The story of Stala Building Solutions begins when our GM/Founder Dave Stala met our Head Coach of Business Development, Mihai Raducanu back in high school in the 1990s at Cathedral in Downtown Hamilton. Dave was in Grade 11 and Mihai was in Grade 10. 

They were both immigrants to Canada; Dave came from Poland, and Mihai came from Romania. They quickly became great friends and teammates all through high school and remain deeply connected to this day. 

Learning the Ropes

After graduating in 1998 they both went their separate ways for university. Dave was a celebrated football player at Saint Mary’s University in Nova Scotia, while Mihai played basketball on the Canadian Jr. National Team and earned a scholarship to Coastal Carolina University in Myrtle Beach, SC.

Dave began exploring the world of real estate as a young CFL player. He became successful at real estate investing, and flipping homes while leaving a legacy in the CFL during his 13 year CFL career. 

During this time Dave found himself hustling for building materials, He saw opportunity knocking. Starting with his own truck in 2019 he began helping people with their doors, trim, hardware, and other interior material needs within Hamilton and surrounding areas. 

Making it Official

In late 2020 he decided to make it official and founded Stala Building Solutions. Dave’s sense of family and where he came from pointed him back to Mihai and asked him to help him get this started. Mihai has his hands in many things that involve business development including teaching a couple of graduate-level courses at Canisius College (Buffalo, NY) but accepted the role of Head Coach – Business Development. 

Together, they combined their skills, studied the market, and created a more efficient way to service their customers. They worked to form the culture of Stala Building Solutions. The values they stand for are Community/Culture, Honest & Trustworthiness, Consistentcy, Authenticity & Unmatched Service.

They also started building the team that would drive the mission forward. They understand sports at the highest level – so it’s only natural they started recruiting to build the roster. 

Expanding the Team

The FIRST draft pick was Brittany (Mihai’s wife) who is the Head Coach – Executive Team/Front Office. She is a former NCAA D1 player at Fairfield University, Connecticut and an Assistant Coach at Guelph University Women’s Basketball. 

In May 2021 they needed a truck and a driver. This is where Tyler got drafted with the SECOND pick and joined the team. Mihai knew Tyler from the Basketball community for several years. He was himself a former NCAA D1 player at Wagner University, NY and an international professional player for eight (8) years. They earned his trust with the offer of better culture and a better place to work while building the community he lives in – downtown Hamilton. Tyler is the Head Coach – Logistics/Operations. 

They had a team, a truck, and we’re creating something that people want to be a part of. This is why Dom and Mike are here. They appeared on the second season of Game of Homes. They are the carpenters that create all of the custom masterpieces for our customers. They worked with Dave for several years in the reno world and also went to high school with Brittany. They were the official THIRD selection in the draft – they came as a package. Dom is the Head Coach – Carpentry/Shop and Mike is his Assistant Coach. 

Needing space to grow, they moved from a tiny warehouse up on the mountain into their new warehouse, downtown Hamilton, that the team is currently renovating. Of course with a new warehouse, there was an immediate need for an Assistant Coach – Logistics/Operation and the team selected Scott Noftall with the FOURTH pick. Scott is a former Canadian University basketball player at Memorial University, Newfoundland, a former teacher and has been a part of Mihai’s basketball inner circle for several years. 

Commitment to Hamilton

We continue to build while keeping our community commitment and values at the core of our growth – our showroom is across the street from Cathedral High School (Dave and Mihai’s origins) and our warehouse is in close proximity to it as well. 

The journey of becoming Hamilton/Niagara/Brantford region’s premier suppliers for renovators, flippers, investors and small builders continues – be part of it. We will continue to provide intimate experiences for everyone. 

“So once he figured this out, he knew he needed help and I’ll never forget the call. He called me. It was like 11:30 at night and he just said “yo, I have an idea. I need your help. Are you in?”. Obviously, when one of your best friends calls you and he says this, you just say “YES”. You blindly say yes and here we are. Two years later, deeply deep, deep, deep into it. So Dave is the originator. He had the idea. He knew to bring in the right person for the business mindset and the organization of it all. And then obviously together, we’re able to bring in high-quality people like Britt and Tyler to share a vision that we can build from. And here we are – just getting started” – Mihai