Understanding how personally connected most folks are to their farmland is what it’s all about for us at Ritchie Bros. Full transparency, shooting straight, and leveraging every tool at our disposal to help you succeed is the bread-and-butter approach for our expert Territory Managers.
“When the opportunity presented itself to join Ritchie Bros. in Eastern Ontario, I knew this was a great fit,” says Kylie Puddicombe, who oversees agricultural properties in the Ottawa Valley. “As I have lived in three separate provinces over the past three years, I have been able to travel many beautiful parts of Canada and experience the integral role our Canadian farmers play across the country.”
Whether you’re interested in hanging it up and selling a longtime property or looking to lay down generational roots through one of our auctions, we’re here to help you navigate the process with the personal touch and attention that you and the land deserve.
Several of our Territory Managers grew up in farming communities, giving them both the knowledge and passion to seal the deal on your behalf.
“Since I was a kid, I was involved on my grandparents’ beef, cash crop and standardbred racehorse farm helping with farm chores to spend time with them,” says Brooke Schrijver, whose territory covers Southwestern Ontario. “I started working on a dairy farm while I was in college, loved it and decided to get into dairy consumable sales then venture into equipment sales, with just under a decade of experience now. Today, I live on a Canadian dairy farm here in Ontario with my husband.”
Trevor Boutilier, who oversees all properties in the Atlantic Canada region, also traces his roots back to agriculture – and he’s always ready to share a fun anecdote or two, as well.
“I grew up outside of the city in Halifax, Nova Scotia,” he says. “As a kid, I spent most weekends in River John. It started at a young age getting eggs from my grandparents’ hen house. As I entered my teens, my weekends/summer vacations would include spending more time around my uncle’s small farm. I would help with chores related to his small dairy herd. I did everything from cleaning stalls to haying.”
The feeling of camaraderie and shared experience you’ll enjoy working with the Ritchie Bros. team is unmatched across our industry, and it’s a high point of pride for our people.
“My approach is getting out to the community and building open, honest partnerships,” Trevor adds. “I do not show up on their doorstep trying to sell them anything, nor list anything. The conversation is always started with me discussing how ‘WE’ as a company are focusing on building a viable channel with the farming community.”
A personal touch is not all you’ll get when you entrust your property plans to Ritchie Bros. Backed by the latest technology and local support, we have every available method in our arsenal to maximize returns and leave both consignors and buyers with a sense of accomplishment when the auction ends.
“Ritchie Bros. is a globally recognized leader in the industrial and agricultural equipment auction industry, especially in Canada,” says Central Ontario Territory Manager Matt Keith, “and there are several reasons why customers might choose us over other auction companies: global presence, industry expertise, innovation, transparent and fair transactions, strong buyer network, customer support and service.”
At the end of the day, the Ritchie Bros. team is dedicated to each piece of farming property on its own terms, because no two listings will ever be alike.
“The key to success with customers in the farming industry is good communication and listening to each individual’s needs, as no two operations are identical,” Kylie says. “Everyone has a story, and that’s a story I always want to hear when getting to know my customer.”
Those individual needs could be anything from an encouraging word to helping with a minor improvement that can boost your returns at auction.
“I like to make sure our customers are feeling heard as well as feeling relatable in the industry,” Brooke says. “With having a farm background and living in a small farm community, I better understand farmers’ concerns and can guide them through tough decisions.
Sure, it’s a cliché, but we believe in being there for you day or night, rain or shine.
“We are available at any time to assist in helping them find a specific piece of equipment that they can’t seem to find or move a piece of gear to help them maximize their return through our various platforms and global reach,” Trevor says.
We’ll leave it to Matt Keith to perfectly sum up the Ritchie Bros. philosophy: “I feel like I am playing a vital role in supporting farmers and agricultural businesses,” he says. “My efforts can contribute to the success and sustainability of the agricultural industry, helping farmers improve their operations and productivity.”