I was born and raised in Whitby, with the exception of 6 years going to law school. I knew I wanted to return to Whitby, so I opened my law practice here in 2000. We grew the business and thrived for 15 years until I had to take a step back in 2016 for medical reasons. I still work as an advisor part time for the firm now. I’ve always had dreams to have a rooftop brewery over looking the water, so in 2013 I started the process of looking for a location for my brewery. I opened Brock Street Brewery in downtown Whitby in 2019. We have grown the brewery to over 60 employees now. We are proud to support and hire local employees.
We always try to give back to charities along the way, we try to sponsor whatever kids teams we can, we send buses of military personnel down to base ball games, were huge supporters of our military. When you do well, you want to give back because the community you live in, you want them to succeed as well, you want opportunities to young people, we try to mentor them and help them out.
Q: Please tell us a little bit about your family.
My wife, Amanda and I met live here in Whitby near the law firm and brewery.
Q: Please tell us about your current, past, or future career. What do you love most about what you do?
As a teenager growing up, I worked at Fairview Lodge, I was around death and dying all the time, and I found that compassionate area of law can be quite rewarding, the most rewarding work was dealing with people in their most difficult times and guiding them through that.
Q: What are a couple of your favorite restaurants in our community?
Brock Street Brewery of course!
Q: How long have you lived or worked in our community?
I was born and raised in Whitby, lived here my whole life, other than when I went away to university where I met my wife. When it came time to look for a place of our own, I directed the search back to Whitby. She fell in love with the town and we’ve been here ever since!
Q: Who is the most interesting person you’ve met here in our community?
There isn’t one person in particular. When I broke my neck in 1991, the community really rallied around and supported their own.
Q: What current or former local business makes you the most nostalgic about our community?
One of the reasons my wife agreed to move to Whitby was because of a pub that used to be in downtown Whitby, The Down Patrick, that’s where my wife is from in Northern Ireland. She loved the fairy lights on the street and the little Irish pub, so it holds a special spot in our hearts.
Q: What is your favorite thing or something unique about our community?
I compare living in Whitby to the movie Pleasantville, nothing ever seems to go wrong and everything is just great. I love the close knit community, there is something special in the water here. I don’t think it’s changed too much since my childhood, I know we’ve grown quite a bit, but I still feel that connection to the community.
Q: Who inspires you to be better?
My community and my wife.
