Valent hires five new sales representatives, realigns territories

Valent U.S.A. Corporation announced the addition of five sales representatives to the company and its realignment of territories to better serve its customers.

Devonne Blankenship has joined the sales team as a representative for southwestern Iowa, an expanded territory for Valent. This geography will allow the sales force to increase the level of customer service Valent offers to its retail partners across the Iowa and Missouri markets.

Blankenship holds a bachelor's degree in agricultural studies from Iowa State University as well as industry experience she received while interning with Crop Production Services that will complement her territory.

Jason Dahl has been named the sales representative for Montana, another growing territory for Valent. He spent more than 18 years at Busch Agricultural Resources Inc., where he served as the company's barley seed field agronomist.

Dahl earned a bachelor's degree in business technology from Montana State University-Northern and an MBA from the University of Montana.

Erick Garcia has joined Valent as a national sales representative and will be based in the company's Walnut Creek, Calif. headquarters. Garcia, who recently graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a bachelor's degree in agricultural and consumer economics, will provide field sales support to all regions through participation in retail sales calls, field trial demonstrations, data collection, market analysis, assistance with Valent U.S.A. field days, and regional trade shows.

Brad Gunnink has been named sales representative covering northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin. He most recently served as district sales manager for Monsanto in the southeastern Wisconsin region and has over 16 years of industry experience. Gunnink earned a bachelor's degree in agriculture from University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Deborah Reiman has joined Valent as the sales representative for southwestern Indiana. Reiman, who graduated from Purdue University with a bachelor's degree in animal agribusiness, began her career in agriculture with an internship as a field research supervisor with Dow AgroSciences. After accepting a sales position with Dow upon graduation, she spent the last year overseeing accounts with South Central Farm Services and Helena Chemical Company.

"These new hires speak to the recent growth Valent has experienced as a company and our effort to strategically position ourselves best to suit the needs of the customer," said Matt Plitt, vice president of sales for Valent.