Alberta's Top Employers (2026) Magazine - Magazine - Page 16
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ALBERTA’S TOP EMPLOYERS
AFSC people nurture Alberta’s agriculture industry
N
icole Miller grew
up on a small cow
and calf farm in
Hanna, Alta., and
still goes back every
weekend to help her family run
the operation. So, when the
opportunity to join Agriculture
Financial Services Corporation
(AFSC) came up in early 2023, it
felt like a natural fit.
“I always wanted to build a
career that stays true to my roots,”
says Miller, a third-generation
farmer and a client care coach at
AFSC. In her role, she provides
training to front-line staff on
the organization’s programs and
processes and supports team
member development. “This gave
me the chance to contribute to an
industry I’m passionate about.”
I always wanted to
build a career that
stays true to my roots.
This gave me the
chance to contribute
to an industry I’m passionate about.
— Nicole Miller
Client Care Coach
AFSC, based in Lacombe and
with 38 branches around Alberta,
provides the province’s farmers
and agribusinesses with insurance
products to protect their operations, as well as loans and farm
stabilization options that help
them recover from years of loss.
Its suite of loans includes the next
generation loan that provides new,
Agriculture Financial Services Corporation hosts a brand camp to promote collaboration between teams.
young and returning agricultural
producers with a consistent source
of fixed-rate term loans to establish their own farming operation.
“Farming is hard, it’s really
hard, but it’s foundational to the
economy and the province,” says
Melanie Ducholke, chief people
officer. Having a “tangible impact”
on the lives of the province’s
producers — as well as the small
and rural communities they
live in — appeals to many team
members.
“Being part of that is inspiring
and deeply rewarding. A number
of team members are producers
themselves,” she says.
To do right by its clients, AFSC
must support its people, Ducholke
says. The company has three core
values: people are its foundation;
clients are its focus; and excellence
is its aspiration.
“We made a deliberate choice
to put people first,” she says. “We
believe that when team members
feel supported, valued, and able
to build trusting relationships,
they will extend that same care to
our clients. This creates a culture
where excellence becomes a
natural outcome of connection
and commitment.”
AFSC has a handful of career
development programs, including
a partnership with the University
of Alberta to run team members
through the university’s leadership
courses, development plans for
all team members, and unlimited
access to a self-guided online
learning platform Percipio that
hosts e-books and certification
programs.
The company also has a
dedicated wellness coordinator
whose job includes developing
well-being programming, getting
appropriate resources to AFSC’s
diversity, equity and inclusion
council, supporting its employee
resource groups, and seeking out
team member feedback. “We’re
constantly evaluating ‘Are we
living our culture? And if not, why
aren’t we and how do we fix that?’”
