As a team of acoustical engineers and sound masking experts whose job it is to make all sorts of environments quieter, safer, and more comfortable for everyone, minimizing noise is a fundamental part of our DNA. We take pride in helping our clients achieve more with less while keeping mostly silent about it. That is Soft dB for you: a no-frills scientific approach to solving noise and vibration problems—with simplicity and cost-efficiency top of mind. The science of sound at your service with no bells and whistles.
Be that as it may, not all noise is necessarily meant to be tamed down. Some news is just more important than our devotion to keeping things quiet. Some news like, for instance, our founding President embracing retirement and passing on the torch—at the dawn of a new and exciting chapter in Soft dB's continuing success story. Such news is meant to resonate beyond our office walls.
Filling the Shoes of Our Founding President
After nearly three decades at the helm of Soft dB and its formidable year-on-year growth, André L'Espérance is stepping down as company President, effective May 1, 2022. He is, however, not stepping down as the inspirational leader and scientist he's always been. He’ll keep contributing to Soft dB's mission on a part-time basis, while remaining a valuable member of the Company's Board of Directors. In fact, for the better part of the last two years, André has kept busy with an exciting side project of his own: Soft dB's first-ever incursion into consumer electronics territory—a new travel-sized ambient sound machine for better sleep and focus that's also a remarkably powerful wireless Bluetooth speaker to boot. Simply called Deep, his one-of-a-kind Bluetooth speaker & ambient sound generator hybrid is set to hit the market shortly. Stay tuned for more good noise coming your way.
Meanwhile, André's successor should come as no surprise. Following a well-planned leadership transition process, Soft dB's Board of Directors appointed Jeff Cauchon as new company President, effective immediately. Along with this key stewardship role, he will also serve as General Manager for Soft dB's crown jewel—our sound masking system division. Jeff's proven business acumen, rigorous customer-first approach, and pragmatic stance on product development made him a natural choice for spearheading our ambitious global growth strategy. He'll also be in the perfect position to unify our distributed teams under a common set of goals. Just like André, he too is a strong believer in prioritizing long-term success and sustained relevance over immediate wins. We're confident that Soft dB's core philosophy will stand the test of time under his leadership.
At the same time, Michel Pearson, one of Soft dB's earliest employees and key contributors, has been appointed to the position of General Manager for the acoustical consulting and monitoring divisions. Michel's hands-on field experience as a practicing engineer, intimate insights into the regulatory and safety challenges arising from noise and vibrations, combined with his unmatched dedication to client success, made him an invaluable asset to the company from day one. We can't think of anyone better suited to lead our seasoned, multidisciplinary team of acoustical engineers and consultants, called in an increasingly large number of high-profile projects each year.
With Jeff and Michel collaborating closely behind the wheel, we can confidently focus on three strategic, high-demand sectors across which Soft dB has already carved out an enviable reputation and established a solid track record for innovation: office sound masking technology, acoustical engineering consultancy services, and noise & ground vibration monitoring solutions. It should be noted that the latter shows nearly infinite growth potential as more and more industrial facilities, construction firms, and mining companies turn to us for helping them achieve continuous compliance with occupational safety standards, environmental regulations, and noise bylaws. Have we already mentioned the future looks quite promising?
In the end, we as a team can't thank André enough for his exceptional leadership, dedication, and uniquely human approach to work over these past 26 years. We all wish him a happy, healthy, and very much deserved transition to retirement. But let it be known that a genuine passion for acoustics and refining how it can help people's lives never truly retires. Some things will never change about Soft dB: We'll always be striving for more. Our clients will always be welcome to ask for more. And the whole will always be greater than the sum of its parts.
Thank you for everything, André!
