‘Portray’ a historical past of a century-old household enterprise | Information, Sports activities, Jobs

Karen Madias represents fourth-generation involvement within the household enterprise Madias Brothers Inc. in Detroit, Mich., that had its roots in Weirton. The portray and adorning enterprise is celebrating its a centesimal anniversary this yr with weekend observances together with a dinner Sunday. Karen is the household historian and daughter of Nick and Virginia Madias. Her father grew up in Weirton on Avenue A. In honor of the centennial milestone, Karen ready a particular historical past booklet that features previous pictures. — Contributed

Karen Madias represents fourth-generation involvement within the household enterprise Madias Brothers Inc. that has its roots in Weirton courting again to 1922.

And she or he is one among solely two direct descendants linked to the now-Detroit-based portray and adorning enterprise formally celebrated its centennial yr with a full slate of festivities.

However maybe her most essential and fulfilling “job” this yr has been serving to the enterprise mark “100 Years of Excellence” via the function she embraces as household historian.

In March, Karen reached out to the Herald-Star and The Weirton Day by day Instances, sending a duplicate of the 100-year anniversary brochure celebrating and recognizing the story of the Madias household who settled in Weirton in 1919 and established the Madias Portray Co. three years later at 1035 Fourth Ave., Weirton. Fourth Avenue can be simply south of County Highway.

She pitched the story thought as a optimistic one having native beginnings, a enterprise that had painted Weirton Metal Co. in 1922 and the unique All Saints Greek Orthodox Church in Weirton, the cornerstone of which was positioned in 1916 and the place the primary service was held on March 25, 1918.

The enterprise held a three-day celebration.

Sept. 9 was an open home with excursions and photograph alternatives at Madias Brothers Inc. headquarters at 12850 Evergreen Highway in Detroit.

Sept. 10 was a dinner celebration, and Sept. 11 put aside time for a memorial service for Madias relations on the conclusion of Divine Liturgy at Sts. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church in Westland, Mich.

Again within the spring, Karen questioned if any of this was story-worthy for the native newspapers.

A SPECIAL PROJECT

The commemorative booklet titled “Our Story — 100 Years of Excellence” was Karen’s thought — a mission that concerned slightly greater than three months to compile.

“I needed to inform the story of our ancestors and their onerous work and dedication to make a profitable portray enterprise,” Karen defined in follow-up contact communication.

“They deserved the distinction and recognition for his or her imaginative and prescient,” she famous of an effort that included interviewing kin and drawing on her previous household historical past work.

Annette Madias, Karen’s cousin, assisted with the format and design.

There have been 400 booklets printed, some mailed to out-of-town household and enterprise clients and pals with many extra e-mailed. Booklets got to present staff, too, and “all who’ve been touched by Madias in some capability.”

She ready an addendum as nicely, a compilation of pictures previous and current, reminiscences, tales and paperwork from what she describes as being a extra private perspective. It was to be distributed to dinner friends.

“As a younger lady I used to be intrigued by the wealthy heritage of our household and started correspondence with a relative who lived in London and likewise had a house in Greece,” she stated of how her curiosity in household historical past originated. “He wrote me volumes of letters detailing our family tree. I nonetheless have his letters. That’s the way it first started. Over time, this advanced into my being referred to as the household historian,” defined Karen, who was born in 1954, the daughter of Nick and Virginia Madias. Her father was born in Steubenville and grew up in Weirton on Avenue A. He was an altar boy at All Saints Greek Orthodox Church.

“My mother and father significantly inspired me and helped fill in lots of blanks,” Karen stated of her efforts buoyed “largely by phrase of mouth — the oral custom — of tales, which I wrote down and have stored in my archives.”

“In 1982 we held an enormous reunion, and in 2015 we had a smaller reunion. In between, the household would maintain a ‘household dinner’ at the least yearly. We now have continued our closeness despite the fact that many have moved out of city,” she stated of such gatherings that might be the backdrop for tales of the previous to floor and be shared.

THE SEED WAS PLANTED

The duvet photograph of Karen’s booklet exhibits the enterprise’ first location at 1035 Fourth Ave. in Weirton.

Standing in entrance of it are Gus Madias, her uncle; her great-grandfather, Nicholas A. Madias; and her grandfather, Marcos A. Madias.

The lady within the doorway, solely barely seen, although, is their sister, Angero.

“Some relations lived at the back of that retailer and within the basement,” Karen defined. “A kitchen was within the basement, and Uncle Gus would make the Loukoumathes, a small fried doughnut delicacy, every day in that kitchen. Angero would promote these to clients strolling by the shop.” It might represent their confectionary retailer on the town with ice cream additionally bought along with soda and sweet, the Loukoumathes and paint provides.

“The seed was planted within the yr 1922 by three brothers, Marcos, Gust and Michael, together with their father, Nicholas, within the hills of the small, metal city of Weirton, W.Va.,” Karen’s written historical past of the portray enterprise begins.

However the story, she factors out, goes again to the island of Chios, Greece, and the tiny seaside village of Kardamila. Life was tough in Greece then, she wrote, so in 1915 the three brothers traveled by ship to the US seeking the American dream, dwelling with kin in New York and dealing small paint jobs.

Marcos, the oldest brother, enlisted within the U.S. Infantry on Dec. 23, 1917. It was the beginning of World Battle I. “In April of 1918, Marcos was deployed to energetic responsibility in France the place he confronted fight on the Marne and was wounded. Marcos obtained an honorable discharge and returned to the US in 1919 an American citizen,” Karen wrote. He was awarded the Purple Coronary heart.

The brothers would depart New York, heading to Weirton by railcar to work within the metal mills. Their earnings would allow them to ship for his or her mother and father and different relations. Their father, Nicholas, would arrive from Greece in 1920. Their mom, Maritsa, and youthful kids got here 4 years later.

“However life working in a metal mill was not their imaginative and prescient,” Karen wrote. “After two years working within the mills, the Weirton Metal Co. started taking bids for the entire portray of the manufacturing facility. The brothers bid the mission and had been awarded the job. The work took two years to finish, and it firmly established the Madias household within the paint contracting enterprise. Madias Portray Co. was born.”

Phrase traveled shortly about their robust work ethic and honesty, growing their work load. “The brothers labored onerous through the Melancholy yr,” Karen famous. Their father died in 1937 and was buried in Paris Cemetery.

The choice to maneuver from Weirton to Detroit got here through the early Nineteen Forties as a result of there was a lot work there. “The Madias brothers purchased a rickety previous bus, crammed it with all their provides and belongings” and drove to Detroit.

Their first main mission was to color three Detroit public faculties.

“The transfer from Weirton to Detroit was primarily based on Uncle Alex — an authentic brother, however youthful — bidding the Federal Constructing in Detroit in 1946,” Karen defined in an e-mail. “Madias was awarded the contract at a worth of $37,000. This prompted the transfer to Detroit,” she added, noting that ultimately, all the household relocated to Detroit, which is 270 miles from Weirton.

MOTORING ALONG IN DETROIT

In 1946, the brothers purchased property at 14710 Plymouth Highway in Detroit. “From this constructing they bought paint and {hardware} provides and residential merchandise akin to dishes, lamps, linens and furnishings. They even bought Christmas bushes and decorations,” Karen wrote of the constructing that might change into referred to as “The Retailer.”

The corporate bid and was awarded many contracts with the federal authorities. Massive tasks included Wurtsmith Air Pressure Base, work within the Higher Peninsula of Michigan, the continuing portray of many Detroit Public Colleges “and, in fact, the automotive business was booming.”

“The Retailer” transitioned into “The Workplace,” in keeping with Karen, who famous enterprise relationships grew all through the Nineteen Fifties “and a few proceed to this present day, which could be very fascinating and distinctive. One instance of this valued relationship contains the previous Basic Motors Constructing which was situated on W. Gran Boulevard in Detroit and is now headquartered on the Detroit Renaissance Middle,” Karen famous.

Madias Brothers had a small workplace situated within the previous GM Constructing basement. “It was from this small workplace that Madias Brothers supplied every day tenant work for Basic Motors. Madias Brothers continues to this present day, servicing Basic Motors at their headquarters within the Ren Cen,” wrote Karen.

Feb. 20, 1962, marked the date of incorporation for the Madias Brothers in Michigan. The corporate expanded to incorporate an industrial waste elimination firm and a janitorial providers firm. Trucking providers had been supplied to the Ford Wixom plant amongst others, and janitorial providers to corporations akin to Michigan Bell and the Ford Mazda Plant in Flat Rock, Mich.

Development prompted the necessity for larger amenities and introduced the 1972 buy of a bigger constructing. After the transfer to Evergreen Highway, the Madias Youngster Improvement Middle took over that area for a few years.

Among the tasks awarded throughout this time included Detroit Ren Cen, Cobo Middle, Ford Auditorium, Tiger Stadium, Ford Area, Comerica Park, the Dearborn Inn, Henry Ford Hospital and the MGM On line casino in Detroit, in keeping with Karen’s historical past.

“Whereas the janitorial providers light, the trucking work expanded from industrial waste elimination to incorporate a recycling facility on the property, delivery cardboard and plastics throughout the Midwest, Canada and abroad. Right this moment it is called Grove Recycling Providers Inc. and is a subsidiary of MBI,” Karen wrote.

IN THE BUSINESS

As an adolescent, Karen labored throughout summer season holidays on the workplaces on Plymouth Highway. “ln 1982, I started working full time on the firm. I used to be an administrative assistant, working for the portray division. Since 2014, I started to work for Grove Recycling Providers, the recycling/industrial waste division of Madias Brothers, lnc. I’m at present accounts payable supervisor, and deal with the scheduling of our inbound and outbound commodities. I additionally operate as an administrative assistant for Grove,” defined Karen, who reminisced about how she solely spoke Greek as a baby “since my great-grandmother (Maritsa) and grandparents (Marcos and Kyriakoula) lived in our home, and that was principally the language spoken.

“My kindergarten instructor despatched a observe dwelling asking my mother and father to please begin utilizing English at dwelling. My childhood was all about household and the enterprise and the church. My father, Col. Nick, labored onerous to make the portray enterprise a continued success. I recall that he by no means introduced dwelling any work points — that was all left on the workplace.”

The addendum contains early reflections, together with from her father’s cousin, Lt. Nick Madias.

When the household left Weirton for Detroit, he was 12 and in junior highschool, captain of the basketball group. “They’d a sport that day after college, so Nick was dressed for the basketball sport in his uniform. His household drove to the varsity, and Nick was advised to get within the automobile as a result of they had been shifting. There have been no goodbyes. No discussions. They simply left and headed for Detroit,” the story learn.

Simply as Karen had labored throughout summer season holidays rising up, her daughter, Jennifer, adopted swimsuit.

From 1947 to the late Nineteen Fifties, all kin had been paid the identical weekly quantity, in keeping with Karen, a follow that modified round 1960 when a salaried construction was established.

“My private tackle the success is that with onerous work, trustworthy enterprise relationships, innovation and high quality work, the enterprise survived and grew to attain 100 years,” Karen stated of the corporate’s longevity and success.

“I pray we’ll obtain one other 100 years. Could we all the time stay humble and grateful to our ancestors. They might be very proud and glad.”