DSF: Tell us about yourself.
DS: I grew up in Downs, KS, which is a farm town in north central Kansas. I have been
married for 44 years to my wife, Bonnie, and we have four children, three daughters and a son. My three daughters are, Robin, who is a physical therapist, Jackie, who is a nurse practitioner, and Audrey, who is a graphic artist who lives and works in England. My son, Don, is a chef who has a French restaurant in downtown Minneapolis called Fugaise. We also have seven grandkids.
I also have an older brother who is a CPA in Simpsonville, SC, and a younger brother, who also went to K-State, who was a federal grain inspector in Corpus Christi, TX. My younger brother is actually a paraplegic because of an accident, but is a star athlete. He won bronze medals in the Seoul and Barcelona Paralympics in the wheelchair pentathlon.
DSF: Tell us about your time at Kansas State and what made you go to school there.
DS: Well, Kansas State wasn’t very far away from my hometown. Many of the city kids went to the University of Kansas, but most of the farm kids went to Kansas State.
I had a great experience at K-State. I played baseball for two years, but our team was so bad that I decided not to play my last two years. I also was very active in Army ROTC in college, and ended up serving 2 years active duty, and 20 years reserve duty, retiring as a full colonel. I was in artillery while on active duty, and switched to medical in the reserves. I was assigned to the Academy of Health Sciences at Fort Sam Houston for 2-3 weeks per year as an instructor.
DSF: Tell us about why you decided to join the Alpha Upsilon chapter of Delta Sigma Phi at K-State.
DS: Let me start out by saying that ROTC and Delta Sigma Phi helped me as much as the classes I took at Kansas State. We had 70 or so really good brothers living in the house at that time, and they all brought different personalities and ideas to the table for the chapter.
Recently at Homecoming, we had about 12 brothers from my time at the event and it was great to see everyone again. Delta Sigma Phi made a tremendous impact on me.
DSF: Tell us more about your career, and what you’ve done throughout your professional life.
DS: My company, The Saunders Group, started in 1985, and back then was called Educational Opportunities because it was mostly educational pieces for physical therapists and patients. It started essentially as a hobby, and has grown into a great business which employs about 35 people in a 42,000 sq. ft. warehouse and office building in the Minneapolis area.
The company has expanded from being just educational pieces, to now developing and marketing unique healthcare and educational products for physical therapists. The thing about us is that we are not just another product company. Much of what we sell are proprietary things that we have developed, and that were our ideas.
Since the company began, I have received 15 patents for physical therapy products and devices. The first of these patents was for a cervical traction device that is the #1 seller for our company. It really changes the way doctors and therapists do traction. In addition, a couple of the 15 that I have are patents for products that our company will never bring to market, but by having them, it takes them away from our competitors, and we can then own more market share.
Another one of our patents is for a shoulder sling that you might see players wearing in basketball or football after sustaining a separated shoulder. It was originally developed by the trainer at the University of Nebraska, who was a friend of mine, and we decided to patent it.
DSF: Why did you decide to go into Physical Therapy in the first place?
DS: Well, I was a physical education major at K-State, and was a fair athlete. However, I was not interested in teaching and coaching, and that’s really what most PE majors did. I thought physical therapy was interesting, and after graduating, I applied and went to the Mayo Clinic and received my degree in physical therapy. That is where I met my wife. After that, I stayed in physical therapy, and have been able to build a successful business and life from it.
DSF: Talk a little about your dedication to your alma mater, and what you’ve done to stay involved and support the university since you graduated.
DS: Well, I have tried to support the things at K-State that I was involved in while there. I have supported the athletic training and sports medicine programs, and the Sports Medicine Center at K-State is actually called the H. Duane and Bonnie Saunders Sports Medicine Center. This is located in the football complex. In addition, as I said, I have a large place in my heart for the ROTC program, which is very competitive by the way. They recruit just like the athletic teams do.
Anyway, I have established the Col. H. Duane Saunders Excellence Fund that they utilize to fund their extracurricular activities, including traveling to their events. In addition, I purchased and donated an old Army jeep for the ROTC on campus so they can have something to show off to new recruits, and to utilize in the parades and other activities that they are involved in.
I also serve on the Kansas State University Foundation’s Board of Trustees, and was awarded the 2006 College of Arts & Sciences Alumni Fellow designation. This designation is given to one alumnus per year per college, and is based on what you’ve done to support the students at the school. I have done seminars for the pre-physical therapy students, talked on many occasions to the ROTC cadets, and help to give them what they need to be successful.
DSF: What in your success can you attribute back to your time as an undergraduate in Delta Sigma Phi?
DS: The way the business meetings were run, with strict parliamentary procedure, really helped because whenever I have been in charge of something, I have run meetings like we did back at the Delta Sig house.
Also, our house mother was a real stickler about table manners and etiquette, and by learning that in Delta Sigma Phi, I am able to now know how to act in those types of situations.
DSF: What do you like to do in your spare time?
DS: I really enjoy traveling, some of which has been on business, but some has also been for pleasure. I have traveled to places like Dubai, Kenya and Kuwait giving seminars and going to meetings to sell our products. For non-work travel, we have been to places like Cambodia, Thailand, Ireland, Vietnam, Laos, and with my daughter living in England, we have made several trips there as well.
DSF: What is the best piece of advice that you’ve ever been given that you’d like to share with other brothers?
DS: There are a few pieces of advice that come to mind. Work hard and you will be successful. Utilize common sense to be successful. Have guts enough to say what you think, because if you don’t, your ideas won’t ever be heard. And lastly, keep
things simple.
Duane Saunders resides in Eden Prairie, MN with his wife, Bonnie. He plans to retire from his business soon, which his daughter will then run.
back to deltasig.org