Greg Roberts grew up on Triton, a little island off the coast of Newfoundland, but as a young boy he had big dreams.

After graduating with a degree and becoming a chartered accountant, he acquired a gas station and restaurant; then a pharmacy. Two pizza franchises and real estate ventures followed.

But Greg had his eye on the big prize. When the franchise rights for Mary Brown’s Famous Chicken and Taters became available, he mortgaged everything he had to buy the brand.

“At the time I didn’t think it was a gamble because I knew the business and knew it had a lot of potential”

Today, Roberts has close to 100 franchises in Canada, 1,250 employees, a flagship store in South America and hundreds of international franchises in the planning stages.

“All in 14 years.  It feels like 40,” Roberts says with a laugh.

His advice?

“Work hard. Be candid. Listen to everyone and make the right decisions. At the end of the day I don’t want to be the richest man in the cemetery.  I just want to be known as a good person and an even better family man.”

Canadians were first introduced to Mary Brown’s in Newfoundland in 1969.