If you don’t know how to proceed, Reg gets the ball rolling. His experience appeals to the older generation, and he also helps the young farm communicate goals and ideas so everyone understands each other. He’s extremely personable and his energy is catching. I aspire to be like Reg, helping farmers help themselves. He’s damn good at it.

I met with over a hundred advisors and farmers in more than a dozen countries. Reg stood out because of the way his approach to succession puts people first.

Communication and teamwork is critical for family farm success. Reg's passion for family and business unity makes family businesses more efficient and more enjoyable to be a part of.

My brother and I took over the family farm in 1970. Our family had been on that land for 118 years. There was a lot of history and memories tied to the land but we’d known for a while that we needed to go our separate ways. Reg provided us with a steady hand to come to an equitable solution. I give Reg all the credit there.

Other consultants that I spoke with followed a set-out pattern and said this is the way you have to do things—I ended up with generic advice. Reg looks at your situation, relates to what you’re going through, and finds what works for you. It was nice to talk to someone with experience in agriculture and a banking background. He knows how to ask the right questions without a gov advisor way of doing things.

We had a family meeting—the hardest thing of the whole deal—with everyone there. Some people don’t deal with confrontation well but Reg managed the process and he reads personalities and motives real quick. Before I had to manage all the personalities, but having Reg there set me free. The kids were happier because they weren’t worried about what would happen. After that, my family got Reg to do our estate plan. Two kids don’t farm, they’re married and away—it was a process, but fair in the end. We all talk to each other and help each other out, we have a good relationship. It was a big adjustment, but we are all doing well.

Reg is not your typical consultant. He’s down to earth, easy to work with...we’ll always be friends.

Reg has a special gift - where he can connect with the younger and older generation at the same time. He is very open, honest, and I have never met anyone with the skills that he has. A lot of people claim to do succession planning, Reg is the only one that I have met that can actually put a complete Succession planning document together!

Cor Van Raay
May 30, 1936 - July 29, 2021

Assisting Cor Van Raay was one of the highlights of my career! I used to refer to him as the "Bill Gates of Canadian Agriculture."

He was a leader, innovator, visionary and an amazing man who did amazing things and he told me that this came naturally to him. 

Cor was a cattle and grain farmer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist who positively impacted others. He believed in giving back to the community and attributed this to his success in work and life.

You will be missed by many. 

Rest In Peace Cor.

Reg worked on my father’s succession plan, my in-laws’ estate plan, and my own farm’s business plan. Nobody has the skill set and experience that Reg does.

Wow! What a phenomenal investment for our Family selecting “Farmacist!”

We are using Reg for our family farm succession, business planning and crew communication. Reg has the real-life experiences and tools that keep us grounded and on track - Big Picture thinking while still managing the important small stuff! I would highly recommend Reg to any Farm Family. Owner Perry Family Farm and GrowTEC. www.perryfarm.ca

I have been attending conferences for 16 years and haven’t heard much new in the last 10 years or so… I have learnt more new concepts from Reg in two days than I have in the past 10 years!

Estate planning can be daunting and frustrating—as a result, important jobs get postponed. As an Estate Planning Solicitor I’ve had mutual clients with Reg Shandro for years, and I’ve seen him do excellent work helping families get together, gather information, discuss family relationships, and make a plan. When Reg’s clients come to see me they are informed and ready to make decisions with confidence. It is never a lot of fun to plan for death. Reg helps ease the discomfort. Clients are generally at ease, smiling and sometimes outright laughing with relief when we meet to conclude their planning. I never hesitate to pass Reg’s card along.

We heard Reg speak at a conference in Regina. We were overwhelmed and didn’t realize that the process of succession planning was so complex. Reg made it all seem easy though, each part of the puzzle came together. He has a story for everything, explaining experiences that he has handled in the past that made us feel at ease, like we were going in the right direction.

And the most important thing that Reg did was highlight how important family was!