Question: Who are your mentors? Who influenced you the most?
Sandy: As far as my work in the sales business, it definitely would be Marian Piper, who taught me all she knew from her work at the International Holstein Sales and Service. People laugh because I still do it the way Marian did it. It works for me. As far as a hard working, supportive woman, she takes the cake. She was great and taught me a lot.
My personal mentors included my parents, Robert and Irma Mayer, grandma and grandpa, Christ and Helen Mayer; especially Grandma who was another hard-working farm woman who knew how to get things done.
Tom: One of my mentors was Harvey Swartz, the voice of experience, and probably the greatest dairy cattle auctioneer of his era. He was a Waukesha boy, and he coached my county 4-H dairy cattle judging teams. He was the guy who put the bug in my ear that I should someday be an auctioneer.
Allen Hetts would be a mentor in the cow business, along with Gene Nelson, Norm Magnussen, my dad, and uncle (Arden and Maldwyn), of course.
As life went on, it was people like Dave Dickson, who served as UW-Madison’s dairy cattle judging coach. Dr. Dave became a close friend and sang at my dad’s funeral and our daughter’s wedding. He was also best man at our wedding. Others included Professor Jim Crowley, Dr. Lee Allenstein, Merle Howard, and Sylvester “Silver” Weiler, the manager of Pabst Farms.
Editor’s note:
During the six weeks leading up to World Dairy Expo, we will include bonus coverage with Tom and Sandy. Click here to read the full feature from our September 10, 2017 World Dairy Supplement titled, “They’ve seen the show from every angle.”
Additional coverage in Hoard’s Dairyman Intel can be found by clicking these links:
• Dairy Expo’s most memorable World Classics
• First clone sold at World Dairy Expo
• They established a new marketing standard
• Publication cut lead time for ads
