Michael Antonakos
Co-Founder and President
Sales, contracts, client relationships, and the Sherwin-Williams partnership. Mike has been the GC's point of contact since job one, and he still walks jobsites.
About
A painting company operating to meet today's demands: proactive, prepared, and professional.
Antonakos Painting & Contracting, Inc., doing business as MPA Painters, opened in Elizabeth, New Jersey in July 2013. We are the painting subcontractor to builders and general contractors on new construction across New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania, all of it run from one headquarters in Elizabeth.
History
Thirteen years, one direction.
Started by two painters who wanted a company built on integrity, hard work, and showing up, for clients and for crews.
2013
Antonakos Painting & Contracting incorporated in New Jersey. Michael Antonakos and Hector Martinez Mejia open in Elizabeth. First Sherwin-Williams account.
2017
Bidding high-rise packages with regional builders. Mid- and high-rise multifamily becomes the core of the business.
2020
Industry-wide supply disruption. MPA's supplier planning keeps material on hand and projects on schedule while much of the market waits.
2022
Operational restructure. W-2 field workforce, internal pay scale, documented HR and compliance, Maureen Poole joins as Director of Operations.
2023
Operations consolidated into the Elizabeth headquarters. Written safety program formalized with a dedicated safety consultant.
2026
Twenty-five active contracts across the tri-state area, 50+ W-2 employees, and an 18 to 24 month contracted backlog.
Founders
Co-founded in 2013.
Hector Martinez Mejia
Co-Founder and Vice President
Co-founded MPA with Mike in 2013 and built the production painting model and field culture the company still runs on: crews organized by building, trained in one process, and held to one standard.
Operations leadership
Who runs the work.
Maureen Poole
Director of Operations
Thirty years of operational industry experience, mentoring, and providing company compliance and operational guidance for all day-to-day operations.
Alejandra Casteneda
Operations Manager
Runs the office side of every contract: estimating and bid packages, the color-coded finish prints the field builds from, submittals and closeout, and the systems that keep field and office on the same page. If you have sent us a set, it crossed her desk. Holds the 62-hour NYC Site Safety Training (SST) Supervisor card.
Jose Perez Maldonado
Field Operations Manager
Runs the field. PMs and crew leaders report to Jose. He decides where crews go across every active building, walks the sites, and owns the sign-off before any floor gets called done. Holds the 62-hour NYC Site Safety Training (SST) Supervisor card.
Credentials
Everything your prequal reviewer is going to ask for.
All of it documented. All of it in the prequalification package, on request.
- New Jersey Home Improvement Contractor
- License #13VH07654100
- Insurance
- General liability, umbrella, workers' compensation, and commercial auto. Certificates issued on request.
- Surety
- Bondable. Surety carrier rated A+ by AM Best and U.S. Treasury listed.
- Safety program
- Written company safety program, updated June 2025, covering new-hire orientation, job hazard analysis, stop-work authority, and OSHA recordkeeping.
- Training
- 62-hour NYC Site Safety Training (SST) Supervisor cards held by the Operations Manager and Field Operations Manager. Field staff meet OSHA training requirements for every jobsite.
- Workforce
- W-2 field crews with in-house payroll. Sub-tier labor is prequalified and held to the same wage-and-hour and insurance requirements.
- Materials
- Sherwin-Williams trade partner since 2013. Material pricing is locked with the manufacturer at bid and held for the life of the contract.
Values
How we operate.
Written down in 2013. Still the test for every call we make.
Integrity
Respect and honesty with clients, employees, and trade partners. We say what we will do and do it.
Responsibility
We own our scope, our schedule, and our people's safety and pay.
Quality
Nothing is turned over until it meets the finish schedule and the client has walked it.
Teamwork
Field and office run as one operation. Management shows up on site.