Improving the lives of others with technology

Black pizzas, a visually impaired customer, and a return to a love of the land. That pretty much sums up Jeremy Sargent - Gallagher’s new Territory Manager for the South Waikato/King Country area. 

Jeremy is old school when it comes to looking after customers, but new school in his approach to using technology to make their lives better. As one visually impaired man discovered.

Before joining Gallagher, Jeremy was part of the Spark sales team. For 22 years, he helped thousands of customers, but one encounter brought out the best in him. 

“I took a call from an older gentleman who loved his music. He had CD racks that formed a city of towers in his lounge. Sadly, his eyesight had deteriorated to the point where he was blind and struggling to play his music. It was a huge loss for the man, but I knew I could help him.

“At that time, Spark had a mobile plan that included a free Spotify account. I put the gentleman on that plan. Then I visited him to look over his entire music collection. I worked through his CDs until every album was downloaded to his Spotify playlist, then we figured a way he could vocally call up and play his songs. It was the perfect example of technology making someone’s life better.”

Same approach, different world
Improving lives with technology is still Jeremy’s passion, but now he’s helping farmers. In many ways, his territory manager role with Gallagher is a return to the land for Jeremy, having worked on a dairy farm as a young man. It was a life that ticked a number of boxes.

“I’ve always loved animals and being outdoors. After finishing school, I moved from Auckland to Hamilton to enrol in an a 16-week farm course, then got myself on to a dairy farm in the Waikato. Things were more traditional back then, but I remember being captivated by the science of farming, that technology could be used to calculate the exact number of days a herd could spend in a paddock before grazing it off. 

“I realised then that good technology is not about flashy bells and whistles. It’s about making life easier and doing more with what you’ve got. That idea has never left me.”

It was this appreciation for helpful technology that led Jeremy to Gallagher. As is often the way, his entry to the job came through a side door. Jeremy explains.

“Running has always been my go-to sport and I happened to be good friends with the guy who heads the Gallagher running team. He often spoke about how innovative Gallagher is and how much he enjoyed the company’s culture. It was easy to admire what they stood for. So when the role of Territory Manager came up, it was the perfect way to get back into agriculture and help people through technology.”

Throughout his time away from the ag sector, Jeremy kept an eye on the farming world. He saw traditional farmers dipping their toes in the high-tech waters and watched them become more comfortable with digital equipment. 

“When it comes to farm life, I don’t blame farmers for being hesitant with new technologies. They’ve done things a certain way for decades and don’t see the point of changing. There’s a HOW WILL THIS HELP ME? Gap. My job is to close that gap by helping farmers see the gains they can make with the latest solutions. It’s about making life easier for farmers. I really do think Gallagher can help.”

Black shiny pizzas
Not everything about Jeremy Sargent is new tech. There’s a fair bit of old school in him, especially when it comes to music. While most play songs through their phones via Spotify, Jeremy reaches for the vinyl.

“There’s something about a library of LP sleeves on a shelf. You have to physically reach in and take hold of your music. Then there’s that moment when you lay the black pizza down on the turntable, and the needle lowers into the rotating groove. The crackling sound before the music kicks in is magic. You never get that pleasure from digitised songs. 

“I may work at the cutting edge of technology, but at home, my happy place is a room full of vinyl nostalgia.”