‘Cretty’ is well known to most people on the upper E.P. As the long-standing Manager of our Cleve, Kimba and Wudinna branches, he’s a fixture in the local ag industry and its various communities. What you may not know is just how strong Cretty’s roots in the region are – or what a great example his career gives to the next generation.
Cretty worked his way up to managing three branches from beginning as a Parts Apprentice in 1994.
“I applied for a job with Ramsey Bros before I left school,” he says.
“School finished in 1992 and I worked on the family farm at Cleve.”
He says he would have stayed on the farm but his father felt it was important for him to go out and experience other types of work first.
“I ended up moving out of home to go to work at Ramsey Bros in Wudinna,” he says.
“It was a good move for me because it taught me to get out by myself, to look after myself, and to meet lots of new people in a new community.
“Before I knew it, Dad was ready to retire and had sold off one farm, so there were only a few hectares to go back to.”
By that stage he was more than happy at Ramsey Bros anyway. Then, after four years of working in Parts, he was offered a role as a Sales Adviser.
“That was something of a natural progression,” he says.
“I moved into sales in 1998 and I’ve been doing it ever since – even now that I’m also in the Branch Manager role.”
That opportunity came his way in 2010 when the Ramsey Bros Directors made a conscious decision to move aside and allow people within the company to grow.
“I had no idea that doing a parts apprenticeship would end up with me being a Branch manager,” he says.
“I’d say it was a fair shock when they asked me, but I think I’ve worked my way into it and we run a good business.
“People know where I stand on things, but I get along with everyone. “I thoroughly enjoy it.”
