4 Generations of Cutting-Edge Interiors

Smith Brothers Contracting
Written by fmgadmin

Have you ever walked into a building that took your breath away the minute you entered it? Every aspect of construction is artistry, and there is no doubt that beautifully rendered hard finishes are always the result of a skilled interior contractor, and there is more to creating dazzling effects than what meets the eye.
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Apart from expert designers and sublime tastes, interiors are only as good as the craftsmen who make them a reality. This is why top designers and general contractors in southern Ontario insist on collaborating with Smith Brothers Contracting, an Ancaster-based interior contracting firm with an eye for detail like few others in the field. Whatever its customers’ interior finishing requirements are, this team has the latest technology, expertise, and equipment to make it all a reality.

From Huntsville to Port Elgin, Scarborough, Hamilton, Burlington and everywhere in between, this company is the region’s go-to contractor for superbly finished interior contracting.

Smith Brothers Contracting specializes in the full spectrum of services required in the field and is as agile on multi-million dollar projects as it is on the comparatively smaller ones. Its work ranges from new builds to redevelopments and improvements of corporate and commercial spaces. The company is also well-versed in collaborating with subcontractors and has an impressive repertoire of skills that include insulation, drywall installations and finishing, specialty ceiling applications such as acoustical treatments, collapsible partitioning, millwork such as carpentry and other moldings, demolition, and heavy- and light-gauge stud-wall framing. It also offers Exterior Insulation and Finish Systems (EIFS), a protective exterior wall cladding system comprising a number of layers separated by cavities that allow any possible moisture within the structure to escape safely.

The company was recently recognized for its sterling gypsum work as the first North American contractor to receive the prestigious North American Trophy at the 11th Saint-Gobain Gypsum International Trophy Awards in Lisbon, Portugal, where it had the honour of representing Canada. The company was selected for the outstanding drywalling it performed on the truly impressive 32 000 square foot interiors of the St. Mary & St. Samuel Coptic Orthodox Church in Markham, Ontario – a modern day marvel of craftsmanship and detail.

The company’s value proposition is one of high-performance and productive partnering, where all projects are based on mutually beneficial agreements. It also adds value to its services through optimum time management, highly skilled teams who take pride in their work, and excelling at everything it does – including problem solving. Smith Brothers’ clients also appreciate that the company stays on top of the latest technology.

Smith Brothers started out in 1932 when John Smith Sr. decided to launch a small construction company. The business grew strong and when the time came for his son, John Smith Jr., to take over from his father, John Jr. decided to diversify, which he did by performing commercial plastering in the Niagara area. He was followed by his son, Terry Smith, and by then drywalling had become the latest technology to hit the industry. Terry followed suit and expanded into the industrial, commercial and institutional markets. He continued to grow the business until Douglas Smith took over as President and owner in 1994, and he has continued to follow in the footsteps of his family to grow the business to what it is today.

“We have a number of big projects in the Ontario region that we are very proud of,” says Adam DeWitt, who was introduced to Smith Brothers through Local 18. After completing his apprenticeship and attaining his basic qualification, Adam worked as a foreman, followed by a promotion to Estimator and Project Manager. Adam was appointed Vice President in 2016, and his recipe for success is clear and simple, but perhaps also much harder to achieve than one realizes. “Never lose a good client, a good employee or a good opportunity,” he says.

Apart from its award-winning performance on the St. Mary & St. Samuel Coptic Orthodox Church, the team has completed many significant projects over the years, with prime examples of its skilful interior construction being open to the public in Hamilton, Ontario, like the Multi-Agency Building that houses the area’s police and fire departments as well as emergency services. There is also the city’s eight-storey City Hall on the corner of Bay St. & Main St. as well as the Tim Horton’s Field stadium. In addition, the company performed the interior renovations of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre and also worked on many large institutional projects for McMaster University, Mohawk College, Humber College, York University, and Brock University, where it worked on the Niagara BioScience building in St. Catharines, Ontario.

Smith Brothers Contracting was responsible for a significant amount of work during the Metro Toronto Convention Centre renovations and collaborated on Burlington, Ontario’s 48 000 square foot SAIL store – a major supplier of a wide range of outdoor recreation gear. Another Burlington project comprised the exterior framing and drywall services rendered during the erection of the Super WalMart in Flamborough, Ontario.

It is not all about new builds for this industry leader though. The company played a significant role in renovating Hamilton’s Lister Block that dated from 1924. Set in the city’s downtown district, the building had become derelict and was saved from falling into further disrepair when Smith Brothers Contracting joined a large number of other contractors to restore the Classic Renaissance-style beauty to her former glory.

The firm is also highly accredited. It belongs to the Carpenters District Council, Local 1891 International Union of Painters & Allied Trades Ontario Council, as well as the Acoustic Association of Ontario. It is also proud to be a member of the Association of the Wall and Ceiling Industry, Toronto Construction Association, and Hamilton Halton Construction Association.

In this high-pressure environment where timelines are tight and safety is of the essence, the company’s management goes out of its way to ensure that safety standards are always complied with. As Douglas P. Smith, President & General Manager, writes on the company Health and Safety webpage, “It is in the best interests of all parties to consider health and safety in every activity. Commitment to health and safety must form an integral part of this organization, from the President to the new workers.”

Although the company is serious and work driven, it is not always work and no play at Smith Brothers Contracting. The company supports its local community in many ways, with a particular focus on local hockey and baseball teams and local charities like the Good Shepherd Notre Dame House & Community Outreach Services. The organization offers 21 beds at a 24-hour check-in emergency shelter for youth who end up on the street because of a dysfunctional home and/or family life, as well as troubled behaviour. The company is also a patron to many organizations related to cancer support.

Support is what drives this shining example of great service and customer care. Dreaming big is a prerequisite to gaining market share and sustainable growth is its main goal for the coming years. For Smith Brothers Contracting’s leadership team, building a bright future for its clients and employees comes first, because it believes that by creating and inspiring a goal-driven atmosphere, personal growth and a drive to succeed is supported. This is its driving force. As the company motto states: Vision focuses. Vision inspires. Vision is the focus of the action and without that vision, people perish.

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