You develop a reputation
as someone who can get
transactions done.
clients and our competition
look to us to be a partner
in financing deals because
they know we are a big
player and we can denvers
REGION SPECIAL
Bob Bucklin:
Expert knowledge
30 ISSUE 27 RIWOR1.I)
The world was a different place in 1981That was the year Ronald
Reagan took office as US President, MTV was launched, and Prince
Charles married Lady Diana Spencer. In New York, in one small
midtown office, a handful of people were kick-starting a brand-
new venture: Rabobank's North America franchise.
Fast-forward 30 years. Today, Rabobank International-North
America Wholesale (RI-NAW) still is headquartered in New York,
but now has 10 offices in the US, Mexico and Canada, employs
over 500 people, and has revenues of nearly three-quarters of a
billion dollars. Revenue is an important gauge of success, but talk
to senior management and they'll give you another marker: being
the premier Food and Agribusiness (F&A) bank in the US. That isn't
disputed. In 2006, a survey asked more than 100 top F&A firms who
they thought was the premier F&A bank in the US: 63 percent said
Rabobank. The next best, Bank of America, achieved 12 percent. So
how did RI-NAW get from that 1981 start-up position to being the
US leader in its sector?
Bob Bucklin, RI-NAW Vice Chairman and Head of Wholesale Clients
International for North America
Ruurd Weulen Kranenberg, CEO of RI-NAW, explains: "It's about
commitment, knowledge and continuity. Our focus is F&A and we
are committed to the industry and our clients. There are other banks
operating in the industry but not with that clear focus. Continuity
of staff is a positive element, too. We have relationship managers
who have been working with a cliënt for 10 or 15 years. We can
also beat the competition in turning decisions around quickly
because: (a) we've known the cliënt for so long; and (b) we have a
flat organisation with access to the top. It's a culture of teamwork,
between business lines but also between business lines and support
areas. We reach across silos. Every role - front, middle and back
office - is equally important to our success."
Take the Rock-Tenn deal this year. Packaging firm Rock-Tenn wanted
to purchase Smurfit-Stone Container Corp. RI-NAW delivered a
USD 1.3 billion underwriting thanks to tight, rapid teamwork by
the whole organisation. Rock-Tenn's call came on a Friday; the deal
was approved the following Wednesday. Bob Bucklin, RI-NAW Vice
Chairman and Flead of Wholesale Clients International for North
America, says: "That transaction speaks of our ability to be flexible
and responsive. You develop a reputation as someone who can get
