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!

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.

Reg’s method in managing my husband’s concern was nothing short of miraculous. His down-to-earth personality lead to a much better succession plan than I have been fretting over for years.

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.

Our family’s raised hogs for over 70 years. We’ve known Reg for over 10. We already referred three families to him after calling him in for numerous jobs.

First we did a farm analysis. Then we wrote up our will and did an estate analysis and succession work. We looked at joining our farm with our son’s to see how viable that would be. Two years ago we amalgamated our operations and so far, so good. Through it all Reg had the tools we needed.

Reg’s background in banking is a real asset. The previous consultant did not have near the same depth of experience.

We signed up for a couple of Reg’s seminars. His workshop on Understanding Your Financials was very educational. He told us “Don’t just drop your books off at the accountants, take the time to understand your information.”We also went to Reg’s Succession planning where he laid out all the different things to consider.

People think they can wing it. A facilitator like Reg makes things simple. There are always two sides—two generations, two families, different ideas. Reg is respectful of the older generation, he gets everyone involved.

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.

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

Reg’s expertise and due diligence in getting to a resolution for all of us was exceeded only by his true kindness and insight into the “human” side and his compassion was appreciated.