The UPHOUSE Grand Opening

The UPHOUSE Grand Opening Speech We have an awesome evening planned and are really excited to have you all here! In the words of a famous Doctor (Dr. Zeus), It is a great day for UP!   After 18 months of blood sweat and tears we couldn’t figure out a BETTER way to have our grand opening […]

The UPHOUSE Grand Opening Speech

We have an awesome evening planned and are really excited to have you all here! In the words of a famous Doctor (Dr. Zeus), It is a great day for UP!   After 18 months of blood sweat and tears we couldn’t figure out a BETTER way to have our grand opening than celebrating our completion of the building along with our heritage one glass of wine at a time, Than at Grape and Wine.

So Welcome to the UPHOUSE!

To kick things off, I would like to start off by telling you guys that the power of prayer was incredibility important to Pauline and I. And the good Lord certainly was in the mood for teaching us about grace, perseverance and patience, so as we get going here, I would like our Pastor Bob to say a quick blessing.

We are also so incredibly fortunate that our local MP Rick Dyskra has taken the time out of his schedule to help us celebrate here today for the grand opening ribbon cutting and would like to say a few words.

Thank you very much Rick.

So what is UPHOUSE you speak of you young Whipper Snapper?

Is this a restaurant? Um no

A bar? Umm sometimes?

Well, it is actually a collaborative workspace. Here we are looking to create here an environment of civic minded individuals who love this city, love taking on a challenge all while sharing a laugh or two along the way. Strong individually and stronger together

Currently we have three businesses in there as we speak.

Myself along with my assistant Sarah Strazzella for CallKarl. Please put up your hand.

Adam Dearborn from Rock Advisors who specializes in the sales of apartment, townhome and student housing complexes and

Niagara Executive Rentals a division of Call Karl along with Athrex

property management with Gerogeio Kosmideis.

So the Next question is Why the name the UPHOUSE, While it’s a question that comes UP A LOT.

AND FOR ONE. It’s just an awesome word.

UP!

And, it sounds A LOT better than the Down House.  Call it a me to we concept.  In a co-operative workspace environment we wanted to have a positive message. Entrepreneurs growing UP there business here, and the buildings location serves as a gateway from the residential component of the Queen St heritage district into this cities commercial core that is on the UP & UP. And its future has never looked brighter.

And hey, it’s great for clichés.

We are here to Step UP

Pull are socks UP

Stand UP FOR EACH OTHER

and Work play and live it UP

To wrap it UP, There are plenty of people to thank here today. We’d like thank all of you for your encouraging words, they meant a lot. Our families. Man we love you guys. You guys have been awesome and extremely supportive.

to the Over 30 different trades companies work on the building with many I see here today, to all of you thank you. there are a few I do want to signal out in being instrumental in making the building what is it today.

So if I mention you name please put your hand UP

1st, up to Forest Green Creations and Mr Todd Barber & Martin Kramer.  Our Architectural designer. What a thrill it must have been to meet with Pauline and me for the first few sessions. You truly made our vision come to life in design and we are super pleased. For this we Thank you.

2nd, Todd Melville of Melville Construction.

Todd, my brosky, you have been an awesome friend through the entire project and your hands are all over this building, and in a good way. The list of odd jobs big and small hasn’t been unnoticed and the way you have stayed strong for us to the end has been awesome. One of the signature pieces you will see of Todd’s are the customs desks we have inside made of solid Walnut

So Todd, We thank you.

3rd, Gerardo Lopez, My creative graphic designer and my borachongoooo! For those that don’t know what that means it means drunk brother in Spanish. For all the ideas I have bounced off of you knock them out of the ball park all day long. Gerardo, we thank you.

4th, Our General. The Captain. Brandan Kendall. From The Kendall Group.

What a beast of a man. A true brosky, 18 months man and we did it.  I will go to war with you any day of the year. There was another person on the planet that knows all the mountains we had to climb. Kendall you good looking bastard. We did it. Thank you.

5th, And lastly to my Girlfriend. Ok ok, my wife. We have over 200 balloons on our building. Which is ridiculous. Inspired by the movie UP, being together with you is really an Adventure of a lifetime.

You’re an incredible talent and I absolutely love working with you. I love you and thank you.

So… before we get on with the Ribbon Cutting. I do want to thank our tenants Sylvia and Tom for allowing us access for the next hour or so to view the UP loft UPSTAIRS.

AND I also have one last exciting Surprise……

Ladies and Gentleman.

Two time Canadian Country music nominee, Writer of 4 Canadian #1 songs, including his own top 5 this past summer “ Don’t wake me UP.” My bro in law who is also playing his full set in the park tomorrow night, Tebey!

 

 

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Thanks for all the UP standing individuals who made it out to the BiG Grand Opening! We certainly did #Grape&WineitUP. What a blast, lets do UP again sometime. *Awesome side note is that we were able to raise $733.28 to Community Care and barrels full of food.

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