A graduate in agronomy from Laval University in 1981, Gervais worked on the family dairy farm until 1989. He then began a 22-year career in the private sector, more specifically in dairy cattle feeding, as a representative, sales manager and business development manager for ruminants. He was involved in the development of a sales team, technical training and new product development. He joined the Valacta team as a strategic advisor in September 2012 and was appointed as a dairy production expert specialized in milking robots in 2014.