'country
Joining forces
Customer focus
The road ahead
Kevin Schipper - knowledge and commitment
about the bank was its focus, commit
ment, and understanding of agriculture.
I don't think there's any other financial
group out there with the same dedica-
tion and resources that we see in
Rabobank.'
And Ag Services had its own unique
market position to add to Rabobank's
presence in the US. 'We provide access
to a loan portfolio that RI couldn't find
in any other single entity,' Schipper
eomments. 'The size of the market, the
type of customer - no other company
has the level of expertise that we have
in our agricultural operating loan
focus.' Add to that the retail banking
services provided by VIB and the
agricultural mortgage loans at Rabo
Agrifinance, and you've got a winning
combination. 'We're building a strong
ag finance business around companies
that provide significant expertise in
agricultural credit. Other financial
institutions simply do not match this
level of knowledge or commitment.
Looking ahead, Schippers aim is to
grow Rabo Ag Services' cliënt base with
the understanding that current product
or credit offerings may be adjusted or
slightly changed to make sure they ade-
quately meet customers' needs. The
focus remains on agricultural operating
credit. 'A transaction like this takes a
certain amount of time and attention,
and we can now fully focus on our cus
tomers again,' he reports. 'We're going
to take a good strong look at our credit
administration, ensuring we're efficiënt
in doing what needs to be done. Most
of all, we're excited to be a part of the
Rabobank Group, and are very rnuch
looking forward to the future.'
What's in store for the US? Much
more, Cor Broekhuijse enthuses.
Further expansion in California is a
possibility; acquiring Canadian player
Alberta Treasury Branches is another.
But for now the focus is on integration,
which Broekhuijse's Agri Executive
Committee is currently discussing.
'What's important in 2004 is to inte-
grate the US businesses in order to
achieve a co-ordinated, managed,
labeled, and marketed product toward
the farmer,' he says. 'We want to be
in the position of a full-service finan
cial service provider, helping farmers
manage their farms in a sound way.'
Judging by the last 2 years, it
won't take long to get there.
The Word I 13
