When it comes to designing barns that work, Dana Stoyberg knows that the details matter. As an Estimating Specialist on the VES-Artex team, Dana reviews barn plans, builds quotes and makes sure that every layout supports both cow comfort and farmer success.

It’s not just her job, it’s a career and a passion she’s invested in.

While she’s rarely on-site for the face-to-face conversations with the dairy farmers, Dana’s fingerprints are all over the projects her work helps to move forward. It’s a role she doesn’t take lightly.

“When I get a project, I become passionate about it because I know how important it is to the people behind it. I want to see it done right, and that takes teamwork from everyone involved,” she says.

 

From dealership floors to barn design

Dana didn’t land at VES-Artex by accident.

Before joining the company, she worked for a dairy equipment dealership in Alberta that carried VES-Artex products. That role gave her valuable, hands-on experience inside barns, working directly with farmers and learning what makes a barn function well… or not.

She credits the time she spent with that VES-Artex dealer as the foundation for the work she does today. That opportunity positioned her to better serve the farmers she prides herself on helping today.

“Even on paper, I can see when something isn’t going to work. I can see when something isn’t going to work for the cows – and catching and fixing those things makes all the difference,” she explains. “You have to know what you are looking at, how cows flow and what makes a good system. You have to understand how the design choices made on the front end are going to play out in real life.”

That real-life understanding is where trust is built, Dana says. It guides everything she does, and the perspective is the differentiator between her seeing drawing on a page and someone’s livelihood. It’s the difference between someone’s future and the opportunity the next generation may or may not get to step into.

“Every plan I look at is someone’s family business. It doesn’t matter how big or how small they are, they all get the same attention. We care about them all and that, in my opinion is what sets us apart at VES-Artex,” she shares.

 

Relationships that Drive Success

While you’ll find Dana behind her desk putting together the quotes that will become the opportunity of the next generation of dairy producers. She’s quick to point out that her office walls aren’t a barrier to the relationships that have to exist to execute a project with timeliness, accuracy and efficiency.

“The only way we can ensure execution on a project is by all of us working together. I work very closely with our sales team every day. That’s what makes projects succeed even when issues arise,” she says. “We all are on the same page and know what’s going on with a project. It makes a difference.”

 

Lifetime Investment

You may have caught a bit of empathy from the words Dana uses to describe her role and its importance to the success of the dairy’s VES-Artex works with. She doesn’t just work in agriculture. It’s how she grew up and an industry she couldn’t see herself working outside of. Like many of VES-Artex’s team, agriculture is in Dana’s blood.

A native of Red Deer Alberta, Dana spent every free minute of her young life on the family farm. And although it was diversified operation of grain and cattle, calving season stole Dana’s heart at a young age. It left a lasting impression and instilled the hope of something new that every farmer has.

She used that experience as the springboard for her education: a degree in animal science from the University of Alberta. Her background and in-classroom education equip Dana with an understanding of livestock production and shapes how she approaches projects for farmers. Her background ensures that her role is never just about numbers. It’s about putting experience, products that work and the experience of a team that knows how to communicate to work for the farmers VES-Artex serves.

Employees like Dana are another way VES-Artex is committed to the farm, to the farmer and to the industry.