The accounts receivable management industry mourns the loss of Giles A. Vigneault, the co-founder and owner of SaVit Enterprises in New Jersey, who passed away June 28 surrounded by his loved ones. Vigneault was 89.
Vigneault co-founded SaVit in 1971 and never retired from the company. “He loved the business, his clients, and, most importantly, the fantastic group of employees he always considered part of his family,” according to his obituary. Starting up SaVit was a huge risk at the time for Vigneault, who had four young children at the time and a promising career as a chemist with Johnson & Johnson.
His work at J&J opened his eyes to the wonders of working with people and building products and lit an entrepreneurial flame inside him that led him to start his own collection agency.
Vigneault was born in Hartford to French-speaking parents and excelled in school, earning a full scholarship to attend high school in Quebec. From there, he attended Trinity College in Hartford, which is where he met his future wife, Gertrude, who was a nursing student. Vigneault went on to earn a master’s degree in chemistry from Columbia University.
Vigneault is survived by Gertrude, his wife of 65 years; his daughters, Patricia (Trish) Cauley, of Kendall Park, N.J., and Susan Vigneault of Manasquan, N.J., his daughters-in-law, Gloria Vigneault of Vero Beach and Kathy Davidson of Ebensburg, Penn., and his sister, Lucille Queyrane of Falls Church, Va. Gil and Gert have 8 grandsons: Thomas Vigneault (Clarisa) of Bernardsville, N.J.; Zachary Vigneault of Philadelphia; Sean and Ryan Cauley of Kendall Park, and Sam, Mateo, Sebastian and Benjamin Vigneault of Vero Beach, Fla. Gil had a special place in his heart for his three young great-grandchildren, Chase, Alessandra, and Isabella Vigneault. He also leaves behind many nieces, nephews and cousins.
