Agrium chief executive John Van Brunt doesn’t fit the mould of the typical CEO of a company with billion-dollar revenues.

The man sipping a glass of Coke in his Calgary office and sporting a blue summer shirt and easy smile breaks down the stereotypes of a top executive.

During this interview, he seems too unassuming, too casual, too relaxed and too polite to reside in the corner office of one of the world’s top fertilizer companies.

And, unlike many CEOs, an hour passes without a shoe phone ringing.

Larry MacDougal, Business Edge
John Van Brunt has helped build fertilizer giant Agrium into a global player.

The affable Van Brunt is just as comfortable talking about his grandchildren – or the grandchildren of an employee – as he is the fertilizer business.

Ah, the fertilizer business.

Van Brunt knows a thing or two about that. As the only CEO Agrium has had since it was spun off from Cominco in 1993, the 58-year-old Thunder Bay, Ont., native has led the company through accelerated growth in which annual revenue has increased from approximately $290 million US in 1993 to approximately $1.9 billion in 2000.

And to think Van Brunt almost wound up chasing a dream of playing for the Montreal Canadiens.

1. When you were wooed with a hockey scholarship offer by Michigan State, why did you choose to go to Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont.?

“One of the big things I wanted to do was go to the States for a hockey scholarship, but my dad (a fireman) didn’t see it that way. He didn’t think degrees were as good there as they were in Canada. We had a bit of a difference of opinion on that, but, in hindsight, he was right. I went on to play hockey at Queen’s, and later on I played for the (one-time world champion) Trail, B.C., Smoke Eaters.”

2. Who was your boyhood idol?

“My team was Montreal (Canadiens) and my idol was Rocket Richard. Meeting him was the most incredible feeling. He was like a god. You become the idiot. You don’t know what to say or how to handle it.”

3. Do you think you could have played in the NHL if you’d have chosen the hockey scholarship route?

“I think so. But, in hindsight, I did the right thing going to school and on into the working world as opposed to a lot of my friends who went into the pro hockey ranks. The ones that didn’t make it to the NHL didn’t have anything to fall back on. Still, I’d like to have given it a shot — but with only six teams in the NHL then, I probably would have become one of those career minor leaguers riding the bus.”

4. Have you been able to channel your experience in team sports into business?

“You learn about the strength of teams and the fact that one person can’t make it happen no matter how good the individual. That’s no different in the business world in that you’re only as good as the people you’re surrounded with. So I’ve been a big team player my whole life.”

5. Who has had the greatest influence on your life?

“My dad (the late John Van Brunt, who was known as Jack). Sometimes, I didn’t see the clarity of the positiveness from my dad, like when I wanted to go for the hockey scholarship. I almost didn’t speak to him for a year, but now I can see his advice was the right thing.”

6. How did he influence you?

“He drove me, but he drove me in a way that challenged me. He never pushed me, but he challenged me and I wanted to do proud for him. I think what still drives me to this day is that I hate losing at anything. My dad also didn’t let me get down with losing. He always said: ‘You learn from losing and you’ll lose a lot in your life.’ I try to pass that on to my kids.”

7. What drew you to the fertilizer business?

“I always knew I’d be some sort of engineer and then, when I became a chemical engineer, I had lots of avenues. But I got an opportunity to start with Cominco at Trail. I’d never been past Winnipeg, so I thought I’d go to Trail so I could see the West for a few years. Of course, I got out there and the rest is history.”

8. So, on your first day at Cominco, did you envision that you’d spend the next 37 years with essentially the same company?

“No. I had this game plan of two years with Cominco and then returning to Thunder Bay to work for Abitibi pulp and paper where my friends worked.”

9. What was your first job with Cominco?

“I started out in research, and what I learned from that is that I didn’t want to be in research. I was more of a hands-on operator type of person. On my first employment review, they said: ‘We don’t think you’re suited for research.’ I said: ‘Thank you very much.’ ”

10. Is this a stressful job at times?

“I don’t get stressed too much. You have your moments, I guess, but I live by that credo that you work hard, play hard. That’s one quote I use. The other is, you can’t take it personal. I do my damnedest and then when I go home, I try and divorce myself from the job. It’s a fun job. And if I was really having a bad day today, I’d probably go golfing. I’ve done that before.”

11. What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned in business?

“You treat others with respect and the way you want to be treated. Everybody has an opinion, and, rightly or wrongly, they have every right to offer that opinion. And you should listen for what they’re saying, not against what they’re saying. Trying to be as open and honest and fair with people to me is what it’s all about.”

12. What’s the key to attracting and developing loyal staff?

“To me, if you can be known as a company that treats people fairly and with respect, and if your people have an opportunity to voice their opinions in a constructive manner without worrying about being shot down or fired for it, that challenges people and rewards them. Rewarding people for their contributions is a critical factor.”

13. Is there one person you’d walk over hot coals in bare feet to have lunch with?

“One guy I admire who I’ve never had a chance to meet is Wayne Gretzky. I feel like I could relate to a guy like that. It would probably be a sports figure of some sort, Gretzky or Michael Jordan, but I don’t know if I’d walk over hot coals to meet them. I was laughing when I saw in the paper that guys were paying $25,000 to play golf with Bill Clinton. He’d have to pay me $25,000 because, I mean, I’d have no desire. It’s not because I think he’s an asshole or something. But that wouldn’t drive me in a million years. But I might pay $25,000 to play a round with Gretzky or Tiger Woods.”

14. Is there one thing you’d change in your life?

“I don’t know what I’d change. I’ve had a good childhood, I’ve enjoyed my sports and my friends. And I’ve obviously enjoyed my job, having spent my entire working life at effectively the same company – and that’s worked out successfully, having reached the pinnacle of the job. I’ve got a great family. I’ve got three grandkids now and everybody’s healthy. No, I can’t think of anything I’d change.”

15. What’s your vision for Agrium for 2005?

“Our ultimate vision statement of the company is to be a leading global player in the agriculture and agriculture-related businesses in helping feed the world. We’re already number one or number two in the world in nitrogen production and sales, and the largest in the Western Hemisphere. In the next three to five years, I would expect to see this company to continue to grow quite significantly. Our board has endorsed continued aggressive growth.”

16. What impact do you foresee in your business if drought conditions were to continue in North America?

“Global grain stocks will fall even further because we haven’t had the chance to either plant the acres or have the great crop because we haven’t fertilized as much. That means that commodity prices of wheat, soybeans and corn will go up and the farmers, as we typically see, will want to make hay when the sun shines. As a result, he’ll be planting and using as much fertilizer as possible. If the drought continues here, that just means it’ll have to happen somewhere else because the world needs the food-stuff production.”

17. What do you say to farmers who claim they can’t afford fertilizer and will resort to traditional methods, such as summerfallow?

“We sympathize with them. Obviously, our success is only as successful as the farmer because that’s who we sell to, effectively. But the truth is that the world needs the food-stuff production and the less food that’s being grown, the higher commodity prices will go. These guys know that. It has been tough to make a buck with high fertilizer prices and low commodity prices but, typically, the farmers are all educated. They’re not the guy with the pitchfork and the straw in his mouth that you see in a picture. Well, there are a few of them but, sadly, the mom-and-pop farms are going by the wayside. The farmer knows that he can’t afford not to agronomically plant. If you’re going to plant an acre of corn, and just plant it, you’re going to lose out on the yield that will make a lot more money for you. The question is, can they afford to plant at all? Most farmers, it’s in their blood, and they’ll plant.”

18. Would you ever entertain offers to move to another company as a CEO?

“I would’ve said yes a few years back. But this is a company that is eight years old now, and it has been a real challenge to build this company. Now, at my age, I kind of pride myself in being able to say that I worked with one company. I don’t even listen to other offers anymore.”

19. When do you think you’ll retire?

“As you get older, you start to think about retiring. I’m not going to work until 65. I think something about 60 is probably an ideal time to retire.”

20. What would you do in retirement?

“Travel, relax, spend time with the grandchildren, play golf, that kind of stuff. I like the sun. So I’d like to put my feet up in the sun, play some golf, swim, lay around and drink some fancy drinks.”

IN PROFILE: John Van Brunt

* Born/raised/age: Thunder Bay, Ont.; 58.

* Title: President/CEO, Agrium Inc.

* Family: Wife Lynne, daughters Tania Younker, Tamera Wasylenko.

* Education: Queen’s University (Kingston, Ont.), chemical engineering degree.

* Career: Van Brunt joined Cominco (the company that spun off Agrium in 1993) in 1965 and has spent his entire career with Cominco/Agrium, having held various management positions at Trail, B.C., Vancouver, Vanscoy, Sask., and Yellowknife. He has been Agrium’s only CEO. He is a director and past chairman of the Canadian Fertilizer Institute and is chairman of the finance committee of the International Fertilizer Industries Association.

* Claim to fame: Van Brunt toiled with Canada’s fabled senior hockey team, the Trail Smoke Eaters, in the 1960s.

* Passions: Golf, travel.

THE COMPANY: Agrium Inc.

* Brass: John Van Brunt, president/CEO; Frank Proto, chairman; Michael Wilson, executive vice-president, chief operating officer; Bruce Waterman, senior vice-president, finance, chief financial officer.

* Profile: Agrium is one of the world’s largest producers and distributors of fertilizers and other agricultural products and services. Its corporate head office is in Calgary and it also has offices in Denver and Buenos Aires, Argentina.

* Stat: Agrium produces, markets and distributes approximately 10 million tonnes of fertilizer products annually.

* Recent stock price (AGU-TSE): $16.50 (year range, $13-$22.10).

* Address: 13131 Lake Fraser Drive S.E., Calgary, AB T2J 7E8.

* Phone/fax: 403.225.7000, 403.225.7609.