In Conversation With : Jonathan Goldman
By NextHome Staff
February 21, 2017
February 21, 2017
It’s really no surprise that the president of Stafford Homes loves his job; it’s a family affair.Any discussion with Jonathan Goldman about his life is peppered with the word “passion” — for the building industry, for his father and grandfather, and certainly about the homes he builds.“What we do matters,” says Goldman, who at 36 already has a lot of experience under his belt. “Everybody needs shelter and we try to provide the best possible shelter possible.“I am incredibly passionate about what I do. I love the city and I love construction and design.”Goldman is president of Stafford Homes, which, along with its sister company The Goldman Group, is over 60 years old. Jonathan is the fourth generation of Goldmans to work in the industry.Goldman spends seven days a week either in the office, on construction sites or planning fundraisers for Mount Sinai Hospital, where he is a board member — just one of his charitable endeavours. It’s that kind of passion that has earned Stafford a reputation for building quality, energy-efficient homes.
When he and his father founded Stafford Homes, he served as vice president of sales and marketing and took the company into the modern era by creating a large social media and internet presence.Real estate really does run in the family. In 1954, Samuel Goldman — a bricklayer and carpenter — came to Toronto from Russia where he and his son, Murray, built their first home. They continued building homes throughout the 1950s and ’60s, learning the craft of building and the creative development of neighbourhoods.Gary, the son of Murray, joined his father at The Goldman Group in the 1980s after spending some time in both brokerage and financial services before founding Stafford Homes with his son Jonathan.Under their leadership, Stafford built several thousand homes and commercial properties.Condo Life: Did you always know you’d go into the family business?Jonathan Goldman: It’s in my blood. My father and grandfather are developers and my great grandfather was a builder and I’ve spent time on construction sites since I was a child.By the time I graduated high school, I was working as a sales agent and I wanted to do it fulltime. But I took a few years to get a university education and every summer I went home to work in the real estate industry.I also founded a large renewable energy company, building commercial solar projects, which I sold in 2011 so I could focus on the real estate business. I have carried on here with that sense of innovation. I know what works and what doesn’t. Our business is about details and they are important.CL: Do you have anyone would you consider a mentor?JG: Definitely Gary, my father. He’s as smart and nice as it gets and an amazing teacher. He has tons of experience and he’s very passionate about what he does. This company has so many hard-working people who are committed to making Stafford Homes a success. Those are the values that were instilled in me from a young age by my father and my grandfather. We care about our purchasers and we are proud of what we do.CL: With the province’s Places to Grow policy and the Greenbelt restrictions, what future do you see for the real estate and housing market?JG: It’s not a bad policy as a concept, with developers working with the city to grow at an appropriate speed. And whatever anybody thinks, our housing market is incredibly healthy. There is a reason why people move to Toronto every year and it’s because this is an incredible city.The national government really needs to support the housing industry more as it is vitally important and a real economic driver. It supports thousands of jobs, indirectly and directly, and gives back huge sums of money. It’s a much bigger employer than the auto industry and they are constantly asking for bailouts and we are constantly being asked to give more and more to help support the cities, provinces and country as a whole.The building industry will stay strong for years to come. It is a tough business but we deliver the homes that support the GTA’s growing population.CL: What kind of housing are you involved in building right now?JG: We’ve got a couple of great projects underway. At Downsview Park, we got the last remaining lands — 13 acres — and we’re building 205 freehold townhouse units with a very unique feature — backyards. That is a great feature for any growing family. The units will be 2,900 to 3,350 square feet with three to six bedrooms, starting around $900,000.Avenue & Park is a luxury seven-storey building located at Avenue Road and Bedford Park Avenue. There will only be 36 suits — all over 2,000 square feet — priced at over $1.5 million. I’m also really excited by Forestview Towns in Pickering, which is being built now. They are open-concept three-storey towns with outdoor terraces.CL: What do you do for fun?JG: I work (he smiles). Well, I workout. I’m a triathlete so I train for those competitions. And I spend a lot of time with my family, which is really important to me.
PORTFOLIO CURRENT• Downsview Park Towns, Toronto• Avenue & Park, Toronto• Forestview Towns, Pickering• The SkyLofts, Scarborough• Elements Townhomes, Ajax UPCOMING • Conlin Road, lowrise, Oshawa• St. Clair Avenue, highrise, Toronto• Avenue Road, highrise, Toronto• Sheppard Avenue Towers, highrise, Toronto• Downsview Park, lowrise residential• Trafalgar Castle Lands, lowrise, Whitby• Hunt Street, lowrise, AjaxStaffordHomes.ca
When he and his father founded Stafford Homes, he served as vice president of sales and marketing and took the company into the modern era by creating a large social media and internet presence.Real estate really does run in the family. In 1954, Samuel Goldman — a bricklayer and carpenter — came to Toronto from Russia where he and his son, Murray, built their first home. They continued building homes throughout the 1950s and ’60s, learning the craft of building and the creative development of neighbourhoods.Gary, the son of Murray, joined his father at The Goldman Group in the 1980s after spending some time in both brokerage and financial services before founding Stafford Homes with his son Jonathan.Under their leadership, Stafford built several thousand homes and commercial properties.Condo Life: Did you always know you’d go into the family business?Jonathan Goldman: It’s in my blood. My father and grandfather are developers and my great grandfather was a builder and I’ve spent time on construction sites since I was a child.By the time I graduated high school, I was working as a sales agent and I wanted to do it fulltime. But I took a few years to get a university education and every summer I went home to work in the real estate industry.I also founded a large renewable energy company, building commercial solar projects, which I sold in 2011 so I could focus on the real estate business. I have carried on here with that sense of innovation. I know what works and what doesn’t. Our business is about details and they are important.CL: Do you have anyone would you consider a mentor?JG: Definitely Gary, my father. He’s as smart and nice as it gets and an amazing teacher. He has tons of experience and he’s very passionate about what he does. This company has so many hard-working people who are committed to making Stafford Homes a success. Those are the values that were instilled in me from a young age by my father and my grandfather. We care about our purchasers and we are proud of what we do.CL: With the province’s Places to Grow policy and the Greenbelt restrictions, what future do you see for the real estate and housing market?JG: It’s not a bad policy as a concept, with developers working with the city to grow at an appropriate speed. And whatever anybody thinks, our housing market is incredibly healthy. There is a reason why people move to Toronto every year and it’s because this is an incredible city.The national government really needs to support the housing industry more as it is vitally important and a real economic driver. It supports thousands of jobs, indirectly and directly, and gives back huge sums of money. It’s a much bigger employer than the auto industry and they are constantly asking for bailouts and we are constantly being asked to give more and more to help support the cities, provinces and country as a whole.The building industry will stay strong for years to come. It is a tough business but we deliver the homes that support the GTA’s growing population.CL: What kind of housing are you involved in building right now?JG: We’ve got a couple of great projects underway. At Downsview Park, we got the last remaining lands — 13 acres — and we’re building 205 freehold townhouse units with a very unique feature — backyards. That is a great feature for any growing family. The units will be 2,900 to 3,350 square feet with three to six bedrooms, starting around $900,000.Avenue & Park is a luxury seven-storey building located at Avenue Road and Bedford Park Avenue. There will only be 36 suits — all over 2,000 square feet — priced at over $1.5 million. I’m also really excited by Forestview Towns in Pickering, which is being built now. They are open-concept three-storey towns with outdoor terraces.CL: What do you do for fun?JG: I work (he smiles). Well, I workout. I’m a triathlete so I train for those competitions. And I spend a lot of time with my family, which is really important to me.PORTFOLIO CURRENT• Downsview Park Towns, Toronto• Avenue & Park, Toronto• Forestview Towns, Pickering• The SkyLofts, Scarborough• Elements Townhomes, Ajax UPCOMING • Conlin Road, lowrise, Oshawa• St. Clair Avenue, highrise, Toronto• Avenue Road, highrise, Toronto• Sheppard Avenue Towers, highrise, Toronto• Downsview Park, lowrise residential• Trafalgar Castle Lands, lowrise, Whitby• Hunt Street, lowrise, AjaxStaffordHomes.ca