Rick Unrein retires after a fabulous career

    “My career has been a dream come true,” said Rick Unrein, general manager of CHS Grainland. Unrein, who is retiring this month after 35 years, remarked, “farm and ranch people are special — they are my kind of people.”
    Unrein expressed that he is proud of his career and accomplishments. He stated that he has never made a decision or taken any issue to the board that wasn’t the right thing to do at the time.
    He noted that he has been blessed to work with outstanding employees. “It has been a privilege to work with the best team and experience great camaraderie,” he added. He pointed out that over the years, he has had the opportunity to work with exceptional boards of directors who are farmers that want to work together for the advancement of all.
    Unrein has been through several mergers and seen many changes throughout his career. He began as general manager trainee at the Farmers Cooperative in Fleming Feb. 1, 1983, and six months later he became general manager.
    In 1986, Hyline Seven Cooperative was formed which, he explained, was very unique and intrigued people nationwide. It captivated others because seven elevators worked together collectively when, in general, cooperatives are normally competitors.
    The cooperative consisted of seven elevators on the Hyline railroad line stretching from Sterling to Holdrege, Nebraska. This included Fleming, Haxtun, Paoli, Holyoke, Amherst, Venango, Nebraska, and Grant, Nebraska. Working together for the betterment of the patrons, the cooperative was able to secure large business deals and built lucrative agreements with the railroad, including coloading 110 cars between all of the elevators at an affordable rate, Unrein noted.
    In 1997, Fleming and Haxtun elevators merged to form Grainland, where he continued as general manager. Holyoke and Amherst elevators followed suit and joined Grainland in 2007. Unrein became general manager of all the Grainland elevators in 2009 after Harlan Stern retired from Holyoke, and in 2011 Grainland merged with CHS.
    Unrein pointed out that one of the biggest changes he has seen throughout his career has been in the Occupational Safety and Health
    Administration and Environmental Protection Agency regulations.
    For example, the changes have made it more difficult to hire help during harvest. Due to the long hours of operation, the elevators are unable to hire high school age kids because regulations do not allow them to work over 40 hours. Harvest can last five to nine weeks, 12 hours a day, seven days a week.
    Unrein said that he has been blessed to have a wife who has been supportive of his career and put up with his 75-hour work weeks. His wife, Diane, will also retire in May of next year from the First National Bank in Fleming. He looks forward to spending time with his aging parents and to be there for them when they need him.
    He has been involved in the community and served on many boards including Colorado Grain and Feed Association, Rocky Mountain Flour Milling, Colorado Cooperative Council and Hyline Seven Board of Directors.
    He served on the Fleming City Council where he was mayor for two years. He was on the Frenchman School District Board of Education and a member of the Fleming Volunteer Fire Department. He has been the voice of  Fleming Wildcat High School football, announcing the games for 35 years.
    He is most proud of being voted by his peers as Colorado Cooperator of the Year in 2011 and in 2016 he received the Collaboration of Excellence award from CHS Grainland.
    The Unreins have two children, Nicole of Littleton and Clayton of Sterling.