Founder of The Second Cup and Proshred Security
Canadian Landmine Foundation
Blue Ocean Strategies
Officer of the Order of Canada
A gifted speaker, celebrated businessman and recipient of the Order of Canada, FRANK O’DEA has been helping companies and associations for over eight years. Event organizers call on FRANK O’DEA when they are looking for a speaker who can deliver an inspirational message about success against the obstacles of life. His message resonates with audiences who have been through the upheaval of major changes or are facing the uncertainties of change or daunting obstacles such as tougher competition, new demands, restructuring or personal challenges.
Often referred to as “ Canada ’s Serial Entrepreneur”, Frank uses humour and charm, drawing on anecdotes of his personal and business 
experiences in order to drive home his message. As a young man he was a homeless person living in 50-cent-a-night flophouses. Then at age twenty three, with the courage to hope for a better life, and the spirit to take action, Frank began the long road back. Fighting all of those barriers that hold back the homeless, the impoverished and the destitute, he prevailed and rejoined society.
He didn’t stop there. Within a few short years, he had co-founded The Second Cup , which became the largest chain of gourmet coffees and teas in the country. Building on that success, he went on to co-found Proshred Security , a company that pioneered the entire industry of on-site document destruction. Over time, this company became an international organization with operations in Canada , Europe and the United States . His personal interest as a licensed pilot led him to become a founder of Samaritan Air Ambulance Services . This firm grew into an organization with a fleet of fixed wing aircraft providing medical transport in North America, Europe and South America .
The not-for-profit arena did not escape Frank’s entrepreneurial talent when, in the mid eighties, he co-founded Street Kids International , an organization developed to help homeless children in third world countries, through education and self-reliance programs. His success there, led him to found the Canadian Landmine Foundation , an organization that raises funds for the dismantling of minefields around the world. Its principal fundraising event “ Night of a Thousand Dinners ” spread to an unprecedented twenty-nine countries in three short years.
FRANK O’DEA’s business experiences continue to expand as he is now sought out to join the boards of directors of public and private organizations. Most recently he was invited to be Chair of Royal Roads University Foundation. These new activities take him away from the day-to- day action of business, allowing him to devote more time to the growing demand for his services as a professional speaker.
