Stéphane Brochu is the inventor of Alu-Rex’s Gutter Clean System and T-Rex rain gutter protection systems. He’s the one who developed the product and then helped put it on the market. With his brother Guy, he founded Alu-Rex in 2001 to enable homeowners to effectively protect their gutters. The following are a few questions Stéphane was asked on the development of his very first products and the birth of the company.

1- Where did the idea of developing a gutter guard come from?

Basically, the idea of developing a gutter protection system came from a need. While I was a gutter installer, some of my clients wanted a mesh for their gutters, but I didn’t feel comfortable suggesting an existing product because they didn’t work at all. So, I decided to create a solid product that would be easy to install and very effective. That’s how I came to develop leaf guard prototypes…

2- How did your experience installing gutters help you in the process?

Thanks to the experience I developed, I discovered that a large number of homeowners needed eavestrough protection. In addition, the knowledge I had helped me a lot in the technical development of the product.

3- Where did the idea of founding Alu-Rex to market your gutter covers come from?

Following a market study on my clients who had gutters installed, I was able to evaluate, along with my brother Guy, the price people would be willing to pay for such a product and also the potential sales figures. In addition, I noticed that there was a strong need for a product to protect gutters because many owners did not want to climb a ladder.

After this analysis and the final development of the first gutter guard model, Alu-Rex was founded to fulfil this need. After nearly 7 years spent on creating the Gutter Clean System, I was ready to launch this gutter protection system onto the market!

4- At the very beginning, how did you convince installers of the quality of the product?

We started out at Alu-Rex by selling and distributing the Gutter Clean System making door-to-door visits to gutter installation companies. Quebec City installers were difficult to convince at first because, until very recently, they were our competitors. That’s why we targeted the Montreal market. Then, we went to the United States and Western Canada before going to Ontario – all this, accompanied by interpreters.

5- Where did the idea for a continuous hanger come from?

Around 2 months after the launch of the Gutter Clean System, I had the idea of installing gutters and gutter covers in a single step. From there was born the idea of the Fixa-Tech continuous hanger, which is now called the T-Rex.

6- Could you imagine your products being that popular? What suggested that gutter guards would become such a hit?

Such popularity was predictable, if I went by the American craze for such a product. The gutter guard wave was 15 years ahead in the United States while the demand was yet to be created in Canada.

7- Today, how do you see Alu-Rex’s future?

With such a dynamic team, I’d like the company to be better than ever. Having greater confidence in my young team, I want to expand Alu-Rex because, in my view, it’s better to grow a company as a group than alone.