Greg O’Brien, who is a franchisee with Hickory Dickory Decks, the composite deck designer/builder, and is based out of Atlantic Canada, has a passion for supporting local youth and building a strong sense of community through sports and mentorship.
Owner of franchises in Halifax and the South Shore in Nova Scotia, Greg is actively supporting several youth sports teams, including the TASA Minor Hockey Association, King’s Hockey Club, Team Weissent Curling Team, and the Halifax Dockers Aussie Football League. He believes that sports are a powerful way to bring the community together, build teamwork, discipline, and friendships that extend beyond the game.
Beyond sponsoring teams, Greg is also supporting individual children who might not otherwise be able to participate, by covering their fees or equipment costs, ensuring they don’t miss out on the chance to play, develop their skills, and feel connected to their community.
Most recently, he went above and beyond that by organizing and fully funding an educational field trip for over 120 local students to the Discovery Centre – covering all transportation and admission costs and providing custom T-shirts to ensure every child felt included. For many of these students, this was their first ever visit to a museum.
The moral of Greg’s story is that franchise owners can still make meaningful differences to their communities while striving for personal economic success.
Meanwhile, Hickory Dickory Decks, the largest deck company in Canada, has been in operation since 1987. With franchises in over 80 cities across Canada and the USA, the company has now designed and built over 35,000 composite decks.
Designing/building a quality deck, according to the company, means it should be able to withstand the elements without compromising aesthetics and comfort. For that reason Hickory Dickory Decks primarily uses low-maintenance decking materials (composite or PVC). Decks built using these materials, don’t require staining, sealing, or sanding, for example. Hence they won’t rot, splinter, crack, or warp. In addition, composite and PVC decking also offers many colour and grain options that look good for many years.
Along with a 2-year guarantee on workmanship, the majority of the composite decking materials installed by the company come with a 25-year residential product warranty.
