Saskatchewan's Top Employers (2026) Magazine - Magazine - Page 22
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SASKATCHEWAN’S TOP EMPLOYERS (2026)
Ranch Ehrlo has a sense of mission — and family
S
even years ago, Nicholas
Hadjistavropoulos was
a kinesiology student
doing casual shifts at
group homes operated
by Ranch Ehrlo Society. He soon
realized that he wanted to work
permanently at the non-profit
agency, which operates in six
Saskatchewan communities
and provides a wide range of
services for people across Canada,
including education, counselling,
affordable housing and a
variety of programs for families,
at-risk youth and individuals
experiencing disability.
What drew me to the
organization was that
sense of contributing to
something bigger and
making a difference in
the lives of the individuals we see every day.
— Natalie Huber
President and CEO
Hadjistavropoulos advanced to
a full-time position, moving up
through the ranks to become a
youth care leader, which meant
leading a group home team. He
is now Ranch Ehrlo’s quality
assurance liaison, based in Regina.
And he says that from the very
beginning, he saw that he could
have a long and rewarding career
at the agency.
“I really loved working with the
kids,” he recalls, “but eventually I
asked myself, ‘Do I really want to
be working front-line in 20 years?’
Participants and employees at Ranch Ehrlo Society attend a music therapy session together.
I still wanted to be involved in the
work we were doing because I
know it’s important but I wanted a
family and didn’t plan on working
evenings and weekends for the
rest of my life.”
Hadjistavropoulos notes that for
those who want to grow professionally, Ranch Ehrlo provides all
sorts of training. “Right off the bat,
there’s our fundamental training,
like therapeutic crisis intervention
and CARE training. But along the
way, all kinds of opportunities
come up to learn about everything
from suicide intervention to
wilderness first aid. The opportunities are just endless, not only
to prepare to do your job better
but also to build your resume and
create potential opportunities
down the road.”
What’s more, Ranch Ehrlo
subsidizes outside training.
Hadjistavropoulos is currently
working on an online master’s
degree focusing on community
studies at Athabasca University.
His wife, Karlyn, who also works
at the organization, received funding to get teacher training and is
now on staff at one of its schools.
For Natalie Huber, who has
been Ranch Ehrlo’s president
and CEO for five years — after
having risen to be Saskatchewan’s
assistant deputy minister of social
services — it’s the sense of mission
that galvanizes her and the staff.
Founded 60 years ago as a single
group home, it has served its communities in myriad and profound
ways, she says.
“We have an overall positive
workplace, a strong feeling of
purpose. What drew me to the
organization was that sense of
contributing to something bigger
and making a difference in the
lives of the individuals we see
every day.
“We offer a number of different
activities where our staff participate,” Huber adds. “They bring in
their own families. So, we’ve got a
sense of family community here
that is unlike anything I’ve ever
