By Tom Collins
PORT HOPE — Former NorAg owner Ben Currelly says he retired suddenly from business with the least possible harm to anyone.
Currelly surrendered NorAg’s grain dealer licence on Jan. 23, and terminated the business on Feb. 13. NorAg was a grains and oilseeds buyer and seller that Currelly started in 1998. A notice on the company’s web site said he was retiring immediately due to health issues and he went on vacation immediately.
On his return, he spoke briefly about the business to Farmers Forum saying “I’ve put it totally out of my mind. It was a huge active ongoing business that I needed to get out of. And I did. And there was the least harm possible to anybody. And I paid every debt I had. That’s all I could do. I just wanted to retire.”
His company website, before going offline, quoted him saying, “I have found that the older one gets, it becomes increasingly difficult to handle the stress involved in the operation of this business. Simultaneously, some health issues and my family have convinced me that I must slow down.”