Chez Boissière & son, we advocate sustainable construction and well-being at work

Frédéric Boissière a repris l’entreprise familiale avec son épouse, Marie. Photo – Boissière & fils

L’entreprise spécialisée dans la menuiserie, la charpente et l’ossature bois, installée sur les hauteurs de Saint-Beauzély est engagée dans une démarche RSE depuis plus de dix ans. Une stratégie qui paye.

At the Boissière family, the passion for wood is shared, by chance, not only in the family name but also from father to son. It was in 1982 that Pierre-Marie decided to create his carpentry and furniture company.

Wood is the company's leitmotif. Photo – Boissière & son

"At the same time, my grandparents built a fully autonomous wooden chalet in Estalane, on the Lévézou plateau. I grew up in the land of the Grands Causses, this majestic and oxygenating territory. A sportsman by nature, I know the landscapes, the trails, the woods,” explains Frédéric, Pierre-Marie’s son, who has taken up the torch. Hence my commitment to a healthy, bioclimatic and environmentally friendly habitat.

Four-day week, comfort

In 2004, father and son founded the entity Boissière & son. "My husband has been immersed in the woods since he was very little", explains Marie, Frédéric’s wife, who, in 2006, joined the adventure. "Initially, it was a carpentry company. When my husband joined it, he developed the wooden frame part.

In 2005, Boissière & fils designed its first timber-framed house in La Cresse, a pioneering model in the region. Thanks to its diversification, the company continued to grow, going from five employees in 2005 to around twenty in 2012 and reaching forty employees this year. In 2023, the Boissières decided to take a new turn by expanding their workshops in order to grow their activities. All in an eco-responsible approach. And social responsibility.

40 employees

"We did not wait until 2024 to focus our development and our evolution in the field of CSR", insists Marie Boissière. The first major commitment for the company is the well-being of its employees. "Since 2012, we have implemented a four-day week for the working comfort of our teams. At the time, there were few companies that adapted this method of operation, explains Marie. We also established mutual insurance, with 60% coverage by the company. Then, the savings plan, the holiday vouchers. We made this choice to invest in social benefits in order to be able to retain our employees as if they were working in a large group.

Exclusively French wood from the great South

Second major CSR commitment for Boissière & son, sustainable development. Already, in terms of the materials used. With the value, the short circuit. "We use wood from the great South-West, we do not work with wood from foreign countries". We are still in 2012, Frédéric and Marie Boissière are launching their first photovoltaic power plant, taking advantage of the company's move to the heights of the Clapassous artisanal zone, still in Saint-Beauzély. "We were already working on the low-consumption house. The photovoltaic project on our workshops was linked to our construction projects to achieve energy performance on our manufacturing buildings.

It is with this in mind to improve comfort, reorganize the work tool and production capacity that the couple makes the decision to push the walls further 2022.

Recycling and revaluation of waste

“When Covid ended, we realized that it was even more important for our teams”. A new 1,600 m2 building therefore emerged from the ground in 2023 “with 250 m2 of new design office. And with the aim of splitting the joinery activities (flooring, stairs, windows, doors, aluminum, PVC, wood shutters, etc.) and timber frame (residential house, extension, pergola, terrace, pool surround, traditional framework, etc.)” All completed by a new production line. A total of 3,600 m2. « We have therefore doubled our production area".

A new building and a new production line

In 2023, the company expanded with a new building which made it possible to split the two activities. Photo – Boissière & son

The Boissière couple are already thinking even further with a new photovoltaic plant which will be installed in the new part of the building. "We will be there in a system of purchase and resale. The challenge is to be completely autonomous in order to limit the impact on customers by increasing prices. Another eco-responsible commitment, all waste produced is collected, recycled or recovered. "We also recycle everything that is wood. Part of our joinery is returned to our supplier to be dismantled and reused into furniture. » Same scenario for wood which is used to heat the workshops and make it possible to be "autonomous in heating".

Training the next generation of tomorrow

Another CSR commitment, training the next generation of tomorrow by passing on artisanal know-how. Chez Boissière & son, we are constantly recruiting three to four apprentices, "from CAP carpenter carpenter to wood structure engineer. Our CSR approach also includes this with the ambition of supporting the workforce of tomorrow. This is our role as business leaders, Marie further explains.

Frédéric Boissière took over the family business with his wife, Marie. Photo – Boissière & son

Which makes it possible to remedy the problem of recruitment difficulties. In 2024, the company is in the process of training a wood structure engineer, a carpentry CAP, two licenses in wood construction. In terms of innovation, the Boissière couple recruited a Master 2 intern in social psychology at work. Always, with the aim of improving working conditions.