July 27, 2021

This week’s Up-and-Comer is Daniele Heyn, a benefits consultant with Aflac.

Name: Daniele Heyn

Age: 36

Hometown: Watertown

What keeps you in Sioux Falls?

I love Sioux Falls; it is home! Hands down, the people, you can’t find people with this level of kindness and heart anywhere else. Sioux Falls has the feel of a big city with small-town love.

Job title: Lol. Which one?  I love helping others and staying busy! My current full-time job is a benefits consultant with Aflac. What many people know is the ‘duck,’ but what they don’t know is how valuable our coverage is. I am also a nurse practitioner and have been with Sanford for 15 years. I currently work PRN at Acute Care. In my spare time, I teach barre cardio and sell Beautycounter.

What’s your favorite thing about your job?

My favorite thing about my career with Aflac is being there for my policyholders when they need Aflac the most. I have gained so many new relationships with Aflac. I love the fact Aflac is focused on personal development as well as professional. One of the things I am looking forward to most is a trip to Atlanta to learn about how Aflac became the company it is today and to tour Aflac’s Children’s Cancer Center, which is supported by Aflac’s agents!

How did you get connected to your industry?

I became connected with Aflac through my family. My aunt works as a market trainer in Watertown, and my dad is a district manager. The main reason I joined Aflac is because I saw firsthand how Aflac impacts families.

My grandma was diagnosed with a stage 4 glioblastoma brain tumor in 2010. At that time, she was told that she would have three months to live, but she was a fighter, and to everyone’s surprise, she lived another 10 years! Luckily, my grandparents had an Aflac cancer policy, so she could focus on the fight and not just about the financial aspect of cancer.

Describe Aflac in three words.

Family-focused. Valuable. Dependable.

What is something someone might be surprised to learn about you?

I used to be a pediatric flight nurse. I love kids, and helping kids get better will always be some of the most memorable years of my life. My heart will always be a peds nurse.

What’s your favorite way to give back to your community?

I love being involved in the community, whether that’s with the chamber events, clothing drives, wrapping presents for the Children’s Home Society or serving at The Banquet. I’ll be that smiling face hoping to brighten your day.

What’s one business you’d like to see in Sioux Falls that isn’t here now?

 Snooze! If you have been to one, you know how delicious everything is!

Where do you see yourself in five years?

I am getting married this October, so in five years, we hope to have some kiddos running around. My fiance and I also just adopted a bernadoodle, Topanga, to add to our goldendoodle, Pax, and German shepherd, Grizz! We will need a little bit more room in the house for our family.

Professionally, I plan to grow protecting families with Aflac. With the changes in the world, our coverage is needed now more than ever. I want to continue to be present in our community and be a role model for younger generations. We are very fortunate to live in Sioux Falls, but it takes the work of many to keep it as wonderful as it is!