In 1962, Jean-Paul Dufort, Émile Lavigne, and Laurier Fortier founded Jean-Paul Dufort Ltée, distributor of medical, surgical and pharmaceutical products. Located on Beaubien Street East, the company provided hospitals, physicians, nurses and religious congregations with all the drugs, medical supplies and equipment they needed. In 1964, when Mr. Fortier passed away, it became Dufort et Lavigne Ltée.
The need for space was becoming a serious issue for this growing business back in 1967, so it moved to 1227 Rachel East in Montréal. In 1987, a store was added to that same address, and so the headquarters moved into a much bigger building, on Parthenais Street. In 1992, Dufort & Lavigne started diversifying its activities to the distribution of dental supplies, and quickly became a key actor in the field. In 2003, the company became a sole proprietorship of the Dufort family after the passing of Mr. Lavigne.
September 2010 marks the sudden death of Jean-Paul Dufort at the age of 87. Serving as Chairman, he was actively involved until the very last moment. Despite the size of the company, Mr Dufort knew each and every employee, regarding them as equal partners, and acknowledging their valuable work. He will be remembered by all of them as an intelligent man, mindful of others, friendly, and very generous. His two sons have been providing excellent continuity of direction for the company for many years, and have continued to grow the business: Yves as Chief Executive Officer and Daniel in his role of Chief, Business Development.
As of June 2018, a new chapter has begun for Dufort et Lavigne as it becomes a new subsidiary of Medline Canada. This agreement will help Dufort et Lavigne better position itself in the medical supply and equipment distribution industry in Québec, ensuring its sustainability while retaining its identity.