By Dan Archer
Farm Credit Canada in Assiniboia has moved from 229 1st Avenue West to 361 1st Avenue East inside a new building beside the Village Food Store. John Olson, Senior Director for the FCC’s Regina District, is impressed with the attractive structure constructed over the summer. “We plan to be in this building for a while,” Olson said. The request for this building with larger windows, more office spaces, a sizable boardroom and wireless television connections had been requested two and half years ago. Although the move has already been completed, the grand opening for the new office is planned for February 12.
Overall, the general feeling inside the FCC’s updated office is best described as buoyant. “It’s pretty cool that we’ve put up a new building,” Olson said as he explained the advantages of the FCC’s new location. Olson described their new building as “brighter and fresher” in comparison to the former location on Assiniboia’s westside. Should the FCC branch in Assiniboia decide to expand further down the road, the firm will be able to do so without hesitation because of the new location’s extra office space. Moreover, producers, corporate guests and the FCC staff will appreciate the larger board room, as the former office on 1st Avenue West was too cramped and therefore difficult to hold meetings in. The new location also underlines the FCC’s commitment to Assiniboia. “We wouldn’t have put up a new building, if we didn’t think that there was potential for growth,” Olson promised.
The FCC is Canada’s largest agricultural term lender. One of Canada’s top employers, the FCC has over 1,800 employees with 98 offices across rural Canada. The financially self-sustaining federal Crown Corporation has a portfolio worth $36 billion, with 25 years of consecutive portfolio growth. The organization provides specialized and personal financial services to agricultural producers of all kinds, including crop processors, equipment dealerships and family farms. In particular, the FCC is especially interested in assisting farm owners to achieve substantial growth and expansion, which is why this new location is crucial for Assiniboia’s producers. Certainly, the FCC’s new office underlines the agriculture lender’s sense of obligation to the farmers in Assiniboia and the surrounding district. “Primary agricultural producers are our bread and butter,” Olson concluded.
