HeroWork Hero Series: Neville Grigg

“There’s nothing better than giving or doing something for someone and knowing there is nothing they can do in return.”

Neville Grigg always has a magical glint in his eyes, whether he is telling you about the local charities he has helped out, how wonderful his kids are, the story of how he met his amazing wife, or how he wants to improve situations and scenarios wherever he goes.

A curious man with a razor-sharp, diverse mind and a simple, admirable approach to everyday living, Neville is a joy to talk with and listen to, and one can’t help but walk away feeling inspired and somehow elevated.

“It’s simple,” he tells me.

“Ask. You’ll never get what you don’t ask for, and the more outrageous ‘the ask’ the better. Make a difference every day. Have some fun. And hopefully make a little money so you can do it all again tomorrow.”

Simple indeed.

Donated furniture for Radical Reno courtesy of Agenda Office Interiors.

But there’s nothing simple about Neville Grigg, President & CEO of Agenda Office Interiors, a leading supplier of contract office furniture based in Victoria and serving Vancouver Island. He’s also the principal consultant at Agenda Management Inc, a community-based management consulting firm that offers strategy, technical, and financial advisory services to high-tech and commercial enterprises.

An expansive-thinking man, Neville is incredibly grounded in and passionate about such common sense virtues as; use local, recycle, repurpose, respect, re-create, sustainability, create circular economies, and support your community. He has, by the way, been doing this for some years now, so it was inevitable that Paul Latour, Creator & E.D. of HeroWork, and Neville would get together to share and learn from one another. It was just a matter of when.

And Neville’s work with HeroWork is nothing short of amazing. It didn’t stop at donating all the furniture for the Citizen’s Counselling Center, the Schizophrenia Society of Victoria, and past Radical Renos. Neville realized HeroWork had nowhere to hold their important planning sessions, so he tossed his office keys to Paul and said “use it when you need it, just make sure you lock up afterward.”  And he donated the storage space as well. This HeroWork Hero has also contributed his extensive expertise and his considerable list of contacts. Neville’s contributions to HeroWork are incalculable. (That’s Neville in the middle of the splash image above, with the Onsite Team behind him.)

But his efforts don’t stop with HeroWork. Embodying a remarkable fusion of practicality and rule-breaking, Neville Grigg looks at life differently. What he sees is fantastic. Passionate about sustainability and finding simple solutions to complex problems—just try putting a box around this guy—he’ll transform it into something useful and give it away to someone who needs it.

Neville and his team have taken Agenda Office Interiors to a new level and have been recognized for their efforts. They have received the following acknowledgments and awards:

They have also supported the not-for-profit community with donations of furniture and related services to:

Another generous charitable donation of office furniture for a HeroWork Radical Reno.

Neville hasn’t restricted himself to the world of office furniture and helping others out. In the past 30 years he has worked as an analyst, a manager in oil & gas, a consultant in distribution, construction and energy, worked as an engineer, and created IT solutions for the technology and business sectors.

In his spare time Neville wears more hats than I thought humanly possible. He is a member of the CRD Roundtable on the Environment, and Director of the Highlands Stewardship Foundation. Neville has also served on the board of the Canadian Association of Management Consultants, managed to trace his lineage back to the 1400s, and is mentoring the next generation of entrepreneurs by providing volunteer guidance to Gustavson MBA students through the Gustavson Executive Mentor Program.

Realizing that enhanced facilities were needed to help more people and grow Agenda’s reach, Neville eyed up some warehouse space across the parking lot from their headquarters, quickly snapping it up when it became available.

Showing me around the annex warehouse, affectionately known as the Hidden Agenda, Neville explains that this is the exchange area where opportunities and solutions are born. A bit like the heart pumping blood, the annex moves furniture in and out from those who no longer need it to those who do.

One thing is clear after spending a great evening with Neville and learning about his vision; we have not heard the last from this man and his good work will continue on for some time yet. Thanks Neville!