Before Kory Swenson could straddle a pedal bike he was nose to nose with a bunch of mooing beasts, herding them constantly to where they needed to be on his family's cattle ranch in South Dakota. Although Kory doesn't wrangle much any more with four-legged characters, he still believes in doing a couple of things well, no matter what your job is.
Honest. Loyal. Dependable. These are the attributes Kory tries to live by. When you do, Kory believes you're on the right path. In his job as Senior Field Service Technician at Louisville Switching, Kory has carried those attributes forward for the past ten years where he trouble-shoots service issues and attempts daily to serve the customer.
"We take care of our customer because without our customers, I don't have a job. Anybody can change oil and filters. It's the service you get here that makes us different," Kory says.
After spending 20 years in the Army and undergoing some harsh treatment, Kory is appreciative of the caring and friendly atmosphere at Louisville Switching.
"I love working for Don and Butch. They are fair, honest and upfront. I couldn't ask for better. Don is an excellent communicator and they treat us well," Kory says of his time at Louisville Switching.
Kory lives out his days on board trying to carry out that same principle with the customers he serves daily.
"It is really important to check, double check and re-check everything we do in order to put the customer first and do a good job, because the customer is our bread and butter," Kory believes. That desire to be a strong and capable leader is what Louisville Switching President Don Robinson appreciates most about Kory.
"Kory is like the Rock of Gibralter. He is always steady, always there for Louisville Switching and always there for our customers. We love working with Kory and so do our customers," Don says of his long-time employee.
He may jokingly tell you that all that honesty gets pushed aside in his free time when he gets together with a bunch of retired Army buddies to "tell lies" while camping and hanging out on his pontoon boat. The fact is, Kory enjoys an honest conversation and the crisp outdoor air activities of boating, camping and fishing. He also enjoys the company of his two daughters and grandsons who like to spend time hanging out on the boat or at his home where Kory calls himself the "chief bottle washer."
It's been a tough transition to chief after recent, sudden losses of his mom and his wife to cancer left him without two primary relationships that had a huge impact on his life.
But Kory keeps trudging on, seeking the positive in every situation, whether he's changing oil on a yard truck or stirring up fish on his pontoon boat.
"If you're alive, upright and working, then every day's a holiday," Kory believes wholeheartedly.
