We are pleased to announce that Sam DeStefano has joined the company as our new Barn Equipment Product Manager. DeStefano will guide the company’s steel product portfolio including freestalls, headlocks and AquaDump systems and brings a grounded, producer-focused approach shaped by years of real, on-farm dairy experience.

“I have a passion for the dairy industry. I grew up in it and have always stayed connected to it,” DeStefano says.

That combination of hands-on livestock experience and engineering training has shaped the practical, cow comfort approach he brings to VES-Artex.

DeStefano’s connection to dairy started early on his grandparents’ 60 cow dairy in western Ohio. Working there taught him how much good equipment matters in a barn and how design choices affect both animals and people. While earning his Mechanical Engineering Technology degree at Purdue University, he worked at Purdue’s research dairy, gaining a deeper understanding of how equipment interacts with cow behavior, workflow and daily management.

“I joke that I was probably the only mechanical engineering student working at Purdue’s research dairy,” he shares.

DeStefano’s professional dairy experience is anchored by his time with Tuls Dairies, where he worked within two of the company’s large Wisconsin operations. At Rock Prairie Dairy near Janesville and Emerald Sky Dairy in northwest Wisconsin, DeStefano oversaw manure management, silage production and the maintenance of all major equipment and facilities. The work gave him a front-row view of what it takes to keep a large-scale dairy operation running smoothly and how the right equipment decisions can lighten the burden for both cows and employees.

Experience Drives Determination

That experience influences his philosophy on product design today.

“I want to build products that solve real problems for dairymen. If I am not in barns listening and learning, then I cannot expect the equipment to meet the needs of the people who rely on it,” DeStefano explains.

CEO and co-owner Ed Krasnov shares that DeStefano is a welcome and valued addition to the VES-Artex team.  

“Sam understands dairy from the inside out. He knows how equipment should function in the barn and he understands the priorities of the people who use it. His background adds tremendous value to our steel product line and our commitment to supporting producers,” says Krasnov.

Outside of work, DeStefano and his wife operate a 120-acre farm in Clayton, WI, where they raise hay and custom graze cow-calf pairs for a local meat processor. The yearly cycle of haying season and cattle on pasture, DeStefano says, keeps him close to the “why” of his role with VES-Artex.

“What I love most is getting into the barns, listening to dairymen and finding ways to build equipment that truly improves their day-to-day work. I want to help create products that make life easier for both cows and the people who care for them,” he says.