Reg Shandro
Tactful Mediator, Expert Advisor, Agricultural Roots
Recognized by the Canadian Farm Business Management Council as an authority on Succession Planning, Reg feels there is no better way to make a living than helping people.
Reg's Bio
Client Testimonials
For over a decade, Reg’s clients have found him through word-of-mouth referrals from satisfied farmers.
Here’s what they have to say:
I have worked with Reg on numerous files across western Canada. He takes the most difficult transaction and mediates it with great skill, even with bankers and accountants in the room. Everyone’s opinion is heard and respected, and everyone feels like they won—Reg has taught me a lot about the importance of a skilled mediator.
Reg’s process is also very effective. He asks his clients if he can discuss their files with me, then we sit down and iron out the details before meeting with the client.
I love Reg’s drive and his passion for servicing his clients. I consider him a friend, and hope I get to continue working with him.
Darren Swann, Tax Specialist and Chartered Accountant, Red Deer, Alberta
Through nearly 60 years of operation, three generations, and farming members passing away throughout the years, our farm had become a very complex operation. With nearly 16,000 acres of cropland shared between 5 different tax entities, we had reached a point where change was needed but it was not clear where to start. The national accounting firm we were using claimed it was the most complicated file they had ever worked on.
I heard Reg speak at a local farm information seminar and knew immediately if there was any hope for us, he was it! His ability to relate to incoming and outgoing generations through understanding and personal experience is absolutely unmatched and utterly necessary for success. He gets you all to talk about the things you need to but don’t want to; he persuades you to consider solutions for problems that seemed unsolvable; he leads you to common ground when you felt there was none.
No one else I know has the unique skill set and life experience that Reg does in this field and no one else brings them to YOUR kitchen in the way that Reg does. Regardless of the outcome, reaching out to Reg to come to your kitchen table is the best decision you could make for your business and your family
G. Cochran – Farmer – Melfort, Saskatchewan
The best thing my wife and I ever did was use Reg to complete our succession plan. She passed away at the age of 58 in August 2016. Okay, maybe it wasn’t the best thing we ever did, but it did make the hard times easier to deal with.
Hans Haeflinger, Dairy farmer – Lacombe, Alberta
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.
Dave Rainforth, Farmer — Lacombe, Alberta
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.
Leona Dargis, Nuffield Scholar and Farmer, Whitehorse, Yukon
When Reg comes to your house he sits down at your kitchen table, starts his projector, and the first thing he shows you is a picture of his family. Not a picture of himself and his corporate logo. He understands that your family is the core of your operation.
He sat down and genuinely listened, getting to know us like a gentleman and asking us what we wanted to happen. He then met with our entire family put us all together in the same room and made it all work. He knows how to handle the conversation, sometimes leading, sometimes helping us take a breather or breaking the ice with a useful story. He’s not cheap, but he’s good. He taught us that it is not always about equality in dollars and cents, but balance.
If you want it done right call the Farmacist. You will get a product that you will be happy with. If you follow Reg’s process you will get there, it helped solidify what we already had.
Peter Woidyla, Farmer, Indian Head, Saskatchewan
Meeting Reg was the biggest game changer for our farm – ever! He came into our lives at a critical time and we are blessed that he did – and I thank God for that!
G Ruzicka – Rancher – Viking, Alberta
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
Chris Perry - Perry Family Farm and GrowTEC.
I give Reg complete credit for our family being able to remain a family unit. Without his assistance I really imagine that Craigmillar Farms Ltd and the Penman family would have become another farm family torn apart forever!
After a family member passed away our family (and our farm corporation) was overwhelmed. Like almost all families, we have an assortment of personalities and when emotions are involved we tend to be a little strong-willed. A few years prior, we had heard Reg speak at a seminar in Consort.
We contacted him and I was so impressed. He knows farming and is amazing at reading people’s personalities and frustrations. He offered us a number of options of how we could divide our corporation FAIRLY and connected us with folks to sort out all of the financial and tax requirements and implications. He taught us that working with a family is totally different than working with an estate.
There are no quick fixes but Reg delivered what I believe every family desires—fairness and solutions.
Carol Penman – Retired Farm Wife – Czar, Alberta
If it wasn’t for Reg I wouldn’t be farming.
Brian B – Ponoka

