Rick Dobranski, of Roblin Manitoba, died last night at the age of 72 years after a short battle with cancer.
from Larry Weber Weber commodities.
I first ran into Rick Dobranski in Winnipeg, sometime in my mid-twenties (call it 1985 – 1987) when he was chewing out Mike Martin, Director, CWB Grain Transportation – Western, over the allocation of rail cars to special crops in a bar, downtown, prior to an CWB Operations meeting that would be held the next day. In those days, if you didn’t go to the bar on the Wednesday before the Thursday meeting, you missed the real deliberations. At that time, he would have been with Elders Grain. Rick started his career with Otto Lang’s Grain Group in Ottawa and was a pioneer in exporting pulse and special crops all over the world. Later, he was with International Grain Trade and in his last years with Marina Commodities.
I never got to know Rick the way that others have in the pulse industry. I do know he trained generations, the ins and outs of exporting products to far away countries in containers and bulk vessels. I remember asking Eric Fossay, now a Senior Grain Merchant at Cargill in Winnipeg, what Rick’s title was. Eric bluntly said: “He doesn’t need one.â€
Pioneers are rare when they grace an industry. Rick was a pioneer. Pioneers break down change walls: Art Mainil, Bill Cooper, Clarence Taylor, Hubert Esquirol and Carol and John Husband. I’ve left out many; however, the mentioned have had the biggest impact on me. They fought for what we have today, however imperfect it is. In a quote with the Western Producer in 2003, Clarence Taylor, then 84 years old, said it best: “All we ever wanted to do was better our situation.†Mr. Taylor passed away on October 29, 2007. Mr. Mainil passed away in 2011. Mr. Husband in 2019. Pioneers leave legacies. Rick’s knowledge will live on through the people he taught, instructed and mentored. Appreciate your health if you have good health, and more importantly, the time you have left on this planet. You are never too old to make a difference.
Godspeed Rick and thank you for all you did…
From Weber Commodities Oct 4. 2023
Rick was a man of integrity. Private, discerning, highly amazing analytical skills & moral compass; many of us were privileged to call him a friend, and advisor. Smarter than all of us even after too many scotch.
Indeed a pioneer. So many stories.
I will miss him evermore.
Deepest sympathy to all who called him friend, and family.
from Larry Weber Weber commodities.
I first ran into Rick Dobranski in Winnipeg, sometime in my mid-twenties (call it 1985 – 1987) when he was chewing out Mike Martin, Director, CWB Grain Transportation – Western, over the allocation of rail cars to special crops in a bar, downtown, prior to an CWB Operations meeting that would be held the next day. In those days, if you didn’t go to the bar on the Wednesday before the Thursday meeting, you missed the real deliberations. At that time, he would have been with Elders Grain. Rick started his career with Otto Lang’s Grain Group in Ottawa and was a pioneer in exporting pulse and special crops all over the world. Later, he was with International Grain Trade and in his last years with Marina Commodities.
I never got to know Rick the way that others have in the pulse industry. I do know he trained generations, the ins and outs of exporting products to far away countries in containers and bulk vessels. I remember asking Eric Fossay, now a Senior Grain Merchant at Cargill in Winnipeg, what Rick’s title was. Eric bluntly said: “He doesn’t need one.â€
Pioneers are rare when they grace an industry. Rick was a pioneer. Pioneers break down change walls: Art Mainil, Bill Cooper, Clarence Taylor, Hubert Esquirol and Carol and John Husband. I’ve left out many; however, the mentioned have had the biggest impact on me. They fought for what we have today, however imperfect it is. In a quote with the Western Producer in 2003, Clarence Taylor, then 84 years old, said it best: “All we ever wanted to do was better our situation.†Mr. Taylor passed away on October 29, 2007. Mr. Mainil passed away in 2011. Mr. Husband in 2019. Pioneers leave legacies. Rick’s knowledge will live on through the people he taught, instructed and mentored. Appreciate your health if you have good health, and more importantly, the time you have left on this planet. You are never too old to make a difference.
Godspeed Rick and thank you for all you did…
From Weber Commodities Oct 4. 2023
Rick was a man of integrity. Private, discerning, highly amazing analytical skills & moral compass; many of us were privileged to call him a friend, and advisor. Smarter than all of us even after too many scotch.
Indeed a pioneer. So many stories.
I will miss him evermore.
Deepest sympathy to all who called him friend, and family.
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