New Retail facility makes a splash in Saskatchewan
Published: Apr 29, 2024
Earlier this year, the team at our Retail facility in Balgonie, Saskatchewan was joined by nearly 160 customers to celebrate its grand opening.
The new site replaces an old fertilizer shed in Regina and features an open-concept office, a state-of-the-art dry fertilizer warehouse, a 2,200-tonne liquid fertilizer storage facility and a brand new automated dry fertilizer plant.
This event gave Branch Manager Colin Matechuk and the team an opportunity to showcase the facility and connect with growers in the area.
“Despite it being a cold and windy day, there was a great turnout, and everyone was really impressed with the new facility,” says Colin. “After we all had lunch together in the shop, the team led guided tours of the fertilizer plant and our chemical representatives were on hand to answer any questions. Many customers expressed that they’re looking forward to a quick fertilizer trip in the spring.”
One of the highlights of the site is the 29,000-square foot dry fertilizer warehouse with heated floors. It can hold more than 10,000 tonnes of urea, sulphate, potash, phosphate, ESN and Smart Nutrition MAP+MST. It has the capability to safely blend and load more than 40 tonnes of outgoing product in as little as 20 minutes and unload 40 tonnes of incoming product in just 15 minutes. It can also add both liquid and dry micronutrients and stabilizer additives to fertilizer blends.
“The new facility is making it easier for us to increase efficiency and production,” Colin says. “We’re proud to be an integral part of the Saskatchewan farming community here and and we’re excited to grow and expand our customer service options as we get more settled.”
There are currently 12 full-time employees and four to five seasonal employees at Balgonie, with room for growth, making this one of the larger Retail facilities in the area.
“There’s great collaboration and inclusion amongst the team, as well as lots of diverse skillsets and experience,” says Colin. “The sales team is doing an excellent job of promoting products and achieving repeat business. We’re focused on agronomy-based selling and sharing our trusted local expertise, which helps growers achieve great results and strengthens our partnerships with them.”
Colin and the team have also been focused on growing relationships in the community. They helped raise money for a new playground at the Balgonie elementary school and several members of the team volunteered to help construct it.
“As part of Nutrien’s Culture of Care, we’re always looking out for each other and our communities,” says Colin. “I’m looking forward to more community involvement and events in the future – we’re just getting started.”