite Coopératif Acadien is awarded to two recipients - UNI Financial Cooperation
Slider Image

The Ordre du Mérite Coopératif Acadien is awarded to two recipients

Moncton, April 15, 2011 – Paul Caissie and Normand Thériault have been honoured for their exceptional contribution to the Mouvement coopératif acadien, by being awarded the Ordre du Mérite Coopératif Acadien at the 3rd degree, as part of the Distinction Evening of the Caisses populaires acadiennes Annual Congress, held in Moncton. This award is the highest recognition in the Mouvement coopératif acadien.

With respectively several years of service within the Caisses populaires acadiennes network, the impressive track record of these two recipients is a testament to their dedication toward the Mouvement.

In recognition of their exemplary commitment to the development of the Mouvement coopératif on local, regional and provincial levels, Mr. Caissie and Mr. Thériault have been awarded the Ordre du Mérite Coopératif Acadien.

Notes about Paul Caissie - Ordre du Mérite at the 3rd degree:

Paul Caissie was born in Drummondville on April 4, 1953. Son of François and Marie-Ange Caissie, he received his primary education in Trois-Rivières. The family then moved to New Brunswick, where Mr. Caissie received his secondary education in Richibucto, and went on to study Business Administration at Université de Moncton.

He got his first job at National Bank in Richibucto and 10 years later, in 1984, he took on the position of general manager at Caisse populaire de Saint-Anselme, now known as Caisse populaire Dieppe-Memramcook.

From 1995, Mr. Caissie was involved on many levels within the Mouvement on the provincial scale, by sitting on numerous boards of directors. He was a member of the board of directors of the Fédération des caisses populaires acadiennes, of Acadia Financial Holdings and of Acadia Service Corporation from 1995 to 2004. He was also a member of the board of directors of Atlantic Student Loans from 1995 to 1999, a member of the board of directors of Fonds de placement Acadie from 1999 to 2000 and a member of the board of directors of Acadia Service Centre from 2002 to 2004. Mr. Caissie was also a member of the foundation committee of Coopérative de Dieppe, which first opened its doors a few years ago.

He has also been actively involved on the community level, namely as a member of the financing committee of the Jeux de l’Acadie for two years, member of the financing committee of the 1994 World Acadian Congress for three years, member within the Beauséjour Regional Health Authority for three years, within the Mira Foundation for five years, and within the Résidences de Saint-Anselme for about fifteen years.

Notes about Normand Thériault - Ordre du Mérite at the 3rd degree:

Normand Thériault was born on May 21, 1946 in Sainte-Anne-de-Madawaska, New Brunswick. He is the son of Donata and Robert G. Thériault. His father, a well-known cooperator from the Madawaska region, also received the Ordre du Mérite Coopératif Acadien, in 1985.

M. Thériault received his education at École régionale de Sainte-Anne-de-Madawaska, where he completed his primary and secondary education. Then, in 1964, he took a mechanics course at Bathurst Community College, and received his diploma in 1965.

He has held several jobs for numerous companies, including at Atlas Construction Maritimes Ltée in Fredericton, where he was initiated to bookkeeping, and also provided support to the superintendent. He has held other positions, including in accounting and as a project superintendent. Mr. Thériault then became business manager, and later accepted an accounting position at Morin Garage.

In 1977, Mr. Thériault has entered the Mouvement coopératif, as assistant general manager and loan manager at Caisse populaire de Grand-Sault.

From his first position at Caisse populaire de Grand-Sault, he then accepted the position of assistant general manager and loans manager at Caisse populaire Sainte-Anne-de-Madawaska in 1981, positions he held until 1984, when he became regional consultant for the Madawaska/Victoria region at the Fédération des caisses populaires acadiennes. He was put in charge of technical and administrative support for the 19 caisses populaires that were then in that region. Furthermore, in 1982, Mr. Thériault received his certificate from the Institut Coopératif Acadien and his certificate of cooperative studies from Centre universitaire Saint-Louis-Maillet.

In May 2000, while the network was undergoing significant transformations in the wake of mergers, he took on the position of General Manager at Caisse populaire Drummond/Saint-Georges, which became Caisse populaire Les Chutes following the merger with Caisse populaire de Saint-André and Caisse populaire Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes. He also sat on the board of directors of Acadia Service Centre from 2001 to 2004.

Then, in May 2003, Mr. Thériault accepted the position of assistant general manager at Caisse populaire La Vallée, following its merger with Caisse populaire Les Chutes. Later, in May 2005, he made his first attempt to officially retire. After two years of “retirement”, in April 2007, he was offered a nine-month service contract at the Fédération des caisses populaires acadiennes, as project manager for the transfer of data of Caisse populaire de Shippagan, which had then just reintegrated the Caisses populaires acadiennes network. He was also interim general manager at Caisse populaire de Kedgwick for two months, and then at Caisse populaire Restigouche, this time for approximately five months.

In addition to his role within the Mouvement coopératif, Mr. Thériault was also involved in organizations and initiatives in his community. For 15 years, he was involved in minor hockey, for 10 years in the Club de ski de fond et raquette, and in the CPAÉ Committee of the Paroisse Sainte-Anne-de-Madawaska for 12 years. Moreover, Mr. Thériault worked for the Edmundston Regional Hospital Foundation for six years, was a member of the board of directors of the Foyer Notre-Dame de Saint-Léonard for six years, and was a member of the New Brunswick Association of Nursing Homes for six years. He has also been a member of the Knights of Columbus for the past 38 years, having sat on the Executive of the State Council for three years, namely as ceremonialist and treasurer.

More recently, in 2010, he accepted the prestigious position of President of the 2014 World Acadian Congress, position he will hold until 2014.

Some former recipients of the Ordre du Mérite Coopératif Acadien:

2010: Étienne Boudreau
2009: Gilles Landry, Dominique Martin and Raymond Richard
2008: Donald French and Robert Gauvin
2007: Jules J. Breau
2006: Ubald Benoît
2005: Roland Cormier

About the Mouvement:

The Mouvement des caisses populaires acadiennes was founded in 1946. It is the largest Acadian financial institution in New Brunswick. With global assets at more than $3 billion, this network consists of 22 Caisses and 82 business locations in New Brunswick. More than 1,200 employees and 350 elected representatives constitute the strength of the organization. The Fédération des caisses populaires acadiennes is located in Caraquet, New Brunswick. For more details, visit our Web site at http://www.acadie.com.

For additional information:

Mario Griffin
Communications and Public Relations Consultant
Caisses populaires acadiennes
Phone: 506 726-4785
Mobile: 506 724-0078
Fax: 506 726-8220
mario.griffin@acadie.com

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Communication Team
295 Saint-Pierre Blvd. West
P.O. Box 5554
Caraquet NB E1W 1B7

E-mail: communication@uni.ca