Before he even stepped foot in high school, Duane Spader was learning the art of sales by selling campers for his dad on the family farm in Oldham, South Dakota. The business, along with its lessons, followed Duane through high school into college at South Dakota State University where he gained mentors and investors. Instead of completing his formal education, he moved his fledgling dealership from Brookings to Sioux Falls.
As Duane built his business in Sioux Falls, he worked steadily to create a franchise-like model for dealerships by developing a top-to-bottom management system. He wanted to be able to take “an average person off the street and make them an above-average manager.” Eventually, Duane, along with his bookkeeper, Noel Lais, developed the financial tools and equations that serve as the cornerstone of Total Management 1 to this day.