When Susayn was just 10 years old, she remembers her father, Charlie Peer, being laid off from his job as an engineer. With a wife and three children, the youngest just weeks old, Charlie needed work. “My mom told my dad, ‘You need to get a job or start a business,’ because my dad had talked about starting a business for years,” says Susayn.
At the time, Charlie knew his former employer needed an air mixing valve. “Because they had so many people not bid on it, they were going to give him a chance,” recalls Susayn. In that meeting, Charlie produced a prototype from his briefcase, and with that, his first company was born — Aerospace Systems and Components (ASC).
“A drafting table in the basement of our apartment is something I remember as a kid growing up,” Susayn says. “But they quickly outgrew the basement.”
Shortly after ASC’s founding, the aviation industry took a downturn, so Charlie pivoted. He and his employees began developing prototypes for an evaporative air conditioning unit for the cabs of combines and large tractors. After showing the prototype at a regional farm show, they had numerous orders and needed capital to fulfill them.
“My dad couldn't get anybody to talk to him, and who can blame them?” says Susayn. “He went to every bank in the city, and the only one that would talk to him was INTRUST.”
Just months after introductions, Charlie had an SBA loan from INTRUST Bank, which helped him create ASC's sister company, Great Plains Industries. “I think for my dad, knowing that INTRUST was willing to take a chance on him gave him a little boost to his ego – knowing that somebody believed in him,” Susayn says. “I know that was huge.”
At a young age, Susayn and her siblings were involved in the business. “My dad thought the greatest gift he could give us kids was experience, and so, from a very young age, we all came to work.” Years later, Susayn and her brother, Marque, officially joined the Great Plains team. “My dad was tickled that we would be part of the business,” says Susayn.
Today, both businesses operate as subsidiaries under Great Plains Ventures (GPV)—a holding company with three manufacturing subsidiaries in addition to commercial real estate development, guided by Marque. Over the years, that development has expanded to include warehouse buildings, residential apartments, a strip center, a restaurant, and a hotel. And Susayn attributes much of this growth to that single loan years ago. “We wouldn't exist if it hadn't been for that loan. I sincerely believe that,” Susayn says.
“If somebody asked me about INTRUST, I think I would tell them about our long history, about the ability to work with somebody local, because, to me, that is something that's really important.”
Recently, her son, Josh, joined the Great Plains team as president. “All of our entities have experienced extraordinary growth,” he says, “and INTRUST Bank has been with Great Plains Ventures every step of the way.
“For a number of years, our banker would attend all of our shareholder meetings. And anytime we had a commercial real estate project that we were working on, they were involved in the process, helping us figure out what best financial tool fit that situation.”
“They are people who are here in our community that know and care about our community and care about the businesses that they are serving,” says Susayn. “And they’re just wonderful to work with.”
“My hope for the business is that we continue to see incredible growth,” says Josh. “It's amazing to be a part of. In many ways, I get to benefit from the work that my grandfather and mother put in to develop a really sound group of businesses.”
“Our hope for the future,” continues Josh, “is to continue to build upon the successes that we’ve experienced over the years, and I’m really looking forward to the opportunity to improve upon them and take them to the next level.”
It’s been nearly 60 years since Charlie set out on his own, and Susayn gets nostalgic when she thinks back to where the company started and where it is today. “My dad loved being in business, and that's really what he was. He was an entrepreneur,” says Susayn. “If my dad saw us today, he would be over the moon. He would be so excited.”