My name is Fern Amorim. I am an entrepreneur, a visionary, a craftsman and the founder of RENEW Complete Home Services.
From an early age I had the interest of working with my hands. Not coming from a family of financial means, I used to peruse the laneways, parking lots and train tracks in Toronto looking for discarded bicycle parts, shopping carts and building materials. Anything that could be used to satisfy my two wheeled or 4 wheeled ventures… it was popular in the 70’s to build modified bicycles and go-carts. I’d build these contraptions, and with a group of friends, would challenge neighbouring streets into competitions of one type or another. I don’t remember the specifics of these competitions, nor who would win, I just remember the pure enjoyment of finding that one essential piece and integrating it to complete the final assembly.
Upon entering high school, I decided to attend Western Technical and Commercial School in Toronto’s west end where I had exposure and the opportunity to dive into a number of trades. Grade 9 was an exploratory year offering a number of avenues of study. Amongst the English, Maths and Sciences, I studied carpentry, welding, drafting, sheet metal, electrical, electronics and machine shop. For me, machine shop was where it was at. I decided to major in this trade for the last 3 years of high school. It required specialty tools and large, angry machines to transform hunks of metal into something unique and beautiful. In addition, the shops were located in the “manly” part of the school, so having the parades of pretty young girls stopping by to check out the boys and what they were up to was an added bonus!
The 4 years forging a skill in machine shop lead me to a co-op stint in my final high school year as well as an apprenticeship as a Machinist upon graduation. With the recent popularity of computers (think Commodore VIC-20), I learned that the trade was one with automation in its future so having any hope of “hands-on” machining down the road would be pretty limited. I decided to go to College instead.
In the spring of 1991, I graduated from Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology with honours in Mechanical Engineering Technology. It was an interesting 3 years where I learned the intricacies of fluid dynamics, metallurgy and robotics among other things. Shortly after graduation, and during a recessing economy, I landed a job in building operations. I worked in a variety of buildings (data centres, hospitals and commercial office buildings) all ranging in size from 150,000 sq.ft. up to 850,000 sq.ft. In addition to mastering interactions with tenants and staff of all levels, I took an interest in the innerworkings of these buildings. I gained building operation specialization in areas such as heating/cooling, water treatment, emergency generators and high voltage electrical systems. Each building had it’s unique systems ranging from the typical to obscure. I studied aquifers, building cooling using ice tanks and energy saving solutions such as solar panels. I worked myself up the ladder to a supervisory role where I would supervise a staff of 11 highly qualified tradesmen at Women’s College Hospital.
Near the turn of the millennium, and after 8 years working in building operations, I had the itch to change jobs but the likelihood of landing something different just wasn’t there. Remember, I joined the work force during a recession so opportunities for change were slim pickings. At this point in time, we were entering the digital age. Talks of IT, internet and digital technology were rampant while money being handed out like candy bars. I decided to quench my thirst for change and creativity by returning to school to study the fine art of interactive, digital design. Having graduated with honours from the International Academy of Design, I was lead to a career in marketing, working for large design shops like Wunderman, McLaren McCann and Carlson Marketing. Starting as a junior designer, I quickly moved up the ranks to project management, managing large interactive projects for companies like TD, GM, Scotiabank and Telus.
Project management is a skill that can be transferred to a variety of industries. With time management, risk mitigation and resource management under my belt, I was able to apply these attributes to a variety of sectors. Following my work in interactive design, I was able to venture into the world of print, reward/recognition and smart card technology. I even had the opportunity to help with a business start-up. But over the years, there was something missing… actually a few things missing.
During all these years of full time employment with the focus on building a career, I continued to enjoy my spare time working on small projects like furniture restoration to larger home renovation projects. Often times, I would take on the odd side job to satisfy my desire. Over time, I received encouragement from friends and family suggesting that I move to home renovation as a vocation since passion and attention to detail was always evident in my work. I had thought about doing this for many, many years but continued on with my career at an office desk. But during my final years, I had been thinking of it more and more seriously. After all, with project management and account management experience, my time working in building operations, experience with a small business start-up and hands-on experience acquired over the years, I felt I had more than enough qualifications to take the plunge. If not now, then when? But receiving a steady pay cheque can make it paralysing to say the least. I had money deposited in my account every two weeks. I had the assurance that bills would be paid, food on the table. But I also had budgetary, resource and time management skills. I was resourceful, organized and dependable. Are these not time proven qualifications at the heart of every start-up? Well in 2015 I received the kick in the butt that I needed to make self-reliance a reality. I was told by my employer of 3 years that they no longer required my services due to restructuring. What better time for me to act on the decision to earn my own keep than now? Sayonara chumps!
The name of my company is RENEW Complete Home Services. Why RENEW? Well, as per Merriam-Webster… to “restore to freshness, vigor, or perfection”. The mandate is to provide exceptional home improvement services with a commitment to quality, workmanship and complete customer satisfaction while offering my services at a fair and reasonable price. The plan is to re-instill trust and honesty into a vocation that as of late, has received negative criticisms and ridicule. I will strive to do my best, treating every project as if it were my own. It will be my pleasure to assist and work with you. Feel free to drop me a line and we can review how your home renovation or repair needs can be completely satisfied.
Sincerely,
Fern Amorim
Entrepreneur. Visionary. Craftsman. Founder.
Honest. Reliable. Fair.