Age 34
Constantine Grechko is a dreamer. Before founding Give Back Contracting, he wrote over a dozen business plans for companies that sold anything from flowers to countertop water filtration systems. However, Grechko put his dreams on hold to earn a secure job in his home country of Israel, which meant the IT industry. But he didn’t hang around long. “I worked as a software developer for three whole months,” he shares. “I didn’t like the environment and being a little piece in a big puzzle, and I wanted to feel something more impactful.”
Grechko found that impact in focusing on how his business could improve people and the environment. “I went through a really rough, poor childhood, which motivated me,” explains Grechko. “So now I strive to do more if I see it’s possible.” As soon as he received his permanent residency in Canada, he registered his company and, with only a professional website and a few clients from his previous job, he brought in over $300,000 worth of contracts in two weeks.
As a socially driven landscape construction company, Give Back’s owners do not take dividends, but instead redistribute profit among all the staff and donate time and money to charitable and community organizations. Grechko’s most memorable “give back” experiences include handing out food with Meals on Wheels and cleaning up garbage around the city. Give Back is also financially transparent, so each employee knows what everyone’s salary is. “It’s so nobody feels underpaid,” says Grechko. “It has to be fair towards everyone — honesty and transparency is how we run this business.”
With big plans for his future — including more offices across Canada — Grechko promises to focus his mission on what’s always inspired him: “We truly believe that with the power of business, we can improve people’s lives.”
This article appears in the November 2021 issue of Edify
