Patrice Prevost Director of Operations Advanced Comfort Technology Inc. Sun Prairie, Wisconsin

What education are you bringing with you to this position?
I received a degree in animal science from ITA de St-Hyacinth (Agricultural College) in Quebec in 1991.

Please describe your agricultural background.
I grew up on a 50-cow Ayrshire dairy in Compton, Quebec. Our family showed at World Dairy Expo and The Royal for a number of years. We also enjoyed producing maple syrup on the farm.

What territory will you cover?
As the director of operations, my territory will span the entire globe. In the past five years, DCC Waterbeds has nearly quadrupled the number of dealers and, to date, has installed beds in more than 30 countries. With all of that growth and expansion, the need for streamlined supply chain management is greater than ever.

What are your new responsibilities?
In addition to customer support, finance and data management, I will be looking for ways to help the company improve operations and manage the supply chain more efficiently, so we can fulfill orders quickly, be more responsive to customers and control costs – which will help us remain competitive in the long term.

What previous positions have you held?
I recently left ABS Global Inc., where I was the purchasing and supplies manager for six years. Before that, I was with ABS for an additional seven years, where I served as an IT business analyst in the U.S., the operations herd recording manager in Australia and as a customer service manager in Canada. Previous to ABS, I worked for the Canadian Ayrshire Association in breed promotion in Canada and abroad.

Who has made the biggest impact on your career?
Actually, two people have impacted my career greatly. Andre Riou, my mentor for three years at Ayrshire Canada, and Steve Fried with ABS Canada Inc. and ABS Australia and still to this day. Both were great mentors to me, and our many exchanges impacted my professional career as well as my life in general.

How will you be of most help to producers in your region or area of expertise?
My breadth of experience is what a company like ours needs. As a small organization, each of our team members is required to wear many hats simultaneously. I can bring experience from a wide variety of roles and from my work in the global dairy industry, and apply it all in this one position. That will help the company help its customers – and helping people is a shared passion among all of the people at the company.

Why did you choose this company?
Two main reasons: The concept of DCC Waterbeds is simple, and it is an extremely efficient way to make cows comfortable. It was easy for me to believe in the product. Also, the Throndsen family who owns the business and their current staff are passionate about their product and how it positively impacts their dealers and the producers. The right product with the right people; to me it was a winning combination.

What goals would you like to accomplish while in this position?
I want to put in place the structure and the system needed to support the ever-growing interest in DCC Waterbeds. From the time we supply our product to our dealers and customers up to after-sale service, I want to make sure the emphasis is on the quality and the benefits of the product. I’m happy when our sales team, our distributors, dealers and customers forget about supply, inventory and processes. That means we’re doing our job the right way. PD