PRE-heat makes big machines that have a major impact. Ever wonder who is behind it all?
Meet Dan Bergin, President and one of the owners of PRE-heat. He’s been leading the PRE-heat team for years and has been working there even longer. In this peek behind the curtain, you’ll learn all about the man that keeps PRE-heat running.
The Family Tradition
Dan always knew his career would lie in leadership at PRE-heat. At school, he intentionally picked classes in business and leadership to help prepare him for the role. He’s been working at PRE-heat for as long as he can remember, starting by pitching in part-time during summer breaks between school years.
Dan’s history is so deeply entwined with PRE-heat because the company has been owned and operated by the Bergin family from its start in 1984 (then called Construction International Inc.). Dan’s father, Don Bergin, is the founder and first-generation President of PRE-heat. Family involvement in the company is very important to the Bergins – everyone pitches in. PRE-heat is based in Wisconsin, and the Bergin family all proudly uphold the diligent and meticulous Midwestern work ethic.
A Jack of All Trades
Dan graduated from part-time summer help to working at PRE-heat full time in 2011. He’s had a hand in almost every aspect of operations at PRE-heat: operating machines and other shop work, clerical work, payroll, hiring and training, and sales – just to name a few. It was important to him to get as much firsthand experience as possible in all of the different roles at PRE-heat team before taking on that leadership position.
Now serving as President and part-owner of the company (the other owners being his father, mother, and brother), Dan pinpoints his key duties as:
- Overseeing the management team
- Setting performance goals
- Ensuring financial growth
- Implementing policy
- Defining long-term strategy
- Being the jack of all trades that he is, Dan still helps out in all areas and loves to do sales.
A Day in the Life of the PRE-heat President
Dan jokingly describes his typical day as “talking until my voice goes out.” A lot of his job is steering the ship, so it’s his responsibility to be in communication with all areas of the company. He makes sure all departments are on track for success according to the plans he has laid out – all while tending to any “little fires” that may pop up along the way.
Dan’s best advice for getting through a busy day? “Just breathe. Accept that things will take longer than you anticipate. Try to find the good, even on bad days. And be humble – I don’t know everything, and should always be learning more.”
Dan leads PRE-heat with humility and a collaborative mindset. He finds the best of the best people to make up the PRE-heat team, and goes above and beyond to support them. The company offers amazing benefits (PRE-heat is one of the last companies in the industry that pays 100% of employees’ health insurance and offers an HRA), but Dan goes even further to show his team how much he respects them by working alongside them and learning from them. Dan makes the final decisions, but he wants honest input from everyone around him before making big decisions.
Leading Values
A crucial part of running a company is incorporating key values that set the company apart. Dan has excelled at instilling PRE-heat’s core values:
Trust. Conducting business with honesty and transparency is paramount. Dan wants PRE-heat to be a change in the industry, to set an example of trustworthiness and openness. Far too often, Dan hears phrases like “That’s just how the industry is.” The PRE-heat team sees too much dishonesty and opaqueness when dealing with both potential customers and vendors alike, and Dan aims to change that. Creating a culture of trust also helps to build tight-knit teams.
Teamwork. Dan aims to foster a collaborative and respectful work environment. This helps to create a company that people care about and contribute to. PRE-heat team members all work together because they want everyone to do their best work and for the business to profit – because they have a voice and are heard by company leadership.
Quality. PRE-heat’s goal is to deliver high-quality products and services that meet or exceed industry standards; this is what keeps people coming back. Everyone at PRE-heat takes pride in their work and wants to create the best possible product.
Continuous improvement. Dan, and the entire PRE-heat team, are dedicated to constantly enhancing their processes, products, and services to deliver exceptional value and stay competitive. A relentless focus on self-improvement will help PRE-heat to keep getting better. The industry is becoming more and more competitive, so Dan knows that PRE-heat needs to keep improving by doing more with the resources they have and increasing capacity by working more efficiently.
The Future is Bright
One of Dan’s favorite things about PRE-heat is the positive effect that heat exchangers have on the environment, but PRE-heat’s bright future goes beyond that. The years ahead look very promising for Dan and the PRE-heat team.
PRE-heat is growing and diversifying. The business has just about doubled its capacities and taken on double the work since Dan became President. PRE-heat will also keep striving to be the industry difference and lead by example; Dan says, “When you treat everyone with respect and work hard to deliver a high-quality product that exceeds customer expectations, the work will flow in.”
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