Confederation Construction and Interiors Inc.

 by Stella Shepard

Ajay Mathew of Stratford credits the power of prayer in his journey from Bangalore, India to Prince Edward Island.

Ajay, his wife, Supriya, and their three children ages 10 to 15 originally planned to move to New Zealand. The family are devoted Christians and their church congregation prayed for the family to be successful in their journey to a new life in a new country.

“The congregation praying for us said it is not New Zealand you should be going to,” says Ajay. “It was a good choice not to go because an earthquake killed hundreds of people in the area we had considered moving to. We considered moving to Canada or Australia, and decided to move to PEI through the Provincial Nominee program.

“I had never heard of this province and it was difficult to find it on the map. As a businessperson, I did not think it was the right place to conduct a successful construction business because of the low population. However, our church continued to pray for travel guidance, and that led us to choose PEI as our new home.”

The family departed Bangalore, which has a population of 10 million people, and settled in Stratford in 2019.

Ajay has 20 years of experience in real estate and construction in India. He says the substantial decrease in the industry in India affected his business and is one of the reasons he decided to relocate.

Ajay and Supriya had other reasons to choose PEI to start a new life. “There is no pollution, very little traffic compared to Bangalore and it is a safer place for the children to live,” says Ajay. “We are very happy to be living here.”

In 2019, Ajay launched Confederation Construction and Interiors Inc., with locations in Stratford and on St. Peters Road in Charlottetown. The company buys land, finances real estate deals, and builds projects from start to finish for themselves and others.

“As far as I understand, Ajay and the Confederation team are the first members of the CAPEI from India,” says Sam Sanderson, General Manager, Construction Association of PEI.

Hiring needs

“I started the company immediately after arriving on PEI and hired about 25 to 30 trades people,” says Ajay.

“The company plans to hire more tradespeople, including Carpenters, Plumbers, Floor Installers, Roofers, Electricians, Welders, and Concrete Finishers.”

Community support

Community Business Development Corporation East (CBDC) is located at the Rural Action Centre on Main Street in Montague. CBDC East provides business loans, counselling advice, entrepreneurship development, and business training. CBDC East is staffed by Martina MacDonald, Director, Helen Antle, CBDC Officer, and Terri Taylor, Accounts Officer.

Ajay is a member of the Greater Charlottetown Area Chamber of Commerce, a non-profit organization made up of business and professional people sharing a common goal: the economic development of the capital region. The Greater Charlottetown Area Chamber of Commerce suggested Ajay contact Martina MacDonald of CBDC East.

“CBDC East was very receptive,” says Ajay. “Martina gave me a tour of Montague and area to explore development opportunities. She introduced me to members of the business community for the purpose of exploring opportunities within the real estate and construction industry in eastern PEI.”