Meet The Team

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Alessio Tenca

Territory Sales Manager

Born in Sydney and later returning to his roots in Italy, Alessio Tenca brings over 20 years of profound experience in the agricultural sector, with a special focus on animal wellness and biosecurity. Initially joining Hampel’s Calf-Tel as a dealer in 2014, Alessio has been instrumental in expanding our footprint in Italy. Now, as our Sales Manager, he not only fortifies our presence in Italy but also drives our ambitions across the Middle East, Australia, and New Zealand. Passionate, dedicated, and deeply knowledgeable, Alessio is a testament to Calf-Tel’s commitment to excellence in the agricultural domain.

Ben Ekern

Midwest Territory Manager

Ben, Calf-Tel’s Midwest Territory Manager, holds a Bachelor of Science-Animal and Plant Systems from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. Previously, he came from Accelerated Genetics where he was an award-winning District Sales Manager in Minnesota. Ben has now been with Calf-Tel for four years and was named Calf-Tel’s Top Seller in 2020.

Bernd Kleiner

Business Development Manager – Europe

Bernd has been with Calf-Tel for 17 years and is an expert in his field. He manages the European branch, heading the business development, trading, and sales out of Germany and for wider Europe. He studied Applied Sciences at the University of Nuertingen specializing in the agriculture business, animal housing and nutrition gaining a “Diplom Ingenieur” degree.

Brandon Sowder

Director of Global Business Development

Brandon’s tenure in the dairy industry spans 20 years and includes various roles of increased responsibility in business development and sales leadership, with assignments in various regions of the U.S. as well as in Europe. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Animal Science from The Ohio State University. Brandon was Calf-Tel’s Director of Sales from 2017-2020. He recently returned to us from ABS where he was Director of Business Development for North America.

Clay Franklin

Southwest Territory Sales Manager

Clay has over 20 years of experience in the dairy industry ranging from assistant livestock judging coach, to herdsman, to territory manager. Previously he was the Sales Manager at Feed Innovations, where he worked from 2015 to present. He was in Charge of Sales, Distribution, and Customer Service of multiple products distributed throughout the United States. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Animal Science from Kansas State University.

Gary Day

Northwest Territory Manager

As a youngster, Gary was active in 4-H and FFA. Gary continued on to complete animal science/pre-vet and rangeland management studies at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. In addition to his education, Gary has experience as a HSDA meat inspector, cattle producer and livestock equipment sales representative.

Kelly Driver

Eastern US & Canada Territory Manager

Kelly has been involved in the dairy industry in New York state all her life. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Ag Business from SUNY Cobleskill and an MBA from Le Moyne College. In addition to raising calves and heifers, Kelly also has a keen interest in dairy cattle genetics. She feels that getting calves off to the best start allows them to better reach their genetic potential. She has worked as our Eastern US & Canada Territory Manager for Calf-Tel since 2017.

Melissa Roden

Sales Administrator

Having grown up on a 50-cow registered herd farm in West Bend, WI where she assisted with calf and livestock management, Melissa brings with her a lifetime of dairy experience. Melissa now owns and helps run Roden Echo Valley, LLC in Trenton, Wisconsin alongside her husband and family. Melissa has been with Calf-Tel for 7 years.

Tomasz Kazmierczak

Eastern European Territory Manager

Tomasz brings with him 25 years of experience in international agriculture. He completed studies at Poznań University of Life Sciences, Department of Animal Husbandry, Poznań, Poland, where he gained his Master’s Degree and went on to complete postgraduate studies in Marketing. Tomasz has been with Calf-Tel for 3 years.
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