The little story behind RecharjME

Éric Normandeau is an entrepreneur at heart. At 18, he had already acquired a NutriZoo franchise, which offered an innovative concept for home delivery of pet food. Then, he became a physical education teacher, a job he did for 14 years while dreaming of business projects he could one day carry out to improve health. He ended up taking a three-month sabbatical that became a year, during which he designed a business plan around the development of relaxation spaces that he would rent in office towers.

“The Montreal Challenge Accelerator gave me the boost I needed, he confides. I was told that my idea was completely viable and marketable." The costs associated with signing a commercial lease were too high, so he thought of the mobile cabin. That was in 2017. The following year, Timothée Régnier , also interested in physical and mental health and rest in the workplace, contacted him. He did a market study and Éric was a potential competitor. Except that the latter wanted a collaborator. So the two partners launched together. Timothée would take care of marketing and Éric would take care of research & development and management.

They do everything themselves, design, manufacture and install. "We know where we want to go. We don't have all the drawings, but we ask for help. We also did business with a designer." For now, they have a software developer who takes care of the software, but the team is already destined to grow.

Armchairs to relax in an immersive environment

"The company that buys the cabin that we install for a specific time offers its employees a re-energizing relaxation service at work," explains the owner of RechargeME. "They just have to book a time slot online, via an application. About twenty minutes is enough for an invigorating power nap ."

Éric Normandeau has thought of everything. It is important to him that the cabin be sustainable and eco-designed, as it is made from wood residue. He has not skimped on technology either: “It is a secure, soundproof cocoon, with antibacterial walls, ventilation that recycles the air every five minutes and filters viruses and spores. The leather armchair is massaging, heated, with integrated automated systems: presence detection, light alarm clock and gradual positioning up to zero gravity, an angle developed by NASA to remove tension and offer a feeling of floating.” Projects are already underway to continue improving the cabin: aromatherapy, light therapy and improved guided meditations are being considered.

A successful concept

“In 2019, we signed with Cirque du Soleil, Desjardins and several large companies,” says Éric Normandeau. “Then the pandemic arrived, and with it, the suspension of contracts, but also the distress in the clinical environment. We started calling all the hospitals to offer our service. Normally, discussions are long when you want to innovate and penetrate this market, but in the emergency, positive responses came from everywhere. Today, we have twelve booths installed across Greater Montreal hospitals.”

RecharjME is taking its first steps in the manufacturing sector. As a student, Éric Normandeau also held jobs in this sector: “I know what night shifts are like, 12 to 16 hours straight in factories,” he says. “It’s more than necessary to be able to rest.” Ontario is also in the sights of the two business partners, who have passed the milestone of 10,000 cabin time slot reservations and are receiving positive testimonials from users. “Some are already on their 200th use!” says Éric, delighted, who sees his business skyrocketing.