Denis Curtin was hired by Superior Sires on August 16, 1980 after moving to the United States from Ireland to chase the American dream. Denis quickly made strong connections with his customers and achieved many milestones throughout his career. In 2018, he became the 8th sales representative in the U.S. to sell over 1 million units of semen.
Read more about Denis’ exceptional career here!
Denis officially retired on September 1, 2023 after selling 3,591,851 units, making him the second highest selling All West Sales Representative of all time. His Irish accent, friendly personality, and occasional shenanigans will surely be missed. Watch the video below to hear from Denis himself!
Read the praise below, shared by some of Denis’ most cherished fellow team members.
We thank Denis for his outstanding customer service and 43 years of dedication to All West!
“I first met Denis when Superior Sires was in need of a serious sales representative in Fresno, as sales were declining rapidly in this area. George Miller, Select Sires Marketing Director, sent us a bearded Irish man wearing sandals and continental pants with an accent that wasn’t Portuguese, Dutch or Italian. This applicant had been working as a wine salesman in the Chicago area and with cattle artificial insemination background, he was willing to relocate for the job.
One glance at him scared the hell out of me, but Tom Olsen and I were in desperate need of someone to fulfill this role. So, we hired Denis and assigned our super salesman Allan Cossentine to train him. Soon after, and after having our auto insurance rates raised, we discovered he was a fast driver who had trouble keeping all four tires on the road at the same time… and was now driving our van full of semen! I gave him the nickname of Andretti, as in Mario the Indy car driver, which he then wanted changed to Sullivan, another Indy car driver who was Irish.
Thankfully, Denis proved to be much more than a fast driver – he was quick at building relationships and making sales, too! In just a few short months, he doubled his business… and then doubled it again before the year was over… and by the end of his second year, he was on his way to doubling it once more!
Denis was very well liked by his customers. He also had a photostatic memory. He even found a mistake in a brand-new sire directory that had been proof read by seven other people! The mistake even gave Tom Olsen a tough time figuring out what Denis was talking about. His eagle eye and keen attention to detail was always appreciated.
Denis-Andretti-Sullivan-Curtin, I’m sure glad we hired you! You are the kind of person we would all like to have as an employee and a friend.” – Retired Superior Sires Owner, Lloyd Vierra
“Over the years I’ve had the opportunity to work with several All West Legends. Denis ranks at the top of the list. His customers loved him and he would do anything to provide them the best service possible. Occasionally, he would have to choose between taking care of a customer or obeying the speed limit. The customer always came first! Congratulations on a great career and best wishes as you transition into the next phase of your life.” – Retired All West/Select Sires Director of California Operations, Bill Genasci
“Denis is one of the most unique individuals that I had the pleasure of serving with. In the highly competitive area of Central California, he dealt with all kinds of competitive adversaries, yet grew his business and customer base like no other. Denis was a terrific teammate and colleague. His loyalty to All West and his fellow team members was unmatched. He was someone who’s input and opinion was sought by all, especially this manager. Above all, Denis is a person of extremely high character and morals, which is the first thing that comes to my mind when I think of him. He has my greatest respect. It was a pleasure to serve alongside of Denis at All West and I wish him a long and enjoyable retirement filled with family and friends. Congratulations Denis!” – Retired All West/Select Sires CEO/General Manager, Jim Wells
“Since I have known Denis the longest of any All West employees, I could probably write a book about our time spent together. Especially, since I was the sales person who was tasked with training him from the start of his career. For the sake of brevity, I will just list some of the chapters that might be included in that training book…
Chapter 1 – How to drive in America
Chapter 2- How to drive in California
Chapter 3 – How to drive!
Chapter 4 – How to turn a customer’s dirt driveway into a dust bowl
Chapter 5 – How to start a fire only using your car
Chapter 6 – How to pour liquid nitrogen and never actually get any in the tank
Chapter 7 – How to speak English properly
Chapter 8 – How to let everyone know you like Guinness
Chapter 9 – How to be the best salesman ever know!
Chapter 10 – How to be the best of friends!
Thanks for the greatest and wildest rides over the years. You know I love you! Have the best retirement! You deserve it! Come drink some wine with me. Oh yeah, I’ll drive!” – Retired All West/Select Sires Sales Representative, Allan Cossentine
“I worked with Denis for over 36 years and he became my best friend. Our areas bordered each other and I admired his ability to work with his customers. We had a lot of competition and other company’s trying to undercut us, but Denis held the line. I’m sure retirement will be hard for him because, like myself, Tom Olsen and Lloyd Vierra instilled a good work ethic in each of their original employees. Among the hard work, a lot of fun times were had over the years! I love you and wish you the best of luck with life after All West!” – Retired All West/Select Sires Sales Representative, Don Davis
“Denis was a pleasure to work with. He was so organized, which made it easy when he needed special semen orders or supplies. His schedule was meticulous. You knew exactly which area he was covering, and often which herds he was visiting. He was always so positive and upbeat. He was always letting me know that he appreciated the work I did for him. He treated staff and customers with kindness and sincerity. I truly hope he enjoys his retirement to the max. He deserves it!” – Retired All West/Select Sires Administrative Assistant, Rene Meyers
“Denis and I worked together for 32 years. Once a month, we would get together to compare our sales. It became a big competition between us over the years. We pushed each other on our sales each month and that competitiveness made me better at my job. Denis is one of the best salespeople I know. He has always had great integrity and work ethic. I have enjoyed our great friendship. I hope the best for you in retirement and look forward to getting together in the years to come.” – All West/Select Sires Sales Representative, Marvin Correia
“In my many years of working for All West/Select Sires, I have had the opportunity to work with some of the best sales and service people that this industry has to offer. The common denominator among these people is their passion, professionalism, self-motivation, and strong work ethic to help their customers achieve their goals. Denis Curtin has always been at the top of this list of people. He has had a legendary career that the rest of us can only strive for. Thank you to Denis for teaching all of us to try to be the best that we can be. Denis will be missed by all of us, but this isn’t goodbye, it’s I can’t wait to see you soon!” – All West/Select Sires Sales Representative, Greg Silva
“Not many people have customers that are as concerned about their salesman retiring as Denis had. It’s a true testament to his character and to the relationships that he built over a lifetime. It’s been fun working with and learning from you, Denis. Enjoy your well-earned retirement!”– All West/Select Sires Director of Dairy Programs, Angie Kennedy
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