We are kicking off the summer with a special spotlight of our CEO & Founder, Duane Lankard.
Duane founded the company in August of 1996 and has worked at the company a total of 17 years out of its 23-year history. He plays an important role at Suntell as CEO but states, “In our size of company, I have the opportunity to be involved in all areas. I spend most of my time involved in leading sales and marketing, wearing the CFO hat, corporate and product strategic planning and building and maintaining strategic partnerships and alliances. I am fortunate to be surrounded by other long-time key executives and employees so that I can focus on these areas and not worry too much about the rest!”
When asked what he has learned since forming Suntell, Duane answered, “I always thought by now, after 23 years, I would know it all, but the technology and market is evolving very fast and it’s a challenge to keep up! In the last year, I have been focused on learning more about digital marketing strategies and how we can be more effective in getting the word out about our company and the Square 1 Credit Suite.” He would use every area of the software but with the current Covid-19 pandemic and the increasing risk in the commercial and agricultural loan portfolios, he would be very focused on the Collections and Workout areas to manage and get ahead of any future problem loans to minimize loan losses. The PPP loan application and forgiveness has been all time consuming, so efficiency in getting work done and keeping up would be his top priority.
Duane has resided in Lenexa, KS for the last 20 years, a suburb in the Kansas City metro area. He would like to learn how to read music and play a guitar and enjoys the small-town environment with quick access to bigger city entertainment and food options. Duane pursues unquestionable integrity, strives to always be reliable, and uses common sense in all decisions and choices that he makes.
