Duane Anderson

Senior Business Development Manager

When Duane Anderson interviewed to join Gateway in 2011, senior management had some pointed questions for him, and he had a few of his own. He had competed hard against Gateway for over a decade, developing tactics on behalf of the company’s competitors to sell against them. Ultimately however, he had a great deal of respect for the way Gateway conducts business, and in its turn Gateway saw the value in adding a talented sales development veteran with a unique perspective on the company to the team.

With a background as a power engineer, Duane understood early on that his passion is in sales. He progressed from running a downtown high rise in Edmonton to working in outside sales, helping his previous employer grow from $900,000 in sales to more than $10 million annually over the course of his tenure. With Gateway, he now occupies the Vancouver-based post of Senior Business Development Manager, travelling throughout the province to prospect new customers. Although he describes the nature of his current work as that of a hunter-gatherer, he has spent time creating and leading teams.

“I’ve always been taken by the inukshuk as a powerful symbol of the value of teamwork,” Duane says. “In an inukshuk each rock is independent, but each rock is also interdependent on those around it in order to maintain its form. In my previous career I would give out inukshuk-shaped awards to recognize examples of great teamwork, and to this day I keep one on my desk. Gateway has hired people whom I’ve worked with before, and when they see the inukshuk there’s always a moment of recognition, like ‘oh, teamwork, it’s here too.’”

Although Duane has successfully negotiated a number of key contracts for Gateway (including the single largest of his career) and is at the centre of an expanding client network in British Columbia, he’s even more proud of the success of those he has mentored as they grow in their sales success.

“This is a very forward-thinking company, always trying to innovate its technologies and processes. I’ve loved the work of creating ecosystems of hunters, farmers and keepers, coaching people and ensuring everyone work towards a common goal. Now I get to focus on clients, finding out their goals and working out how we can achieve them together. The goal isn’t just to give them a wide variety of options and provide the best price, although that’s something we do, but to help them do what they want to do. Unlike a lot of service providers, we’re committed to being their partner on any project we take on.”

To Duane, the key to success in the industry is simple: “People. Value. Loyalty. Help people achieve their goals, demonstrate and provide value, creating loyalty. It always starts with people, because With Gateway, It’s personal.”