Homestead mailing list

["Frank Fries" <frank.fries AT imagewireless.ca>]

> I suppose you have been busy with those loans of late..
> I assume you have a financial education and background?  If so, it will
> be good to have another economically minded guy on the list-just to keep
> things in check.

Just to be clear, I am not working for a company in the financial services 
field (bank, etc).  I work for a company in the "agri-biz" field and the 
stray companies we picked up in Texas are feedmills....we have another (much 
smaller) feedmill company in Montana with only 1 mini-mill, and a processing 
company with locations in N.D., Minn. and Idaho.  Most of our operations are 
in Canada.  So these loans are just to cover short term cashflow 
fluctuations and are usually only a few million.

However the overall amounts of money handled through the accounts of a large 
corporate would rival and/or surpass some smaller banks.

I do in fact have some financial education but more background, aptitude and 
experience.  I took a rather unusual path to get here.  I worked for quite 
a few years as a blue collar worker with the same company (15 years). 
During this period, I was stationed in a number of small towns in different 
areas and got to know a lot of different farmers (customers).

Early during that period, I took some post-secondary education, primarily in 
accounting.    Then a number of years of later, I took a job for the same 
company in the accounting area (just had to try it), which is how I ended up 
moving to Regina.

Accounting wasn't really exactly my thing.  It was a good experience and  I 
was good enough at it, but didn't always enjoy it  (parts of it are only 
exciting to "real" accountants - and even they sometimes aren't sure it is 
exciting).

I got a chance to try out the Treasury area, because a manager I had worked 
with and for in the accounting area had been impressed with my work and 
abilities, so she hired me in Treasury.  So, I got to give it a try and it 
was a good fit.  Often, if you enjoy something, you are also good at it.

It has worked out well and I recently got a middle management job after a 
number of years as a supervisor in the area (the job that was held by the 
manager who hired me in Treasury).

However, I tend to look at things a little differently than the "regular" 
people who work in my field.  They often come out of university with a 
degree and little or no experience in other types of jobs and often a 
different world view.

I am kind of a blue collar worker stuck in a white collar job - lol.

Sometimes that down to earth view allows me to see solutions that others can 
not.........

(did you know that the easiest way to get a lambing jug cleaned out is to 
wade in with a fork instead of researching it, writing an executive summary 
and making a recommendation to be decided on by a VP or committee because 
you don't want to take responsibility in case it doesn't turn out well ?) 
<g>

> It amazes me how little I know about Canada.  I think Americans just
> take Canadians for granted.

I am quite sure that on average, Americans know a lot less about Canada and 
Canadians than Canadians know about the U.S.A. and it's citizens.

This is likely inevitable given the disparity in population (roughly 10-1), 
the differences in military and political power on the world stage as well 
as the critical mass Hollywood achieved in the movies and TV.   We are your 
largest trading partner (but not by a huge percentage), but you are our 
largest trading partner by a huge margin (you are more important to us as a 
trading partner then we are to you).

Also, a much larger % of Canadians go south than Americans to the north. 
While I surely wouldn't want to live there in the summer, Arizona is nice 
for a couple weeks in the winter   (although it is good to stay away from 
Flagstaff - I got snowed on in April there once and it is often quite cool 
there in the winter ) and Nevada and California are great as 
well....anyways, the reasons go on and on....

> In addition, as a Finn, I have always been drawn to Canada and
> Alaska-the colder regions,

Born and/or raised in Finland ? or ancestry ?

Frank