OCTOBER 2007

Joe is one of Brampton’s biggest boosters and he’s been doing it since he arrived in town.

In 1957 Joe moved from Weston to Brampton to work for Earnie Mitchell at Mitchell Real Estate. By 1960, he was a partner in the company and by 1964, after selling a commercial property in downtown Brampton; he became the town’s first full-time commercial realtor.

“I have been lucky in real estate; I have been associated with great people throughout my career.”

Joe bought Mitchell Real Estate in 1990, after Earnie Mitchell retired, and sold it to Bob Nutbrown in 1996. Today it’s called Coldwell Banker Innovators and Joe is still a commercial broker in the office at Kennedy Road and Queen Street.

Over his real estate career Joe was keenly interested in education and he taught real estate for Sheridan College for 10 years as well the Ontario Real Estate Association and the U.S.- based Institute of Real Estate Management.

“One of the biggest changes in my business over the past 50 years is that people are so much better educated today, both the realtors and the consumer.”

In the beginning, he said the Ontario Real Estate Association set higher standards than required by the province. Today it’s a regulated body. “The public is much better informed today and I think our industry has responded to their needs.”

Joe's advice to aspiring commercial realtors? “I think my best advice is you have to be able to take disappointment and recover quickly because there are always new clients and potential sales.”

Joe also strongly advises young entrepreneurs to get involved in their community. “It was a big help to me in business.” But he cautions that community work is addictive.

“With both the Board of Trade and Kiwanis, I got involved to meet other business people. It was a great chance to sell yourself, raise your profile, and create business opportunities.”

But like most member-based organizations, that wears off quickly. Joe has been active with Kiwanis and the BBOT for 50 years. “It’s really about long-term friendships, making things happen, helping people and making a difference.”

Joe joined the old Brampton Chamber of Commerce in 1957 and became active at the board level in 1960.By 1964 the Chamber became the Brampton and District Chamber of Commerce to recognize the growth in Chinguacousy Township. Joe was involved in securing the Motor Vehicle Licensing bureau for the Chamber in 1973. “Harry Lockwood and I went to meet Premier Bill Davis to discuss how the Chamber could operate one of these Motor Licensing Bureaus. It took all of 10 seconds. Then we talked about The Argos.”

He was also the driving force behind the name change to the Brampton Board of Trade in 1975 when he became President of the organization.

“We had a number of business organizations operating in Brampton and Chinguacousy; the new city of Brampton had just been formed and it made sense to go back to our original name - The Brampton Board of Trade, first established in 1890, to bring together all these groups. It worked.”

Joe is still involved with the BBOT, as a member of the Policy & Government Relations Committee. “I wanted to call it the Gridlock committee, but I was voted down. I still believe it’s the biggest problem facing Brampton. Growth is putting tremendous pressure on our infrastructure.” Joe is passionate about transportation, in particular the completion of Highway 410. “For 20 years, The Board of Trade has been consistently applying pressure on the government to complete this project and they finally got the message.”

“I think the Board of Trade is a great catalyst for discussion. We can raise issues and get the government(s) attention. Most small businesses don’t know how to do that and that’s why the Board is an important ally for small business. It also offers great opportunity for business people to meet other business people, exchange ideas and support each other.”

Joe is a Life Member of The Brampton Board of Trade. He was also named the Board’s Business Person of the Year in 1983. “That was a surprise and my first thought was, and I am sure most recipients feel this way, why me? It was a tremendous honour.”

Joe’s other passion is Kiwanis. “I joined in 1957, two months after the club was chartered.” The club just celebrated its 50th anniversary in September. “I played Ki-Y (a derivative for Kiwanis-YMCA) football in Weston, so I was familiar with Kiwanis.”

Joe served as President in the 60s. He was also instrumental in establishing Key Clubs in Brampton and Peel schools.

“I have made lifelong friendships in Kiwanis. It’s a great organization.” He joined for the networking opportunities but stayed because of the work the club does supporting children in need in Brampton. He is till the chief recruiter for the service organization.

Joe is equally passionate about hockey. He has season’s tickets to both the Brampton Battalion games and Toronto Maple Leafs.

Joe is married to Margaret Anne, Margie to friends, has six children and eight grand children.

On his life’s work he says, “I have been blessed to work with great people.” On Brampton; “it’s a great place to live.” On community service; “I believe in volunteering. It provides tremendous personal satisfaction in elping others.”

It has been 50 years and he is till going strong.

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Brampton ranks fourth in Canada for construction this year

Brampton is one of the most active construction markets in Canada, according to the mid-year national building permit figures released by Statistics Canada.

The 2007 semi-annual National City Construction Report, prepared by the Economic Development Office, available online at www.brampton.ca/economic-development shows Brampton’s is ranked fourth in Canada for total construction (all sectors) at the end of the second quarter 2007.

Brampton ranked second in industrial development, third in residential, fourth in institutional, and 13th in commercial construction.

Total construction values in Brampton once again exceed the $1 billion mark in 2007 for the eighth straight year. The City of Brampton Building Division reports that as of June 2007, total construction activity was ahead by 122%, led by industrial growth (ahead of the same period in 2006 by 179%), institutional (ahead by 171%), residential (ahead by 121%) and commercial growth (ahead by 52%).

Major industrial projects commencing construction as of June 2007 included: Orlando Corporation’s new development on Hereford St (340,000 sq ft) and the addition to their existing building on Sandalwood Pkwy West (140,000 sq ft), Hurontario Street GP Inc’s spec buildings on Whybank and Railside (155,000 & 112,000 sq ft respectively), and Sarasota Investment on Blair Drive (63,000 sq ft.) Brampton’s existing industrial market added a total of 258,000 square feet of additional space to their facilities through building additions and expansions. Industrial growth will continue along the 407 corridor, in the Churchill Business Community and the Goreway and Intermodal area.

Commercial projects under construction in to June 2007 were led primarily by retail development, and included: the Ashley Oaks Plaza at Ray Lawson & McLaughlin (45,000 sq ft), Calloway REIT at Airport Road & Bovaird (90,000 sq ft), Lowes Home Improvement Warehouse (140,000 sq ft) at Kennedy and Steeles, North West Lexus (43,000 sq ft) at Queen and Airport and underground parking structures; one for the new Springdale Medical Centre at Bovaird and Sunny Meadow Blvd and the other at Morguard’s continued redevelopment of the Bramalea City Centre. Other retailers of note expanding their branch networks in the Brampton marketplace include; RBC, TD Canada Trust, Bank of Montreal, and two new LCBO stores.
The Peel District School Board commenced construction of one new school (Springdale North Junior Public) and the expansion and renovation of six existing schools throughout the City while the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board broke ground on three new elementary schools. Early in the year, the City of Brampton started construction on the Cassie Campbell Community Centre at Chinquacousy and Sandalwood. In June, the Province of Ontario began the $93 million redevelopment of the GTA Youth Detention Centre on McLaughlin Road South.

At 3,008 housing permits and 2,188 housing starts as of June 2007, the Brampton new housing market was up on a year over year basis (73.67% and 31.6% respectively). There are over 2,000 mid-rise and high-rise residential units in the planning process, meaning Brampton will begin to benefit by the surge in the GTA condo market in the latter part of 2007 and into 2008.

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Brampton earns safe city designation

On Sept. 22, the City of Brampton officially became the first municipality in the Greater Toronto Area and one of only 10 in North America to be designated as a World Health Organization (WHO) International Safe Community. Click here for more

Communities that receive the prestigious international designation have demonstrated their ability to meet rigorous international standards of community safety.

The ceremony was part of the City’s Brampton Day and is to be attended by more than 5,000 residents. Here Mayor Susan Fennell and Jim Bird, President of Brampton Safe City Association sign the declaration with World Health Organization representative Dr. Maria Isabel Gutierrez.

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Bizpal simplifies permits and licences
for new businesses in Brampton