Some careers are carefully planned. Others begin with a chance opportunity that quietly grows into something far bigger than anyone could have imagined.
For Teehani Reynolds, what started as a 12-month maternity leave contract at IAMA Rural (now Nutrien Ag Solutions) in 1999 has turned into more than 27 years in the agricultural industry, spanning company mergers, changing technology, evolving roles and countless opportunities she never saw coming.
Growing up on her family’s sheep and wheat farm in Chapman Valley, just north-east of Geraldton, agriculture has always been part of Teehani’s life. Her parents are still farming today, and while she briefly stepped into an accounting office after finishing Year 12, it didn’t take long to realise it wasn’t where she belonged.
“I just knew it wasn’t for me,” she recalls. “Then this maternity leave position came up, I applied, and the rest is history.”
Coming from a farming background gave her an understanding of the people she would soon be working alongside. Many of the farmers who became clients were already familiar faces, and those connections helped lay the foundations for a career built on relationships.
Today, Teehani describes herself as a “jack of all trades” within Nutrien Ag Solutions’ Geraldton branch. Her days are anything but repetitive, spanning branch administration, debt collection, credit reviews, livestock processing for stock agents, real estate administration and supporting finance clients with reviews and compliance.
“It’s always something different,” she says. “That’s probably why I’ve stayed for so long.”
Over nearly three decades, she’s witnessed enormous change. The business has evolved through multiple mergers, rebrands, new systems, changing managers and technological shifts that have transformed how people work.
“When I first started, everything was done over the phone or on paper. Now it’s almost all email. You don’t speak to people nearly as much as you used to.”
Rather than resisting change, Teehani has embraced it. Her willingness to adapt has seen her become a trusted voice within the organisation, regularly invited to trial new systems and provide feedback on pilot programs before they’re rolled out across the business.
One of the highlights of her career came when she was selected to join a national team helping design and implement a new SAP system for Wesfarmers. It was her first trip to Melbourne, opening her eyes to opportunities beyond regional Western Australia and reinforcing that a career in agriculture could take her much further than she had imagined.
“I’ve always said yes when opportunities come along,” she says. “You just never know where they’ll lead.”
While her role has evolved, one thing has remained constant. The people.
“The people are definitely what I love most,” Teehani says. “We’ve got wonderful clients and a really loyal customer base, but it’s also the people I work with. We’re not just colleagues. We’re friends.”
That sense of connection is reflected in the longevity of the Geraldton team, with many employees celebrating decades of service together. Former colleagues still catch up regularly, and Teehani is often invited along, a testament to the friendships built over many years.
Outside of work, life is just as full.
Together with her husband, who has owned an engineering business in Geraldton for the past 20 years, Teehani is raising two teenage children while also helping support her ageing parents and aunt.
She is also deeply involved in the local basketball community, volunteering with Chapman Valley Basketball Club for more than 18 years and receiving life membership in 2017. As the club’s treasurer and one of its junior coordinators, she helps support around 50 teams, while still finding time to lace up her own basketball shoes during the summer season.
“I’m also a highly qualified unpaid Uber driver,” she laughs, referring to the endless trips ferrying her children to sport.
For Teehani, community has always been part of who she is. Whether it’s supporting local sport, helping farming families through her work or mentoring newer staff, she believes strong relationships are at the heart of everything.
Looking back, she never imagined a one-year contract would become a lifelong career.
“My advice is simple. Take every opportunity,” she says. “Everything is always changing, and you never know where saying yes might take you.”
After 27 years, countless changes and a career built on adaptability, trust and genuine connection, it’s advice she has clearly lived herself.