”I find great value in supporting farmers”

Being raised on a dairy farm, Heather Bennett brings a lot of experience into her role as an In-Service Technician. Read more about her daily work and what she finds most rewarding working at DeLaval.

Heather Bennett was born in New York USA, where her family had a dairy farm with over 300 cows. Growing up, she always helped her parents and spent a lot of time in the barn which gave her great knowledge of how a dairy farm works. Her love for cows projected her on a career that would involve meeting and interacting with cows across different farms and farmers as well. One of her jobs before joining DeLaval was as a Herd Manager on a dairy farm with over 1000 cows, named Roll-N-View farm in Nunda, NY.

Heather joined Team Blue in 2019 as an In-Service Technician, a role she still has. Just like in her previous jobs, Heather gets to interact with farmers and cows but now with an extra focus on the maintenance of DeLaval products. “What intrigued me the most with working for DeLaval as an In-Service Technician was the possibility to work with several different farms and meet many different farmers across the US. Today, I have farms on a schedule and make sure to maintain the high standards of the products. Each farm has bespoke service based on their needs, which also keeps the job exciting as no day is the same as the other,” says Heather.

“A common misconception is that being a service technician is a man’s job. I am happy to be one of the women to show that anybody can perform this job if they want and have an interest in meeting with customers and helping them with their issues. If you encounter a problem that you haven’t experienced before and you need a helping hand, my DeLaval colleagues are always happy to help. No one should be discouraged to try this job based on the notion that service technicians are men. We all have our weaknesses and strengths in our team and we all help each other out. I really experience the ‘One DeLaval’ culture in action when needed,” Heather says.

But it is not only the diverse job duties that Heather finds most rewarding working for DeLaval. It is also the possibility to get her life puzzle together at home. “DeLaval as an employer allows you to structure your schedule so you can attend to things that happen at the home front. I live on a farm together with my husband and two children and things are ever-changing and hard to plan ahead. To know that I can be there for my kids’ different appointments and other activities is very important to me,” she explains. “But I also have to mention my colleagues are great. Everyone is keen to help out if there are any problems that need to be sorted out and all my colleagues are more than willing to share their expertise so we all can grow in the team,” Heather adds.

However, after her three years as an In-Service Technician, Heather is headed on to new adventures in DeLaval as an Aftermarket Salesperson. In her new role, she will further deepen her knowledge about the products and solutions that DeLaval offers farmers. “I really look forward to my new position. After a few years out in the field working with maintenance, I feel it will give my career an extra dimension to work actively with our aftermarket sales and products. Being able to continue to support our customers but in a different way is something I will find great value in,” Heather concludes.

Thank you, Heather, for sharing your story and we look forward to seeing your progress in your upcoming role!