We’ve all heard the saying ‘it’s a dirty job but somebody’s gotta do it’. Luckily for Habitat Halton-Mississauga-Dufferin, STRONE came to the rescue recently, donating their restoration expertise at the Mariner Court build site.
Headquartered in Oakville, Ontario, STRONE is a locally based company that provides in-house response, restoration, and remediation services.
Started 29 years ago by two brothers (Neil & Steve Blinco) and only 3 employees, STRONE has now grown to a workforce of over 300 people with corporately owned branches throughout Ontario, Montreal and Calgary. For the past 4 years, it has been nationally recognized as one of Canada’s Best Managed companies.
The secret to their success is the fact that they have never lost sight of the foundation upon which the company was built. As Neil Blinco, Co-CEO Marketing & Sales explains, “Being in the customer service business, our first responders have to be positive. What they do first dictates our relationship with that client moving forward. The employee who goes out at 2 o’clock in the morning to extract the water or waste in the basement is just as important as myself, an office assistant, or a project manager.”
STRONE professionals deliver 24/7 property restoration services, covering damage caused by fire, water, storm, vehicle impacts, and more. Other operations include document recovery and restoration, demolition services, mold remediation, asbestos abatement, and vandalism repair. On the environmental side, STRONE’s subsidiary Itech provides specialty services including emergency spill response and remediation, excavation, confined space support services, and electronics and equipment cleaning.
When commenting on why Habitat is a good fit for STRONE, Neil adds, “I think it’s great for our staff to be able to come and volunteer on a build site. That was a big aspect of why I looked at Habitat for Humanity. What Habitat does on a day-to-day basis, building homes, is very much like what we do everyday. If we can give back with all the people that work for us, from our cleaning staff to our licensed carpenters and remediation crews, working together, doing what they’re really good at, it’s very rewarding.
Thanks to the team from STRONE, for their outstanding generosity and commitment to Habitat’s mission, demonstrating their belief in making a difference, not simply a donation. Are you interested in making a difference? Visit habitathm.ca to find out how.
Updated: July 2, 2021