As they say, life happens when you’re making other plans.

A year ago Brian Sparhawk was working in digital advertising for Comcast when his core project abruptly ended. Married with an infant at home, Brian, a Lakewood native, found himself out of work and seemingly out of luck.

“Good ol’ Uncle Steve came through. He created a spot for me initially doing driving and labor. I started at the bottom rung of the ladder assisting the deck crews with anything they needed such as deck tear-outs, digging footings, moving materials, cleaning up and so on. We like to call it ‘construction support,’” Brian said with a chuckle.

But Brian didn’t just have the right last name, he had what it took to do the job.

“In high school and a little bit during college, my Dad was a builder and handyman, so I would do the same thing for him that I began doing for DeckTec. I know Home Depot like the back of my hand. I’m able to execute material runs in a timely manner, deal with suppliers, make sure things are delivered on time and happening on schedule – basically keeping the jobs ‘rolling’ as we would say,” Brian said.

Brian had been on a deck refinishing crew one summer, so in April, when he was offered the opportunity to do deck service inspections, he embraced the new role.

“I’m the person that goes out to the home to evaluate and estimate the cost of deck maintenance, such as refinishing and re-staining, for both new and existing clients. I collect all this data, bring it back to the shop, review it with our other deck specialists and then create a proposal for the homeowners,” Brian said.

“I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve done here, but this new role is really fun because I get to meet good folks and make sure our customers are happy. I try to have a servant’s heart. I want to make sure people are treated right and all their questions are answered. Although I work independently, in my own head I try to be a leader in how I take care of people. I get some joy out of taking care of them and making sure no clients slip through the cracks,” he said.

People sometimes ask Brian if he’s going to take over DeckTec.

“I always tell my family that we’re not guaranteed tomorrow. That keeps me humble,” he said. “Things will happen when they happen.”

Brian is definitely not missing the corporate media world.

“DeckTec has that small company feeling which I’ve grown to love. They give you a lot more leeway with the family, which is worth its weight in gold. I enjoyed my previous jobs at Comcast and Fox 31, but I was working every holiday and never had time off, it wore me down,” Brian said.

“I may be part of the Sparhawk family, but Steve takes care of everyone. It’s cool to see that, that’s what small companies are about,” he said.

Luckily for Brian, life did appear to have not just other — but even better plans.

“In hindsight, it all led to DeckTec I believe. I’m glad that I’m here where I am right now. My number one priority is staying loyal to this company,” he said.