Tyler Durst
Associate Advisor 
Bachelor of Commerce, Food and Agricultural Business [1] (co-op) 2017

Growing up on a farm in Goderich, Ontario combined with an interest in business led Tyler Durst to the University of Guelph. Durst studied in the food and agricultural business (co-op) program, where he worked at RBC Dominion Securities (DS) for one of his placements. Today, Durst continues to work with RBC DS as an associate advisor. We chatted with Durst to learn more about his role and to recap some highlights from his time on campus.

1) Could you tell us about RBC Dominion Securities (DS)?

RBC DS is Canada’s largest wealth management firm. The way RBC DS works is that it is like having your own franchise under the RBC DS umbrella. Our group specializes in using futures and futures options on commodities to provide hedging services for agricultural clients. So for example, we work with grain and livestock producers to help provide them with price protection using futures and options on futures. We are one of only a handful of groups across the country that specialize in offering only this service.

2) What does your job entail? 

As an associate advisory my role is two-fold. Firstly, I work closely with clients creating hedging strategies for their businesses and executing them by trading futures and options on the grain and livestock markets. I am also involved in marketing for our group which involves growing our client base by expanding education on our services through webinars and seminars as well as partnering with many industry organizations at their events, tradeshows, and annual general meetings.

3) Why were you drawn to study food and agricultural business in university?

I always had an interest in business, the markets and finance when I was growing up which led me to look at a lot of business programs at other universities. However, growing up on a farm, I also had a passion for agriculture and when I found out about the food & agricultural business program at the University of Guelph (U of G) it was the perfect combination of both. It probably also helps that both my parents and my sister attended U of G as well and had nothing but good things to say about it.

4) What are some highlights from your time at U of G?

I would have to say that some of my biggest highlights from my time at U of G can’t just be narrowed down to specific events. Being part of the Ontario Agricultural College (OAC) and being an aggie gave me great opportunities to be part of a community of likeminded people and participate in things like intramurals, aggie pub nights, and many other on and off school events which I made some of my best memories at. 

5) Were you involved in extra curriculars during university? 

I spent a lot of time playing intramural soccer as well as trying to take part in any of the OAC tournaments that time permitted. My biggest takeaway from these were building on my teamwork abilities as well as being part of the OAC community.

6) Where were your co-op placements? What are some valuable things you learned/gained from co-op? 

For my co-op I did two different 8-month placements. The first one took place at the Agri-food Management Institute which was a non-for-profit organization funded under OMAFRA that provided business management resources for agricultural producers and processors. 

My second placement was here with the group that I currently work with. I found co-op very beneficial as it allowed me to make many connections that I still network with today. My placement with my current employer gave me the ability to get a jump start into an industry that sometimes can take a long time to get into due to licensing requirements and the niche space that it is in. During co-op I was able to attain some of my initial licenses while gaining work experience that allowed me to hit the ground running when I transitioned into full time. 

7) What advice would you give to a 4th year student in relation to careers and job hunting? 

My biggest piece of advice would be making full use of your networks, especially in the agricultural industry. You never know who might be able to help you make a connection you have been looking for.  For myself, when I was searching for co-ops I got introduced to the team here at The Simpson/Caputo Group through contacts I had back in Winnipeg.