In May 2018, Philippe Boisclair, business owner and president of McGill St Laurent (MSL), sought to grow the firm and increase annual profitability by CA$35 million by 2020. MSL was a medium-sized commodities trading firm with interests in wood, grain, and energy. Founded in 2009 by two business school graduates and veterans of the lumber industry, MSL had enjoyed significant growth. The company had not only expanded into grain and energy trading but had also diversified its wood business to encompass architectural design and manufacturing as well as industrial lumber products. Boisclair, a serial entrepreneur, had to decide on a corporate growth strategy, which he had to present at the upcoming advisory board meeting.

In May 2018, Philippe Boisclair, business owner and president of McGill St Laurent (MSL), sought to grow the firm and increase annual profitability by CA$35 million by 2020. MSL was a medium-sized commodities trading firm with interests in wood, grain, and energy. Founded in 2009 by two business school graduates and veterans of the lumber industry, MSL had enjoyed significant growth. The company had not only expanded into grain and energy trading but had also diversified its wood business to encompass architectural design and manufacturing as well as industrial lumber products. Boisclair, a serial entrepreneur, had to decide on a corporate growth strategy, which he had to present at the upcoming advisory board meeting.