Caleb resident recalls his 42 years as a business owner
By Joan Janzen
The week of October 20 to 26th is designated as Small Business Week and a time to acknowledge entrepreneurs who serve our communities. One of those long-time entrepreneurs is now retired and has made Caleb Village his new home for the past year.
Greg Paradis came to Kindersley from Cutknife, Saskatchewan, where he and his family lived on an acreage. His four adult children are now living at Peace River, Red Deer, Battleford, and Unity. He also has ten grandchildren.
Greg Paradis operated his business ‘Paradis Services’ for 42 years before retiring in 2023 and moving to Caleb Village in Kindersley. PHOTO BY JOAN JANZEN
Despite facing challenges throughout his life, Greg has always persevered. Growing up on a mixed farm southwest of Cutknife helped instill in him a strong work ethic.
He was born in Unity on February 18, 1953. He had one brother and six sisters who were all a year apart in age. “A couple of my aunts had nine and thirteen kids,” Greg said. “We were all from big families.”
Greg helped his dad on the farm and attended a country school located two and a half miles from his home. But he also loved to learn how things work during his free time at home. “When I was a kid I was always taking things apart and figuring out how to put it back together again,” he explained.
After his years at the country school ended, Greg attended a Catholic middle school in Unity, followed by a public school until his graduation. “Then I worked for a construction company for sixteen years,” Greg said. There, he was trained in heavy-duty mechanics and apprenticed in welding. Those two trades served him well in his future business.
The next chapter in his life saw Greg working independently and starting his own business, Paradis Services. He contracted with a road construction company, which had him working in Alberta, Yukon, Northwest Territories, and BC.
“I was gone quite a bit,” he admitted. It was a one-man operation, but occasionally, Greg would hire temporary help. “I fixed everything, both small and big; it didn’t matter,” he added. That included everything from graders, cats, and scrapers to rototillers and lawnmowers.
Greg said business was always steady throughout the years; however, Paradis Services was forced to pause in 2013. “I had a front-end loader fall on me in 2013. I broke my hip, shoulder blade and leg,” he said. “I had to lay on my back for six weeks to heal up because it had shattered my hip socket.”
Greg followed his doctor’s orders and began to heal. He remembered there was a big snowstorm that spring while he was confined to his bed. “I didn’t miss freezing out in the cold!” Greg chuckled.
After one year of rest, he returned to work. Ten years later, in 2023, Greg retired and closed his business after having been in business for forty-two years.
“I liked troubleshooting, and the money was good,” he said. “The biggest change was mechanics changed to technicians.”
While Greg lives at Caleb Village, his wife lives in a care home in Cutknife, where her personal care needs are met. Retirement is a big change and huge adjustment for Greg, but he’s getting used to it.
“I never had time for hobbies; I was always too busy working,” he said. Now, he plays cards two times a week and enjoys happy hour on Fridays. “They treat you good here,” he concluded.