Meet Robert Dickson: Brightening Farmers’ Days for over 50 years
A shy farm kid when he began at Nutrien in October 1974, Robert Dickson brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to his role, along with a passion to help customers, and it is all served up with a story and a smile.
Dickson, 68, who works out of our retail location in Bow Island, Alberta, has been injecting a little joy into farmers' days for more than a half-century, making him Nutrien’s longest-serving Canadian employee.
“If everybody's having a good day, everybody's smiling, that just makes for a great day for everyone,” says Robert, whose role is Operations Support.
A Welcoming Smile
Robert’s personable nature, longtime farmer connections, and knack for brightening people’s days make him invaluable during the long days of the busy spring planting season just completed.
Our strong and trusted relationships with farmers are at the heart of Nutrien’s business and Robert embodies that every day. To him, every customer is precious, and every handshake matters.
When you meet him, his easy-going, friendly nature is as immediately noticeable as his welcoming smile nestled above his bushy grey beard.
“The conversation with the customer when you're providing their product. You hear about how their children or grandchildren are doing, how things are out on the farm,” says Robert. “Did you get enough rain? How are things growing? Is there anything else you need in the future? It’s very good conversation.”
For farmers, it’s a nice break in their day.
“I've been known to question customers, see if they've got a joke to share, something to take their mind off what would have been a problem and change their outlook. I always maintain that if people are smiling, the day goes faster.”
Much More to the Job
While that personal touch may be Robert’s forte, he’s not merely the location's ‘Walmart greeter’. He is front and center all spring and summer servicing customers, unloading product from transport trucks, loading product onto customers’ trucks, loading out seed, blending fertilizer, etc.
Come fall and winter, it's clean-up and maintenance on all the machinery and preparation for the next summer, which for Rob includes training, getting newly certified, and getting recertified as needed.
Testament to Nutrien’s commitment to career development, the long list of courses Robert completed last winter included:
- Pesticide applicator
- Product knowledge
- Hazardous goods
- Defensive driving
- Skid steer operator
- Forklift operator
It's a lot, but he enjoys it.
“It's a poor day if you haven't learned something,” he says with a smile.
Looking Back on a Fulfilling Career
Robert pauses momentarily, before reflecting on his rewarding career.
“When I arrived at work the first day, I was this shy kid off the farm. As you unloaded a customer's grain, you stood on the scale, you sampled the grain, and you made conversation. That's how you got started. You broke the ice with a customer who maybe you’d never seen before. You got to meet people and bring them within your comfort zone, and it evolved from there.”
Robert values the relationships made and looks forward to the rest of the summer. He says he will continue working as long as he stays healthy.
"I hope that everybody I've dealt with has felt that I looked after them well, that they were happy with how they were treated, and that I didn't leave anybody's questions unanswered, so they know we are trying to do the best things for them."
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