Five Minutes with Michael Broccolini

It’s always fun to meet new developers in Toronto, to learn about what they are bringing to the city and how they got to where they are today. This week, the Toronto Star’s NewInHomes.com team had the chance to meet with Michael Broccolini, a Real Estate Manager at Broccolini.

NewInHomes.com (NIH): What is your background? How did you get to where you are today?

Michael Broccolini (MB): Broccolini is a family-run business; it’s a third-generation company. My grandfather started the business in 1949; he was a residential builder. In the ‘70s and ‘80s, my father and uncles joined the business. They shied away from residential construction and moved into the retail and commercial segments of the market. We acted primarily as a general contractor for most projects. It wasn’t until the late ‘90s and early 2000s that we started to do our own work, our own developments. We were primarily focused on retail and industrial until the past few years, where we are starting to look closer at residential projects.

NIH: What made you look to residential?

MB: We saw an opportunity in the market. Residential has been growing for the last several years. We like the fundamentals of the market, and long term, we think that demand is strong. We think that the condominium market will continue to thrive and be the trend over the next few years. We think you will continue to see more and more condominiums built in major cities. We saw this opportunity and wanted to add to our portfolio of building, so that leaves us where we are today.

NIH: You have a history in Montreal. Where else has Broccolini developed?

MB: We have done some work in Montreal, and also in Ottawa. Over the past nine years, we have established offices in Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto, and we have been very active in all phases of building and developing. In Toronto, we are looking to grow our offices and offerings. We have started on the retail side – we have built some Target stores in the past year. We are also the minority partner and general contractor for 155 Redpath at Yonge and Eglinton with Freed Developments. We are always looking for new projects that make sense for all involved.

NIH: How did you get involved with 155 Redpath?

MB: The relationship developed from an acquaintance in Montreal. We met the partners and we hit it off. The partners at 155 Redpath saw the value that we could bring to the team. We were looking for an opportunity in Toronto, and this seemed like a good match for all involved. On 155 Redpath, we will be the general contractor, making sure everything goes off without a hitch.

NIH: In your experience, what are the differences between developing office, commercial, and residential?

MB: On the execution side, residential is certainly more challenging. If you’re building an office building with one tenant, you basically only have one client to please. On the residential side, if you are building a 300-suite condominium, you have 300 clients to satisfy. That’s where it becomes a little more challenging. It keeps you sharp; it keeps you on your game. That’s important with us, because our company name is our family name. We want to make sure that our family name has a strong reputation in the marketplace.

NIH: Whether it’s an office building or a high-rise condominium, Broccolini seems to take pride in the architecture of their projects.

MB: We take a lot of pride in our signs on projects. People recognize our buildings and say, ‘Oh, that’s a Broccolini building.’ They can tell based on our keen interest in developing strong, architecturally pleasing buildings and the quality that we bring.

NIH: What type of feedback do you usually receive from your clients?

MB: A common theme is that they have had a great experience. Most of our business comes from repeat business and word of mouth. We love that our clients have a great experience with us and one thing that we take a lot of pride in is our quality of workmanship. We don’t cut corners, which is a big reason why we have been successful for so long. We get repeat business and take pride in our work.

NIH: Broccolini has a new project coming to Toronto as well — tell us about Park Towns.

MB: Park Towns is a townhome project, roughly 50 units, located on Sheppard Avenue near Bayview. It’s right next to the subway station. It’s going to be on the same site as Mountain Equipment Co-op, which is a client of ours, and is how this project came about. The architecture will be modern, and the townhomes well-priced. It will be something very nice. We also will have a strong aspect of landscaping that our purchasers will enjoy. It will probably be released in the fall of 2013.

We would like to thank Michael Broccolini for his time and look forward to Broccolini’s work on 155 Redpath, Park Towns, and the other projects that they will soon introduce to Toronto.