Photo credit: Darcy Franklin
Although Darcy Franklin is known for his custom home building work in Sun Peaks, many roads were travelled to get him where he is now.
Both Franklin and his wife, Lori, were born and raised two hours north of Sun Peaks in 100 Mile House, B.C. Consequently, his relationship with Sun Peaks goes back to the days of Tod Mountain where he skied as a child.
When the time came for the couple to leave their home town they ventured further north to do some work before eventually travelling across the world to the Middle East after being recruited for international teaching jobs.
“We actually moved to Bahrain for part of a year, and then we moved to Saudi (Arabia) and we spent four years there,” notes Franklin. “It was a great experience.”
Leading a life that can only be described as eventful, Franklin and his wife set to work teaching upper level science and math at a school in Saudi Arabia and travelling the world.
“We were really blessed to travel lots,” reflects Franklin, “and we definitely learned that Saudi Arabia is a unique country on Earth.”
Franklin is certainly in a position to say so as he and his wife moved to Saudi Arabia just three weeks prior to the September 11 attacks.
“We lived through all the worst terrors of the early 2000s,” he explains. “Sixteen of the 19 September 11 hijackers got their passports two blocks from where we first worked.”
Eventually, having recently had their first child, Darcy and Lori decided it was time to move back to Canada and lay some roots in the Sun Peaks community. Choosing Sun Peaks came down to the fact that it was a developing community where he and his wife could live and work while raising a family.
Franklin saw many opportunities available in Sun Peaks and decided to use his wood working skills and family background in construction to partner up with Brad Phillip. Together the two created Meranti Developments, a highly regarded custom home building company that spans B.C.’s Southern Interior from Revelstoke to the Shuswap, not to mention Sun Peaks. The company, named after a high quality Indonesian mahogany-type wood, strives to be involved in the community wherever possible.
“Meranti put $7,000 into the cedar stage this year up in the square and we’ve always been big supporters of the school and local charities,” says Franklin. “The company is really community oriented.”
When asked if he had anything else to add, Franklin acknowledges his wife.
“Lori — I wouldn’t be anything without her and the company wouldn’t exist without our wives being patient with us.”
Click here for more information on Meranti Developments.
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