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.

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!

Reg has never brought me the same plan twice. He may have the same process that he uses but his end product is uniquely structured to the specific needs of that family. He is clearly passionate about agriculture. He wants to set up the next generation to succeed and he understands what success looks like.

His mediation skills are a major asset with complicated family dynamics. He is a valuable resource, excellent at what he does without trying to be a jack of all trades. He knows what he does not know and will assemble the best team to support his clients.

When clients use Reg, things really start to happen. He looks after everyone and gets results.

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.

We have very high standards for our consultants and Reg is the only consultant that has stood the test of time. He gets what it’s like to be a real farmer, he gets that it snows and that the auger won’t start. We let Reg loose to talk to our banker and our accountant and that was one of the best things we ever did on our farm. He speaks many languages-lawyerease, bankerease, accountantease, and farmerease – and has a story to fit every situation on the farm.

I drove all the way from Whitehorse to Red Deer to meet up with Reg and get our plan done – and it was worth every penny! He gets it that farming is our life. He doesn’t pretend to know it all and have all the answers – but someone on his advisory team does. Reg’s process was defined and practical. His solutions were very effective and true to life.

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.

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.

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.