Photo by Curtis Comeau Photography
Fernando Meneses, Jorge Nunes and Austin Nunes.
AJ Interiors: 25 Years of Building Dreams (Including Their Own) By Nerissa McNaughton
J
orge Nunes is a man on a mission. Before he launched AJ Interiors, he worked for a general contractor in Edmonton where he furthered his knowledge of the commercial construction industry. When he opened for business, he was the sole employee. Twenty-five years later, things have changed – dramatically. “Jorge initially started off doing small renovation projects, says Austin Nunes, manager. He joined the company fulltime in 2011. “Today AJ Interiors has 50 employees in partnership with its sister company, Nova Millwork. Together, they have successfully completed multiple million-dollar projects.” Jorge started AJ Interiors because he always dreamed of having his own company. Rather than go head to head with Edmonton’s many other general contractors, he explored a niche he identified in the market. Austin explains, “He knew a general contractor and millwork shop would be the perfect combination, and due to him being a cabinet maker by trade, he had the millwork knowledge as well as the general contracting knowledge to make it work.”
With their 25th anniversary, AJ Interiors reflects on their journey. “When AJ Interiors first started, we did whatever work came to the table,” laughs Austin. “Then we got connected with our first big contract building the first Booster Juice when they started their concept, and from there it was basically word of mouth and quality that got the ball rolling.” Three years after their opening, and with a firm foot in the commercial construction industry, Jorge had the time and capital to expand the millwork division, realizing his dream of a combined general contracting/millwork shop. “The advantage of having our millwork in house is that we personally have complete control of every millwork aspect of the project. This not only allows us to be very competitive in pricing, but we also have developed, within our staff, our own quality A.J. Interiors • 25 Years • 1
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