As CEO of Veterinarian’s Outlet, Brenda Haedge oversees a lot of different operations. She succeeds by putting faith in a qualified team trusting them to excel, just as she was trusted when Dr. Al Harper brought her into the business in 1991.
Haedge said the path to her position wasn’t straight forward. She was raised on a beef cattle farm in Gatesville by parents who both worked in law enforcement. (Her mom worked in a prison and her dad was a game warden.) The family farm and her grandparents’ agriculture background helped her get involved in 4H and showing steers.
Brenda said her parents were her role models growing up because of the values they instilled her in the work around the homestead and being good to the community.
“I was my dad’s boy,” Brenda joked being a ‘tomboy’ on the farm. “I followed my dad around everywhere. I did everything—plowed, worked cattle, branded and de-horned, fixing fence.”
“My steers were my project in 4H,” she said. “I looked forward to getting
home from school, getting the horse saddled and going to exercise the steers. They were my world.”
She participated in several activities through 4H including a veterinary science program where she worked with local veterinarians.
She earned an ag business degree from Tarleton and went to work as a loan officer at Farmers First National Bank.
She married Stanley Haedge, a dairy farmer with one daughter in college and another heading into college.
“So we needed some more income,” she said. “”Dr. Harper came over one day after a vet check and caught me on a tractor. I stepped down in my old dirty clothes and rubber boots. He talked to me a little bit and asked me if I wanted to come work [at Vet’s Outlet].”
“It was more of probably what I really wanted,” she said. “In banking, I was doing consumer lending. My interest is more in agriculture.”
She worked part time for a few weeks but when the office manager left, Brenda was asked to work full time.
She rose up to the position of CEO she holds today, handling overall general management, overseeing books, working with general staff members to find solutions, working with the other office in Hereford.
Haedge said the volume and sale at Veterinarian’s may surprise those unfamiliar with the business.
“We look little over there,” she said. “You just see the store front. The girls stay busy with the store but we offer so much more than someone walking in the door and seeing what they see.”
Veterinarian’s Outlet and Integrated Dairy Services have a lab that offers scientific testing to check for the needs of animals and dairies.
“The equipment is a big part of our business now,” she added. “We have four service technicians, a consultant overseeing them, and two more sales reps working with producers. These team members aren’t only checking into animal health but any facility issues that may be impacting the overall yield of milk.
“I’ve learned so much throughout the years,” she said, indicating an issue seemingly as minor as the wrong angle on a pipe will cause problems for the flow, buildup and bacteria.
“We’ve got a good team put together and it just seems to improve,” Haedge said. “We recently collaborated with another lab to offer PCR molecular testing. That’s rewarding to know we’re still finding ways to jump out there.”
This includes the addition of robotic milking equipment and the skills and training to help with any issues.
She added that one of the biggest challenges of the business is keeping the clients happy with a lot of different considerations and through trying times, such as the recent regulations to ensure to stop the spread of avian flu.
Haedge has also served as a 4H leader, Sunday School teacher and has been involved with UMW and the Women in Ag program that Erath County Extension recently started.
She has also served the Erath County Jr. Livestock show for many years, electing to start after her kids were out of the program (thanks to the advice of Lola Mitchell).
“It helps so many kids,” Haedge said of the stock show, adding that the projects help young exhibitors learn responsibility and work ethic. They also get the pride of a job well done with potential rewards at the sale. She’s also happy about the addition of the junior board member positions which can yield scholarships.
Efforts like this help build the work ethic Brenda learned as a girl. She feels honest hard work and surrounding yourself with the right people are the secret to a happy career and life.
(Written by Paul Gaudette-Managing Editor)