PAGE B2 – November 2009 – The GTA Construction Report
Shorex
trade credit, allowing him to grow the busi- Now, O’Reilly says of Shorex will complete
ness rapidly without straining his cash flow. about 50 new construction some residential work – usu-
Continued from page B1
However, in late 2008, as the recession bidding opportunities, he will ally high-end homes of key
––––––––––––––––––––––
loomed, he saw storm clouds; and the risk decline 48 of them – the busi- clients – but O’Reilly says
of some of clients failing. He laid off most ness has shifted from prima- he will continue to focus on
When he set out in business on his own of his employees, hiring 75 per cent back rily new construction to just the non-residential sector
in 2006, he spent several months develop- under new contracts. And he said he began 20 per cent new work, and 80 Shorex recently opened
ing a comprehensive plan. Suppliers aggressively moving the business to re- per cent re-roofing and main- an office in Sudbury, and a
granted him 90 day terms, allowing him to roofing work in the commercial, industrial tenance. salesperson is working in
get started with little capital. and institutional sector, with strategic mar- He says he markets a free Toronto to develop the GTA
“We initially focused on new construc- keting. roofing consultation service –
Shawn O'Reilly
market. Since he has crews
tion,” he said. “I completed a market analy- and produces an initial report within the GTA every day,
sis of the Barrie area and knew that if I at the quality and depth of independent con- Shorex can respond quickly to inquiries and
could pick up 10 per cent of the market, we sultants. Once Shorex can get on the roof service call requests.
could draw enough employees to build our for a single project, he says, the company “We’ve done some business for clients
base.” shows the potential clients a level of serv- elsewhere in Canada including Vancouver,
“We pounded the pavement and really ice, technical knowledge, awareness of Saskatoon and Edmonton,” he said. In
priced aggressively, enabling us to get safety requirements, and responsiveness B.C., he contracted with local roofers to do
enough work to hire 12 employees the first that few roofing companies offer. the work; for the Alberta and Saskatchewan
year”. Clients return for more. projects, his crew drove across the country
“With new construction volume, we “We know we have to make a great first – they turned out to be some of the busi-
could get a lot of experience under our impression and then retain the trust,” he ness’s most profitable projects. “The
belt,” he said. “Our customers didn’t care said. “Most roofers don’t have a marketing smaller centres can be far less price-com-
about the strength of our company; they budget – we have a vision larger than most petitive than the GTA and parts of Ontario,”
were simply interested in a low price. – so we go after our clients, with good he said.
“While we initiated the business this placement in the Yellow Pages, brochures, O’Reilly visualizes a business with
way, these jobs gave us references to get travelling salesmen, and a willingness to more than $20 million in annual sales
bigger and more lucrative projects.” knock on ever door (in commercial areas) throughout Ontario, and later across the
With O’Reilly’s solid industry reputa- with a coupon, to try us out once.” country, within a couple of years. Employ-
tion, suppliers had no trouble granting him The shift to re-roofing from new con- ees and managers are learning the latest en-
struction has helped the company’s cash vironmental techniques, including “green
flow and profitability. The focus on non- roof” construction and solar integration,
residential roofing allows Shorex to build and the company focuses on safety and re-
up several large accounts (the typical non- liability.
residential roofing project is $70,000 rather For more information, visit the Shorex
than $5,000 for a homeowner), including Roofing website at http://www.shorex.ca or
the property maintenance and management phone 1-866-792-9907.
companies operating in multiple locations.
Congratulations to Shorex.
We are proud to be part of your success!
Congratulations to Shorex.
We are proud to be part or your success!
Canada’s Number One
Your Commercial Vehicle Connection
Supplier of Quality Roofing
Specializing in Fleets…. Small or Large
and Building Supplies
Preferred Pricing for Commercial Customers
8400 Keele St, Unit #1, Concord, Ontario L4K 2A6
1-800-615-3673
Phone: (905) 761-1762 Fax: (905) 761-0834
2801 Sheffield Road, Ottawa, Ontario K1B 3V8
Shannon Marchant
Tel: (613) 744-5119 Fax: (613) 746-0839
Fleet & Commercial Account Manager
smarchant@barrieford.com
www.brscanada.com
www.barrieford.com
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