Market Sales with Wally Olson [episode 20]
YOUR TEAM
Twenty years ago I went to work for a profitable ranch. At the time, I had never seen such a thing. That experience changed my life.
Since then, I have worked for other profitable ranches, started profitable ranch businesses from scratch, turned around failing ones, and shared the recipe with others through consulting services.
Ranching is hard work, but it's a lot more rewarding when you are winning. While many ranches struggle, the great ranches build wealth, improve the land, raise self-reliant children, empower employees, and strengthen communities. The difference is that great ranches focus on the business and leverage its power to produce desired outcomes.
As you do the hard work of ranching, we help you know that you are doing the work that will make your ranch great. Our team believes you don't just work for the ranch, but that the ranch should work for you.
-John Haskell
At Ranch Right LLC we help ranchers and farmers build profitable businesses and generational wealth with timely access to financial metrics.
WALTER LYNN Jr., CPA
Wise Guyde
Walter Lynn, Jr., CPA, Springfield, Illinois offers over 40 years of accounting, tax knowledge, and financial expertise to our organization. He was the owner of local CPA firm primarily serving an agricultural client niche of producers and landowners throughout the United States.
Walter has been a conservation leader throughout his lifetime. He grew up on a central Illinois diversified family farm with ties to a strong land ethic. His family still owns farmland today. He believes agriculture is a key component on creating a healthy vibrant US population from the biological capital entrusted to those operating our lands. Walter advocates and shares his passion for regenerative agriculture as apart of his daily life.
He most recently served as chief financial officer for the national regenerative agricultural consulting firm, Understanding Ag, LLC, and the nonprofit education organization Soil Health Academy from January 2021 through October 2021. He was Understanding Ag’s initial Chief Operating Officer from December 2019 – December 2020.
Walter serves as the chairperson of Holistic Management International who has a team of over 65 certified educators all over the world. HMI educates primarily agricultural producers to understand their whole in their business decisions. He has served on the board since November 2014.
Other significant roles
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Initial chairman Sangamon Conservancy Trust created in 2000 for farmland preservation in central Illinois. Currently, he is secretary treasurer.
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National Treasurer Izaak Walton League of America 2007 – 2017. Organization has over 40,000 members and based in Gaithersburg, Maryland
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Treasurer of Midwest Mission Distribution Center in Chatham, Illinois from 2000 – 2005. This is a disaster relief mission affiliated with the United Methodist Church. His firm provided controller services, obtained the IRS determination letter and filed subsequent Form 990’s with IRS.
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Chaired Council on Administration and Finance Committee of his local United Methodist Church. Chaired Major Gifts for capital campaign.
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Board member of over 20,000 member Illinois CPA Society. Chaired society Agribusiness Committee
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Involved in tax planning using charitable reminder and chartable lead trusts to support Ducks Unlimited, Community Foundation of Central Illinois, universities, and local charities.
JESSICA SANCHEZ
She Does It All
Jessica was born and raised in Northern California, where she was able to develop her love of Agriculture. Growing she showed Lambs and participated on many judging teams. Even being in the city Jessica knew she was meant to be in wide open spaces.
She met her husband Mike in 2014 and married in 2019. After living in California their whole lives Jessica and Mike decided they wanted to move somewhere better to raise their wild and sweet sons. A quick decision to move to Wyoming was made. They are loving it ever since they settled in.
Jessica has a long history of administration experience. She has worked in multiple industries from Non-profits, Real Estate companies, Software companies, and everywhere in between. She has a set of skills that are unmatched.
Jessica enjoys getting outside in the open skies with her boys, husband, and two dogs. They enjoy traveling to new places and making new memories. Particularly, they love riding their dirt bikes on their land.
CHELSEY WATERS
Client Integration Specialist
Chelsey Waters grew up on a cow/calf and backgrounding operation in southern Alberta before graduating from Mount Royal University with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree with a major in accounting.
She completed the Chartered Professional Accountant designation while working with agriculture clients of an accounting firm in Calgary. In 2020 Chelsey and her husband Jordie moved to Texas to apply their experience in stockmanship, livestock marketing, soil and forage in a different environment.
Chelsey began working with Ranch Right in 2021 as a staff accountant. Chelsey has a passion for life-long learning, specifically understanding how different types of people work. Drawing on the combination of her previous work experience and owning/running a business.
Chelsey was able to pinpoint the integration of the Ranch Right process and the client’s existing record keeping process during onboarding as an indicator for future client success. Chelsey and Jordie welcomed their first child in February 2022. Now based in Alva, OK they start high risk cattle and teach stockmanship.
ERIC MOES
Business Architect
Growing up as a reluctant city kid in Vancouver, BC, Eric's love for the outdoors and risky endeavors led to a 12-year infantry officer career in the Canadian Army. The highlight of his career was leading the operations cell in a US-led joint headquarters in Kabul, Afghanistan, alongside soldiers from every NATO country.
After kids parachuted into their lives, Eric and his wife, Karis, decided they needed a change of pace from the army life and began to build a ranch from scratch because that's easier, right? The Moes family owned and operated Little Fork Ranch, a direct-to-consumer pastured meat business in Greenwood, BC for five years. The family ranch business is always on the move, currently running seasonal, short-term cattle.
Eric has a BA in Political Science from Carleton University, too-many-to-count military courses, and is a graduate of Ranching for Profit. He is working towards completing an MBA from the University of Guelph with a research interest in business architecture and strategy development. His big why is democratizing business knowledge and expertise. Small businesses are too important to act like they are small businesses.
You’ll see Eric all over the place at Ranch Right. He is currently the leader of our business coaching service, which focuses on bringing your business vision to reality through an investment in organizational capital and strategic thinking. Also, Eric uses his passion for translating ideas from one context to another by “rancherizing” general business fundamentals and military doctrine in the form of courses, articles, and podcasts.
Eric does not skate like a Canadian should, can’t ride a horse, hates barbwire, and will never fully accept that he is a civilian but loves being around them.
CATHY BARD
Onboarding + Payroll Specialist
Cathy Bard is a native of Sheridan, Wyoming, and grew up immersed in the western way of life.
She was an active member of 4-H and FFA and continues her involvement in that lifestyle with her daughter, Ellie’s activities in 4-H and Rodeo.
Cathy attended Sheridan College studying Ag Business and continued her education at Eastern Montana. After College, she married Irv Bard and they lived on a cattle ranch East of Sheridan for twenty-five years.
Her work experience has been in Public and Private Accounting in the Sheridan area, and she is excited to be able to include Agriculture in her life once again through Ranch Right, LLC.
Cathy lives south of Sheridan with her husband and daughter.
DANIEL STRONG, CPA
Senior Staff Accountant
Daniel was born and raised in Mitchell, a town in southeast South Dakota. Growing up, he always wished he had been on a farm. Unfortunately, his grandparents had to sell the family farm during the farm crisis in the early 1980s. His favorite TV show as a kid was Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom. He still enjoys animal documentaries and documentaries in general but rarely can sit through a full movie.
After high school, Daniel got a degree in economics from the University of South Dakota and went on to get a Master’s Degree in Accounting. Before joining Ranch Right, he worked at a rural CPA firm where he dealt heavily with local farmers and ranchers and became a CPA in the State of South Dakota.
Daniel traveled and lived abroad as an English teacher after college. Spending time outside the US brought about a deep appreciation for our form of government and our rule of law.
Daniel likes thinking outside the box and is a fan of Ranch Right’s approach to bookkeeping. Coming from a CPA firm background where there was little-to-no useful info provided, he enjoys being able to work with clients and provide useful and timely info.
MIMI ARGYLE
Staff Accountant
Mimi Argyle grew up in Idaho immersed in agriculture, specifically cow/calf enterprises. Mimi and her husband Tyson run a cow/calf operation in Wyoming and are partners in Mimi’s family’s operation in Idaho. This gives her a diverse understanding of ranching.
Mimi graduated college with a Master’s in Education from Montana State University and continues to use her gift by teaching High School Science and Ag Business management in Idaho. She has a knack for numbers and is a lifelong learner always trying to improve management practices through facts not feelings.
In her spare time, Mimi enjoys spending time with Tyson and their 2 daughters, Macki and Ruby, and training barrel horses.
JORDAN STEELE
Super Cruncher
Jordan Steele grew up on a cow-calf operation near Aladdin, WY before completing his Master’s Degree in Agricultural Economics at the University of Wyoming. After college, Jordan worked for the Kansas Farm Management Association through Kansas State University for 7 ½ years where he specialized in agricultural business recordkeeping, financial analysis and interpretation, and income tax preparation for farmers and ranchers in 17 counties of NW Kansas. Jordan is now working for RMC based in Wheatland, WY teaching Ranching for Profit Schools and facilitating the Executive Link program.
Jordan and his wife Jori welcomed their first child in August 2022 and are excited to be back in the Cowboy State of Wyoming. Both have a heart for lifelong learning and continue to improve on their own ranch management skills. In their free time, Jordan and Jori enjoy team roping, hunting, and anything else horseback.
JORI STEELE
Jr. Staff Accountant
Jori Steele grew up in Laramie, WY in a ranching family on both sides. Being involved in cow-calf and custom grazing yearling operations in high-elevation terrain, her love for cattle and horses started early.
After getting an Animal Science Degree from the University of Wyoming, Jori moved to northwest Kansas where her and her husband Jordan both worked in academia. She spent five years at Colby Community College as the Beef Program Director where she taught beef management courses, cared for the college cow herd, and hosted a performance bull test and sale for ranch consignors.
During that time, she noticed a need for financial awareness and organizational skills to be developed for students to become successful managers and employees in the workforce. Along with the teaching and cattle responsibilities, Jori will finish her master’s degree in Agricultural Education in the 2023 summer.
Jori and Jordan live in Wheatland, WY with their son Roan where Jordan works for RMC full time. During the summer they help Jori’s dad care for summer grass yearlings and day work for local ranches whenever anyone calls. In their free time, they enjoy roping and hunting as well.
Jr Staff Accountant
JOSIE HAMMOND
Josie Hammond is a 5th-generation rancher to grow up on and help operate a cow/calf ranch near Hardin, MT.
Recently graduated from Montana State University in May of 2022 with a degree in Agricultural Business and a Minor in Accounting.
Along with bookkeeping, she loves helping on the ranch with her Dad, Mom, Brother, and Grandpa. When not doing either of these two things,she is baking, quilting, playing with her nephews (they think they run my life), or hanging out with her spoiled dog, Paisley.
MIKE SANCHEZ
Jr. Staff Accountant
Mike grew up on the central coast of California until he enlisted into the Army after graduating high school. During his enlistment, he served as a spacecraft operator with one tour to the middle east before ending his enlistment at the NSA in Maryland. After his time in the Army Mike moved to Sacramento California where he finished his degree in Social Science from American River College and worked as a Radio Frequency Engineer for a major television network.
While living in Sacramento he met his wife Jessica. After having their 3 boys they decided they wanted a slower and safer place to raise their kids. In 2021 they took the leap, and the wind blew them to Cheyenne Wyoming. While working as a spacecraft engineer for a television provider in Cheyenne, Mike met John and decided to pursue a career change, where he could bring his extensive IT and mathematics background to the Ranch Right family.
When he is not chasing around his three boys, Mike enjoys working on cars or anything with two or four wheels. While he was living in California he enjoyed racing his Subaru’s at the track. In the summertime you can catch him riding his Harley or trying to be the best firework show in town.
KIERSTEN GARWOOD
Jr Staff Accountant
Kiersten was raised on a ranch in southeast Wyoming where she experienced cattle ranching and hay production first hand. Growing up going to brandings and competing in high school rodeo further solidified her love for the western way of life.
Kiersten graduated from the University of Wyoming in 2019 with a Bachelor of Science in Finance and a Minor in Banking and Financial Services. Since graduating Kiersten has worked as a sales tax auditor for the Wyoming Department of Audit, obtained a Wyoming Real Estate license, an Arizona Insurance License, and is a certified Financial Coach.
In 2022, Kiersten married Braden and they spent their first year on a large, remote ranch in Montana. They now live in Wickenburg, AZ where Braden trains colts and Kiersten gets to put her love for the western way of life and finances to use helping Braden run the business and working for Ranch Right, LLC.