Dan Robertson

Dan Robertson is a Technical Sales Representative in the Valin Portland office. Dan has 25 years of experience and knowledge to help customers with tough valve applications. Refineries, paper mills, and chemical plants are just a few areas where critical valve installations and deadlines can be challenging. Not to mention navigating the vast infrastructure these facilities utilize where at each turn there seems to be a critical safety risk.

Dan is the only process control salesperson in the Pacific Northwest which spans Washington, Oregon, and part of Idaho. His hard work representing Valin throughout the region for his assigned accounts as well as prospect new ones has been instrumental to Valin’s industrial market plan. Dan knows it takes a team and networks with the Portland staff to ensure Valin provides the highest-level experience for the customer. Over the past year, these efforts reached new heights with a sizable number in repeat business captured at a global aluminum customer as well as strengthening the company’s position at a paper products manufacturer where sales doubled from 2021 levels for Valin valve assemblies. Dan has tackled each challenge the geography and industrial accounts requested of him, including those acquired after the departure of an Account Manager in the area over a year ago.

Dan also knows that maintaining relationships with customers is important and that opportunities shift with market timing. One such customer is the leading supplier of silane-based, high-purity silicon materials for which Valin builds numerous valve assemblies. This plant had been a dormant legacy account for the past few years, but with new ownership and major funding, Dan worked with on-site engineers and contractors on major valve replacement and recommissioning. He secured all the valve orders through technical merits, arranged field trial testing, and captured plant-wide valve replacement opportunities reaching more than a million dollars in purchases in 2022 and 2023. Another example of relationship building came when COVID halted the aviation world, and the leading manufacturer of airline brakes halted their expansion plans. Dan continued to communicate with the customer and this year with a revitalized industry, expansion was possible. Dan’s technical knowledge and persistence opened an opportunity to sell Valin valve assemblies for their new furnace expansion. With additional expansion in the plans, Dan positioned Valin to see additional orders in the future.

Dan is motivated to do what it takes to keep all customers satisfied. He continually checks in and works with the Valin team to ensure on-time deliveries and stays intricately connected with customers. When Valin suppliers cannot meet the lead time, Dan is in the background coordinating with the Process Control team and supplier factories to expedite an order or find a solution. When shipping delays occur, Dan will pick up and deliver the necessary components personally and is known to transport material to customers on his own time.

What is different about Dan is that few technical sales representatives have experience and a background in customer service. Dan started as a Customer Service Representative and understands every day in-office procedures and keeps that in mind as he works with the Valin team to help meet customers’ needs. He continues to learn about the business and has become a true asset to the company.

Dan is a pleasure to work with, has an excellent personality, and is valued by the Valin team and customers alike. He is an everyday hero and receives high customer ratings for his knowledge and follow-through.