Ecopainting used to be located in Scarborough at 2100 Ellesmere Rd. This was the Aldgate building at the corner of Markham Road and Ellesmere. We loved that office – especially the shared hallways, the sparkling clean washrooms and elevators. Aldgate was a good landlord for us. They allowed alterations within our space without any hesitation and kept the building clean and maintained. When it was time to renew our lease, it was also a time for change for Ecopainting. We decided that it was time for Ecopainting to own a commercial space. You know, to be like the little painting company that grew.
It was early in 2012 when we started looking. Commercial real estate in downtown Toronto was getting to be very expensive. The next best thing for us was to find something outside the downtown area but close to the 401. We paint throughout the GTA and proximity to a major highway would make our daily commute much easier. Since the majority of our employees lived east of the city, we looked for a place in the east of Scarborough
What did we find?
A Commercial Space with Potential
We found what we thought at the time was affordable space, on Morningside Avenue, just north of the 401. This had potential written all over it and we decided to purchase it. 1345 Morningside Avenue Unit 20 would be our new location.
When we bought it, it was a place of worship. It had wall to wall red carpet, a wooden podium, and a few other things that we needed to change. We broke some walls, removed the carpet and gathered all our leftover paints. With a Titan 440 sprayer, the place got a makeover and our Scarborough painters got a spray training opportunity as a result!
Within two days and freshly painted, the place looked extra nice and clean! We took time to decide how we wanted our work space to be, and what would work for a painting contractor. We wanted the office area at the front, a kitchenette with cupboards and a washroom. The back area was to be part shop, part storage.
Another advantage of having our own location, was being able to manage the construction waste coming back from the job sites. We contracted a waste disposal company that had good environmental policies. We decided on having weekly pickup of construction waste and recycling. The recycling bin is now getting filled with recyclable materials that the crews collect at the job sites. We recycle anything from cardboard, to drinking containers, even coffee cups. Paint cans with paint in them get taken to a drop off depot in Scarborough, usually a RONA store.
Ecopainting Spreading Roots in the Community
The GTA is a huge area to work in and at times traveling west can be a challenge. We opened a second location in Mississauga* in 2015. The role of this smaller location is to service our western crews. In the meantime, we have some big plans for our main home in Scarborough.
We intend to conduct training programs for our painters, and there’s an exclusive training wall for that purpose. Ecopainting is a socially conscious company with principles that extend beyond our narrow profit margins. For this reason, our doors are open to the community, especially to the locals. Since we painted so many homes in Scarborough, we definitely contributed positively to the landscape of the community. Ecopainting will be inviting local individuals and organizations to use our location as a local resource. There will also be educational gatherings and sessions where our painters will share their trade knowledge with the public.
Our office is only minutes away from the Rouge Valley, Scarborough’s own jewel of nature. We are planning for our environmental mandate to go beyond our field responsibilities. We think Ecopainting should be an active participant in local environmental activities. Our company (and painters) should be leaders and advocates of protecting our environment.
We are proud of our growth, our new offices and we are certainly open for business. We are also open to the great community in Scarborough. If there is any way we can help, give us a call at 416 733-7767.
*Update: One year later, we decided that the Mississauga location was not necessary as most of our painters lived in the east part of the city.
This post was originally published on March 13 2015 and was last updated on February 11 2017.