Thirty years ago, on April 7, 1995, Sherry Kostreva and Sherry Kostreva started working at Dairyland Electrical Industries (yes, you read that correctly). Sherry Ann and Sherry Lynne, as they are better known, are sisters-in-law who began their careers with Dairyland on the same exact day. Their husbands had worked for Dairyland first, but they needed to be on their family farms once spring rolled around. So, Sherry Ann and Sherry Lynne stepped in to help Dairyland.
When the Sherrys started, Dairyland was a much smaller operation—and nearly everything was done in the Tachick family barn. At the time, only VTNIs and ISPs were manufactured, everything was written down by hand, and purchase orders were received through the United States Postal Service. Much has changed since then, but some things remain the same.
Sherry Ann & Sherry Lynne, inadvertently matching
To celebrate their thirtieth anniversaries, I had the honor and privilege of sitting down with the Sherrys to discuss their time at Dairyland and what it has meant to them. I sincerely enjoyed their wisdom and wit. Now, what follows is a story about family, hard work, good times, lots of laughs, and everything in between.*
*Light editing was done throughout for the sake of readability.
Looking back over your time at Dairyland, what are you most proud of accomplishing?
Sherry Ann: I remember building the first SSD’s, the first PCR’s, even the first OVP’s. It was cool to be part of determining which serial numbers to start with for each. It also meant a lot to me to be able to work with Henry, Mike, and Brian Pelly. Working with them was so humbling. They are incredibly knowledgeable. They are brilliant, even! I used to have to ask them, “can you please say that again in English?” But they were all so humble and down to earth. Lastly, I am thankful for the opportunity to have gone to Guatemala with Dairyland to see the work of IJM (editor’s note: you can read more about this trip here).
Sherry Lynne: I feel most proud of helping to pave the way for where we are today. That’s a great accomplishment for me. But it was always so important to both of us to make sure we did the best we could. I wanted everything that I made to be perfect as it went out the door. I always took great pride in the work that we did—to keep the Dairyland name a good name.
Henry, Brian, Sherry Ann, and Mike
What is the best piece of advice you ever received while working at Dairyland?
Sherry Lynne: Oh yeah! Henry always told me, “don’t stress or worry about things that you can’t control. There will always be disappointments in life. It’s how you navigate through them that matters.”
Sherry Ann: And we would ask him, “how do you handle those things?” Because there were some pretty high pressure situations that would come up over the years and he would handle it so well and we were always like, “how do you do that?” Henry would say, “Is there something you can do about it? Do it. If not, don’t lose sleep over it.”
Sherry Lynne: And “don’t stress over it.”
Sherry Ann: Yeah, don’t stress over things you can’t fix or control. That all really stuck with me. But another thing that has stuck with me is the emphasis on family. Family always came first and that was important to me. I always appreciated that.
What’s the funniest or most memorable story you can share from your time here?
Sherry Lynne: We had this old forklift that you could barely steer. You know, there was a method to the madness back then, but I remember standing on the back of it from time to time when there was too much weight on the front but it had to be quickly loaded onto a truck (editor’s note: don’t try this at home, kids). That always made us laugh, but another that comes to mind… one day while in the bathroom, I decided to (I don’t know why) melt some chocolate and leave it around the toilet and other places around the bathroom. Well, another co-worker went in and came back out screaming. When she found out it was me doing the prank, she was so proud.
Sherry Ann: And remember Nancy? She was this older lady, probably 82 at the time. She used to say, “If I fall over, just kick me under the table.” We obviously would never do that, but one time, she actually did pass out. We had to call an ambulance and everything. She was okay, but she was so upset that we didn’t follow her instructions. She was a hoot.
Sherry Lynne, Nell, Nancy, and Sherry Ann
What was it like manufacturing in the barn for so many years?
Sherry Ann: Sometimes our kids would be hanging out around the barn. Mark, our brother-in-law, used to tease the kids. He would tell them that a man in a green jacket lived up in the haymow. You should ask Kailey and Logan if they were ever afraid to go up there because of it . . . Oh, going back to the last question, this is definitely memorable, but not funny… one time, Henry’s truck started on fire. He went to go get the mail one day and on his way back up the driveway, he noticed smoke coming out of the front of the truck. So, he parked the truck and got out before it went up in flames. That was very memorable.
Sherry Ann, continued: Another memorable event at the barn was our first large OVP order. The customer ordered something like 360 units. When they were all boxed up, we did a victory lap around the entire barn like we were in Rocky.
The Sherrys and the large OVP order
Editor’s Note: Much was said in response to this question, but in a way that is difficult to capture in this medium. The following is a summary of what was said. The Sherrys loved their time manufacturing in the barn. In the early days, it was very small and simple. As time went on, things needed to be reconfigured and expanded, including moving the horse and knocking down walls and the silo. Pauline, Henry’s wife, would often bake cinnamon rolls and blueberry muffins for everyone. They also have many fond memories of sharing a Coke and Peanut M&M’s with Henry.
The Sherrys with the classic snacks
What was it like when Dairyland became a “company” more formally?
Sherry Ann: Scary and exciting at the same time.
Sherry Lynne: Yes! For sure. It was hard. It was almost like a grieving process. For example, leaving the barn, you know, there was something to that. It was very difficult. As I get older, I think about that word… “change.” It can be difficult to navigate, especially when you’ve done something a certain way for so long. But like Sherry said, it was very exciting to see how Dairyland was growing. I’ve always had so much faith in Mike and Henry. I trusted their vision even during those hard moments.
The Tachick Family Barn
Editor’s Full Question for Context: As you know, I worked in Customer Service for many years prior to moving over to marketing. I’ve talked with customers from Australia, Japan, India, Brazil, Chile, and the list goes on and on. Something you built, whether it’s an SSD or PCRX, is literally in the hands of people all around the world, protecting people and infrastructure.
So, in some way, your mark is all over the world. Does that fill you with a sense of pride?
Sherry Ann: Being able to be part of such an amazing company that invests in safety beyond just the product I build means a lot to me. And just knowing that it’s seen as such a high quality product around the world is very humbling.
Sherry Lynne: Absolutely! Everything you build is and was done in a manner that shows why Dairyland leads in this industry. We were taught from the best how to take pride in everything we do, right down to the tape on the box. It all matters.
What has working at Dairyland meant to you?
Sherry Lynne: It’s an extension of my family, really. Seriously, the friendships made and the time spent together as a team have made me a better person. It’s given me a sense of purpose beyond just my responsibilities at home. It’s been extremely valuable in my life.
Sherry Ann: Wow. Yeah, same. Well put. It has been a huge blessing to me and my family. I always pray that I can be a blessing to Dairyland and everybody that I work with and for.
The Dairyland crew back in the day
What do you want future decoupler-makers to know? (What’s one piece of advice you’d share with someone starting their career?)
Sherry Lynne: I want them to know that you can truly make a difference in this world through hard work, dedication, and a mindset of thankfulness and service to others.
Sherry Ann: Whether it is a day or many years, we never stop learning. So, embrace the learning process. Be open to new experiences. Enjoy your coworkers—each of them has their own unique strengths and character that they bring to the team.
The Dairyland “Shop” team today
