Beloved dealer Sean O’Regan passes away
March 16, 2022
Nova Scotia dealer Sean O’Regan, President and CEO of the O’Regan’s Automotive Group, passed away suddenly on March 10 in Dartmouth following a heart attack. He was 53 years old.
O’Regan was a successful businessman that brought joy to those around him, due to his calm nature, thoughtfulness, genuine interest in others, and generosity—to friends, colleagues, and charitable causes within the community. This included the important work of Churchill Academy, which strives to meet the needs of children with learning challenges.
“Our condolences to the O’Regan family,” said Tim Reuss, President and CEO at CADA. “As a member of our Executive Committee, Sean was a knowledgeable and hardworking person that brought experience, passion, and joy to his role as Second Vice-Chair. He will be missed by many, including everyone at CADA.”
O’Regan was a lifelong resident of Dartmouth that grew up in the automotive industry. His career started with pumping gas and washing cars after school and on weekends at his father’s small used car lot and gas station. He then continued working in the family business part-time, while also completing a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Business Administration degree at St. Francis Xavier University.
In 1992, O’Regan joined the sales team at his family’s business and was quickly promoted to Sales Manager at the Chevrolet Oldsmobile Cadillac dealership in Halifax. He eventually held progressively more senior roles in the company before becoming head of the O’Regan’s Automotive Group in 2008.
His success is visible through the many awards he received, including the CADA Laureate Award for Business Innovation in 2013, the Business Person of the Year Award from the Halifax Chamber of Commerce in 2015, and being named a Hall of Fame winner of Atlantic Business Magazine’s Top 50 CEOs. O’Regan was also the recipient of the Quantum Shift Fellowship from the Ivey School of Business in London, ON.
O’Regan is described as having led a family business focused on philanthropy, with his family noting that “transformational gifts have been donated to support numerous organizations and institutions dedicated to helping others and building people’s capacity, notably the Dartmouth General Hospital Foundation, the Halifax Central Library, and St. FX. Helping grow people’s capacity was a passion for Sean.”
“Sean was a kind and humble person, and a friendly and successful dealer that did much for his community and our sector,” said Reuss. “His passing is truly a sad moment for our industry.”
A visitation will take place in the Auditorium of Churchill Academy, 5 Crichton Ave. in Dartmouth, NS, on March 16 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
A private funeral service will be held in O’Regan’s home parish of St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church (Our Lady of Guadalupe) 10 Maple St., Dartmouth on March 17 at 11:00 a.m. Dealers interested in attending the mass, virtually, may view the live stream video at www.ourladyofguadalupe.ca.