The Rural Voice, 1998-05, Page 9"We spend the bulk of our advertising in The Rural Voice"
Let to Right: Mike Martin, Ernie Schopf, Calvin McAfee, Brenda Nicholson, Paula Sherman, Sheri Rier, Barb Hodge,
Bob Nicholson, Ben Rier, Doug Wallace, Clark Gill, Brian Campbell, Brandon Gilles, Ron Vokes, Willard Gingrich.
Absent when photo was taken: Doug Fischer, Bob Robertson, Glen Schlorff, Albert Jagt, Ben Angel.
The management and staff at H. Nicholson and Son have a goal: to strive every day to provide customers
with the latest in cost effective technology. "We have to help our customers to produce top quality food
profitably," says Ben Rier who, along with his wife Sheri, acquired ownership of the company last year.
The new owners, Ben and Sheri, are both from the Grey/Bruce area. Ben worked for many years in both the
U.S. and Canada, most recently as regional sales manager of Elanco Animal Health. Former owners Bob and
Brenda Nicholson continue to work for the company. Bob as sales manager, likes the new arrangement, "It
allows me more time to spend on farms with customers," he says.
The Tara based company serves an area throughout Grey, Bruce and Simcoe counties. With two route
trucks on the road, a total staff of twenty and a list of recognized brands of equipment, they believe in
providing top quality service to their farmer customers. "Our future success is tied to our customers'
success," Ben states.
Bou -Matic dairy equipment is the main line the company carries, but they also sell and service a wide
selection of brand name feeding and manure handling equipment such as Valmetal, AgriMetal, Houle, BSM,
Wic and Rovibec.
Staff training is important at H. Nicholson and Son. Increasing technical sophistication of the equipment
used in farming requires that both management and staff keep abreast of the latest information and technical
innovations, even to the point of working with their suppliers to test prototype models.
Having worked in the United States and several locations in Canada, Bettis convinced that with the excellent
land base coupled with moderate land prices that Canadian farmers in midwestern Ontario are in a position to
"seize the day" to become major food suppliers to the world. As a relatively young couple with a family they
plan to help create this future. "We are professional suppliers to professional farmers," he says.
His view of The Rural Voice: "It is a very good magazine where we spend the bulk of our advertising dollars.
We like the publication. It has good coverage with a human touch. Our business is not based on just one or
two mega projects a year but on a day in, day out good service to a broad based clientele — The Rural Voice is
a good fit."
'RURAL VOICE
THE MAGAZINE OF THE AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRY
Getting your
message across
MAY 1998 5