Pub. 5 2016 Issue 4

June 2016 23 l e a d i n g a d v o c a t e f o r t h e b a n k i n g i n d u s t r y i n k a n s a s A NTONIO SOAVE GREWUP INMICHIGAN and earned his undergraduate degree in International Studies at the American University in Washington, DC. He spent two years at the American University in Rome and graduated from the University of San Diego School of Law. He met his wife, Ann, a native of Ft. Scott, KS, through Catholic outreach and they have four children, Francesco, Maria Bernadette, Gianpaolo and Anna Maria Faustina. Soon after graduating from college, Soave had the opportunity to serve as an intern in the Reagan White House in the Office of Public Liaison’s Department of Foreign Policy and Defense. Soave is not shy when explaining the impact the Reagan years had on him and the significance of moral integrity driven leadership to maintain standards. He believes that Reagan empowered his cabinet to operate in a team environment where it was important to do the right thing and they lived in the belief that there is an inherent dignity that comes with all people. As Soave was arriving in DC for his internship, Oliver North had just been indicted along with people in other key positions. This void created an opportunity to use his Spanish and international experiences to assist and interact with an interagency working group to bring stakeholders together and work toward a solution in a time of tremendous change around the world related to Communist oppression. After serving on the Bush-Quail Campaign, Soave left politics and started an export management company called Capistrano Global Advisory Services in 1989, which was oriented around assisting companies to export more efficiently. Being back in Michigan it was natural to look to helping tier 1 and tier 2 auto systems suppliers. He also served as an adjunct professor of international economics and finance at the Walsh College of Business in Troy, Michigan. Soave’s work with the Catholic Church brought him to a relationship with Benedictine College’s School of Business where he served as an executive director and advised them with international connections. As he became more involved with Benedictine he moved his business to Kansas where it is thriving. Soave believes that Kansas is a desirable location for businesses to relocate headquarters as well as regional centers because of logistical convenience, right to work state platform, a favorable tax structure as well as quality of life benefits. The 3.9% unemployment rate that Kansas is currently experiencing is drawing people here to find quality employment. A central draw for Soave is the quality of the people. It isn’t a transient workforce but rather one that boasts loyalty and low turnover that leads to greater efficiencies. His experience with Kansans is that they are humble, effective people. In the role as the leader of the state’s primary economic development agency, Soave is focusing on using his experience to assist Kansas companies export to more markets, bring regional and headquarter operations to the state as well as. He wants to help achieve prosperity for companies and the people who work in them. SPOTLIGHT ON KANSAS SECRETARY OF COMMERCE ANTONIO J. SOAVE A central draw for Soave is the quality of the people. It isn’t a transient workforce but rather one that boasts loyalty and low turnover that leads to greater efficiencies. His experience with Kansans is that they are humble, effective people.