for Toyota, who tasked them with recycling their idled machinery. That led the brothers to learn more about the scrap metal industry. Armed with that industry knowledge, the entrepreneurial brothers purchased their first retired paper mill in Sault Ste. Marie. Initially, the brothers’ intention was to decommission the paper mill and sell the assets. However, they came to understand the value of the building, the land, and the cultural importance went beyond the value of the salvage. They realized there was an opportunity to revitalize that property instead of simply tearing it down and that doing so would make a significant positive impact. They then came to find there was lots of opportunity in retired paper mills, not only in Ontario, but all of Canada, and many of those properties were similarly ripe for positivelyimpactful redevelopment. Paul, Justus and John continued to purchase end-of-use paper mills and the business quickly scaled up as a result. In the process of growing, Hanna says the brothers “fell in love with revitalizing properties and buildings.” That passion is now reflected in the company’s name. BMI was first registered as ‘Brother’s Marketing Inc.’, but the acronym BMI has since evolved to stand for ‘Betterment, Mobilization, and Impact,’ which are the “three defining pillars” of the company’s transformative real estate development platform. As an early example of that philosophy in action, Hanna cites one of BMI’s first projects in Stratford – the aforementioned Bradshaw Lofts. There, they re-developed the 1903 Mooney Biscuit & Candy factory – into a mixed-use development DECEMBER 2024
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