Our History

HISTORY OF OUR NAME

To honor his parents and their inspiration, we named the firm Avoca Search. Avoca was the name of Brian's childhood home in Derry, N. Ireland. His parents, Brendan and Philomena McCartie, were a family practice physician and a nurse.

Brian and Melissa had the positive example of a successful husband and wife team from Brian's parents. They worked together for the Canadian Public Health service delivering medical care to fishing villages along the east coast of Canada in the 1950s. Brian's parents practiced the full scope of healthcare, delivering babies and even pulling teeth.

In the early 1960s, they returned to their home country of Ireland and Brendan set up practice in Derry. He was the only Catholic physician in partnership with a Protestant physician in the Derry/Londonderry area. This was a unique situation during a volatile time in N. Ireland. Despite the political situation, the partners developed a successful practice and delivered care their way.

Brian grew up watching his father deliver healthcare with a medical bag making house calls. It was this upbringing that inspired Brian to work in healthcare and focus on physicians.

After Brian's father passed in 2008, he went back to Ireland to clean out the family home. Melissa asked that he bring back only one thing, the old wooden sign "Avoca" that marked the lane to their home at the top of the hill overlooking the River Foyle.

When considering names for their healthcare search firm, Melissa suggested Avoca and Brian agreed without hesitation.