On a typical Thursday afternoon as countless streams of businesses are lockingtheir doors and the chaotic buzz of tra c is setting with the sun, summer starlightshines on the streets of San Antonio. Vivid lights brighten many of the city’s nighttimeestablishments – bringing them out from their hidden spots that are oftentimesforgotten in the daytime hours. “I think that San Antonio is a very young city with a lotpotential,” owner of Club Luz, Marc Groleau says. “There is a lot of future development,” in this city and its coming fast. As a businessman,of potentialI see that this is a great place to be.”
Originally from Thetford–Mines, a suburb of Montreal, Quebec in Canada,business–savvy Marc Groleau, or “Frenchie” as he is better know as, dabbled in avariety of careers before unveiling the opulent Club Luz.
A self–described go–getter, at the age of 14, Groleau began setting up busesto transport concertgoers from Thetford–Mines to Montreal and back forconcerts of famed acts like Mötley Crüe.
“The first bus we did covered expenses of the bus, my friends ticket and myticket and that’s all,” Groleau says. “Maybe we made like 10 or 20 bucks each butit was paying for our ticket so it was cool.”
After expanding his entrepreneurial skills through the successful busservice, Groleau went on to diligently work in several fields, gathering a varietyof knowledge and expertise on the way. Having a confident attitude towardbusiness in general, he eventually knew it was his time to cross internationalborders into intriguingly new industrial territory.
“I came to the United States about 10 years ago,” Groleau says. “I was workingfor Electromatic International, manufacturing video games and I was a salesrepresentative for them. I worked there for the company for about threeyears and after the third year, I was able to invest and buy some shares in thesister company, Innomont Technology. When I started working for the sistercompany, San Antonio grew on me and I’ve been living here ever since.”
After arriving in the United States, Groleau resided in Georgia but explainedthat he frequented San Antonio for business trips. The company eventuallymoved their headquarters to Texas – a more convenient spot due to themajority of distribution and sales occurrences.
Yet Groleau yearned for more. The ambitious self–starter eventually followedin the footsteps of his father – an entrepreneur who owned a plethora ofbusinesses, including clubs and bars. Having grown up surrounded by thenightlife industry, Groleau knew what to expect and had a developed edge inthe business.
After purchasing Ice Martini Lounge, Groleau closed the doors of the loungeand revamped and expanded the establishment, transforming it into Club Luz,a cool and luxurious location for unwinding after a hectic week.
“I knew that I was going to be in the bar business at one point, it was reallyjust a matter of time before I got there,” Groleau says. “I purchased the club inApril of 2008, the doors o cially opened to the public on August 28, 2008.
“I got the opportunity because the gentlemen who owned [Ice MartiniLounge] before me wanted out and I just happened to have the opportunityto get in. A friend of mine said ‘Hey, this could be a good opportunity,’ and hebelieved we could do something good with the place so I sat down with theprevious owner and we compromised and at that time everything kind of fellinto place.”
According to Chip Ingram, manager of Club Luz, Groleau’s unique outlookon life is what has aided the establishment in becoming the success it is today.The club entertains its clientele until 2 a.m. on Wednesday through Saturdaywith an array of drink specials and an assortment of music including house,mashups and a sprinkle of hip–hop.
Although Ingram has worked at a variety of clubs and lounges, he creditsClub Luz as having the most conceptual layout and modern design elementsdue to Groleau’s distinctive style. The establishment is also on the cutting edgeof technology, a key element that some of the most successful businesses havemastered.
“Marc follows through, he’s good at taking ideas and turning them intoreality,” Ingram says. “He uses all of his tools to make the job as best as he can.”
Nevertheless while owning a club is a highly rewarding experience, theknowledgeable owner vigilantly advises potential career holders about thecommitment that comes with the territory. Meticulous in his dealings, Groleauefficiently combats the daily challenges of maintaining Club Luz.
“It’s a lot more work than it seems, people really think that its just a party buthonestly, its not, you’re hosting a party for people,” Groleau says. “If we have 50or 500 people, we want everybody to come here and have a good time and say‘Hey man, we really had a good time,’ and I guess the most challenging part isto make sure that everybody comes here and enjoys themselves. We want tomake sure they will come back.”
As Groleau diligently works to consistently advance the amenities ofClub Luz, he is open to new endeavors and hopes to undertake an array ofbusiness projects, some of which he has already embarked on. A multi–talentedentrepreneur and businessman, Marc “Frenchie” Groleau is focused and haseyes set on the future, working to help San Antonio prosper in innovative andexciting ways.
“I don’t want to be limited to only one business,” Groleau says. “I know thatClub Luz is what I’m doing right now but I know its not going to stop just there,God willing, I know I’m going to take on many other ventures.”
