Kyle Helps Businesses Get Started with Paladin

When a store decides to take the plunge and join the Paladin family, there’s a good chance Kyle Stroh was one of the first voices they heard on the phone. Kyle is a business development representative (BDR) for Paladin, a relatively small group that reaches out to retailers who might be considering their first point-of-sale system or upgrading their retail technology.

“We’re the first point of contact for a lot of hardware stores and lumberyards considering Paladin. We try to make sure the store owners know what Paladin can do for them. How it can save them time and smooth out their processes,” Kyle explains.

The BDRs are the foot soldiers of Paladin, and they are responsible for Paladin’s strong growth. Kyle talks to store owners across the country to find out how their stores are operating to see if Paladin can help them work more efficiently. The research he does gives him a thorough understanding of how things are going in the industry.

“I know they probably get thousands of calls a month. I just ask about how their retail processes are going with what technology they have now, and we try to see if we can improve it,” he explains. “One of the most interesting parts about it is finding out how people are doing in different parts of the country.”

Despite worries about inflation and tumultuous political times, Kyle says most retailers he talks to are optimistic about their businesses and the future.

“People are just more excited for the future. I don’t know if it’s just the seasons changing, we’re coming into their busy times, but overall it’s really positive around the stores right now,” he says.

Kyle, here playing for Wabash College in Indiana, was an all-state safety at Williams Field High School in Gilbert, Arizona.

Kyle works in Paladin’s Mesa, Arizona office not far from his hometown of Gilbert where he crossed paths in a few Thanksgiving Day pickup football games with San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy. Purdy was in his first two years at Iowa State. Kyle earned all-state honors as a safety at Williams Field High School and played at Wabash College in Indiana.

“Said it then – (Brock) was freshman/sophomore at Iowa State – this kid is a miniature version of Peyton Manning. Same mannerisms, same intensity, same drive to be great. Love to see what he’s turned into at the NFL level. I can’t say I knew he’d be this good, this fast, but it doesn’t surprise me at all,” Kyle says.

At Wabash, Kyle studied religion, business and art, earning Dean’s List honors. After college, Kyle worked for his dad’s trucking company, was a tech lead for a nonprofit company, and did a few different sales jobs before finding Paladin.

Kyle lives in Gilbert with his mom, dad and three furry kids: Wrigley, a Wheaten terrier named after Wrigley Field; Jax, a Bernese Mountain Dog-poodle mix; and Cooper, a sheepdog-poodle mix. “I love dogs, to say the least.”

He says working at Paladin is a lot different than other sales positions he’s held.

“I’m enjoying it a lot. It’s nice having a good group of guys who have healthy competition and get along well. We work together really well,” he says.

“Kyle is smart and hard-working and always looking to get ahead. He’s a good company man,” says Paladin Sales Manager Brian Daddario.