This spring, Marvin Wiens will be back at the helm of his grain farm near Wymark, Sask.
For the past seven years he’s been the hired hand, leaving the decision-making to his son.
Last week he announced he will resign as a delegate, director and president of Saskatchewan Wheat Pool, effective Feb. 29.
“It’s time to move on,” he said in a Feb. 9 interview. “It’s the right time for someone else to take over and lead the organization.”
Wiens’s involvement with the company goes back more than 30 years when he joined his local pool committee. He was first elected a delegate in 1982 and became a director two years later. He became a vice-president in 1997 and served four terms as president beginning in 2000.
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He served on the board during the tumultuous transition to a publicly traded company, the construction of the concrete elevator network, the expansion to Alberta and Manitoba and last year’s financial restructuring.
“He led the board during an extremely critical time for this company and helped our team facilitate changes that will ensure the pool remains a leader in the agricultural industry in Western Canada for years to come,” said pool chief executive officer Mayo Schmidt in a statement.
Wiens said he wrestled with his decision for the last six months. In the end, the notion of not watching a clock and putting in this year’s 2,000 acres of pulses, durum and perhaps some canola won out.
He said he will most miss the people, both delegates and employees, and recognizes it was not easy for many to go to work each day during the difficult financial struggles of the past few years.
When he goes, Wiens takes with him the title of last full-time president at the Regina head office. The board recently decided to make the position a part-time on-farm job.
Wiens said some will likely find fault with that decision.
“The role of the president was very high profile in the old structure,” he agreed.
But the financial restructuring agreement authorized the addition of outside directors, including a lead director who assumed many of the president’s duties.
Wiens would not speculate on who might replace him.
The triennial elections for farmer directors take place the first week in March, and the new board will be elected on March 23.
