The state of things:
Right, so where we are at, is that after doing some seriously intense online digging around BRC and any combinations of names and places, is that there is very little to find. The thinking is, that there has to be a business here. BRC was a machine shop of some kind; we have already ascertained that. But in a business of this nature, there is often a business guy; a money guy and an engineer guy. There has to be more than what we see.
There are those documents shown previously in the thread, there is an old Portuguese or Brazilian PDF about garbage compactors, for which Berenger Rouard apparently made the electric motor, and there are two people on employment websites who profess to have worked there previously. Neither of them have responded to our queries.
There is also a twenty-five year old article in a French industry magazine, about the French defense industry and its suppliers. Might be good, who knows... But, the article can't be seen. It is hidden behind a massive pop-up, outrageously expensive paywall-subscribe-now-to-read thing. Hm. So, click the stupid window down, press the back button, and THERE!! Right there, for just a brief half a second, the article is visible! Hmm.
So, I did the same thing again, but this time filmed the sequence with an iphone, selected the right frame, and bingo... there it is. Screenshot that, show it to a friend who filmed my screen using the automatic translate app, screenshotted that, and well now... Look at that. Bob is our uncle.
The article describes the basic aspects of some of the smaller businesses supplying the larger aeronautical companies in the area, and quotes a fellow who apparently was an exec at a state-owned aeronautical company, but branched off to form the Wxxx Company. He had also previously founded Berenger Rouard, to make components for racing cars.
Wait, what? Him?!
So, I dug into him, the Wxxx Company, ran them both through all the French Bureau of Commerce websites, compared notes, and... Yup.
This is him. This is the Money Guy.
Mr. Philippe R is the founder and president of the Berenger Rouard Company.
He is still alive, it seems. His name is not Rouard, or Berenger. He has been fairly active as a businessman, and owns two other companies, along with a handful of investors and board members, but seems to be a very low-key guy.... no internet or social media, companies have no websites, only a street address and phone number.
We would very much like to speak to him of course, so I asked a French speaking friend of mine to dial the number and ask for him.
Thoughtfully, she suggested that if this is an older man you are asking about a business thing that happened forty years ago, maybe a letter would be better?
And y'know, she is right. So, I will compose a letter and mail it, and hope it eventually finds him.
General thoughts:
I have deliberately left out the name of Mr Philippe and his investors and other companies, because it just isn't cool to out them. Their business is none of ours. This is a fishing reel forum, and until, or if, Mr Philippe can tell the story, that part ends here.
But, we still haven't found the link to the reels. BRC machine shop, aeronautics, defense, okay, cute. But somebody decided to make, of all things, big-game fishing reels. Who?
Bob, Clacker, is working the personal side of things, contacting clubs and so on. We hope something or someone comes of that.
By the way, Livinus: We have a French Tuna Club contact who would prefer to speak on the phone. Neither Bob or I can do that. Would you like to take over? I or Bob will PM you the details. Or for that matter, would you like to phone Mr Philippe? What do you think?
Attached is a document summarizing a board meeting at BRC. Note, that such documents are initialed. None of those signatures / initials match the signature on the brochure previously posted. One of those initials does match other documents that Mr Philippe has signed, so we know which one is his. And again, it is not the same as on the brochure.
So who is that on the brochure?
Of note is that neither the name L. Berenger or R. Rouard has yet turned up anywhere in any document or search. There is a possibility that they may not exist, and only gave name to the company because it sounded good. Or, they were the engineering part of the equation and had little to do with the business.
So, that is where we are so far.
I was sort of hoping that other forum members would be able to jump in and add more, but wow... this must be a very unusual reel indeed.
.
