What Makes Avenue Road Masonry Among The Most Trusted Masonry Contractors In Toronto?
WHAT MAKES AVENUE ROAD MASONRY AMONG THE MOST TRUSTED MASONRY CONTRACTORS IN TORONTO
AVENUE ROAD MASONRY has grown from humble beginnings to become one of the most trusted Masonry contractors in Toronto and throughout the GTA.
This is according to the numerous testimonials on HOMESTARS, FACEBOOK, the BBB, and others. Their company has received the “Best Of” Award from Homestars, for several years consecutively now.
For over thirty years, the parent company AVENUE ROAD ROOFING®; would refer masonry work out to a couple of trusted independent masons, when they recognized the need for such work in association with their roof replacements. Masonry repairs and chimney rebuilding represented the most common requests for such services.
There is a large demand for masonry contractors in Toronto and the surrounding areas, in large part as a result of two factors. One factor is the older housing stock in the greater Toronto area, and the second factor is the explosion of new construction which has been occurring for the past number of years. After all, Toronto is a city whose housing was originally constructed with bricks over a century past.
It became obvious to the owners that their client base, at that time numbering in excess of 45,000 customers; looked to them as a trusted source for other building envelope requirements. Coincidentally; one of the owner’s sons had partnered with another young mason, who was teaching him the craft. Their original plan was to build their own brand.
Literally, at the end of a holiday dinner table, the concept of offering masonry services directly through AVENUE ROAD ROOFING® was born. The pilot program soon proved successful, as the pair of young men worked hard to build and maintain a reputation for high-quality workmanship at a fair price.
For people starting a trades business or any business for that matter; it can be a long haul for a fledgling company to develop enough clients to be viable. Being able to leverage ARR®’s clientele was a huge opportunity that the fellows worked hard to protect in terms of reputation and quality.
Mentorship on issues relating to growing and managing the business was helpful to keep a focus on important actions and priorities, as well as financial solvency.
As work volumes steadily increased over a few years, as a result of referrals, online testimonials, and increasing awareness of the services available; the fellows were careful to hire competent masons and apprentices. Their understanding is that you are only as good as the people you work with.
An important part of remaining viable was charging the correct price to support doing the job well.
Typically, experienced masons are hard to come by in the industry; so AVENUE ROAD MASONRY decided to pay top wages for those that worked for the benefit of their clients and their company. As an equal opportunity employer; the word spread among the industry that they were a good company to work for, providing workers with a high level of respect and dignity, whether they were pushing a wheelbarrow, or building complex stone structures.
Investing back into the staff with such perks as paid vacation excursions, supplied tools and trucks, served to help to keep their teams on the side. Partner; Robert Grantham works alongside his production teams to insure that his level of quality was maintained, and constantly communicated. Overseeing the production of the company, troubleshooting, and mentoring by example; fifteen-hour days are common to help manage the growth these Toronto masons have experienced in a relatively short number of years.
Chris Pateropoulos, Robert’s partner; focuses on the sales and administrative functions of the company.
He is constantly tweeting out before and after photos of the work they are proud to have produced, and offers tips and examples of what not to do, as he travels daily throughout the GTA, supplying advice and quotations for upcoming projects. In Chris’s role, he works to support the estimating team, also leading by example.“ You have to walk the talk…” Chris comments if you are going to earn the respect of your team and your clients,“ because at the end of the day; the buck stops at Rob and I ”.Chris goes on to say.
“Staying humble is best because we continue to learn every day. We are not the biggest masonry company out there, but we continue to grow year over year.” Robert adds.
AVENUE ROAD MASONRY specializes in chimney rebuilding, tuck-pointing, stone-work, concrete repairs, and foundation water-proofing. They have noticed there is a trend toward customers requesting backyard environments including items such as stone pizza ovens, stone barbeques, walkways, and patios.
The company’s focus is on restoration projects as opposed to new construction work. This is primarily because it is hard to provide the best quality at a low price, which is what new construction projects seem to demand. The company remains competitive with other industry leaders both for the residential and commercial sectors.
Roberts father Ron, is a veteran mason who taught Robert his trade. As the leading foreman at AVENUE ROAD MASONRY; Ron brings over forty years of experience in the trade. Supporting several crews; four estimators, along with Chris; service client requests and provide written estimates.
The company is fully licensed, insured, and carries WSIB coverage for the protection of clients and workers. AVENUE ROAD MASONRY continues to foster a culture of working safely and doing the best in terms of quality and service. One specialty involves their ability to colour mortar mixes to help match existing architecture.
To learn more, visit: www.avenueroadmasonry.com or follow their work on Instagram and Facebook.