As director of operations for Arvest Bank’s equipment finance division, Sarah Uballez oversees key strategic areas, including technology, documentation and funding, customer service and training. Her leadership ensures the seamless integration of these critical functions, driving operational efficiency and enhancing the overall customer experience.
Uballez’s diverse background in equipment finance clearly demonstrates her adaptability and breadth of knowledge within the industry. Starting in collections in 2006, Uballez has learned valuable insights into client needs and operational challenges, which she now leverages in her role as director of operations. Her progression through various roles, including sales across the Midwest territory, and as a Salesforce administrator, indicates a strong understanding of both the customer-facing and internal aspects of the business. She has worn many hats throughout her career, and she has been highly respected, driven and successful in each of her roles.
“I grew up around my grandfather’s trucking business and truly enjoy the industry,” Uballez says. “Equipment finance isn’t an industry you plan to be in, but one you fall into and end up loving. It’s made up of hard-working people trying to make a good living for their families.”
Uballez has a passion for aligning diverse groups of people to accomplish a common goal. She is always eager to take on new challenges. By bridging gaps between people and processes, Uballez helps to ensure that teams work efficiently while remaining motivated. She feels that this will also be a necessary trait for leaders to have, even as automation takes a greater hold on organizations. “AI can’t replace collaboration or creative thinking,” Uballez says.
Her personal mission is to foster a culture of trust, transparency and honesty that empowers teams to thrive. She works to create an environment in which open communication is valued and every team member feels heard, respected and accountable. She aims to lead with integrity, encouraging collaboration, innovation and continuous growth, ensuring that each individual’s strengths contribute to the success of the whole team.
Uballez is known through her organization for being an approachable leader who truly listens to and effectively communicates with her team. She is fiercely authentic and helps brings others’ ideas to the table, seeking out how these ideas can be implemented. She is also constantly coming up with her own ideas, keeping a close eye on process improvement.
“Sarah has been a great addition to the AEF team,” Eric Bunnell, president of Arvest Equipment Finance, says. “She brings a holistic approach in helping us grow our division and improving efficiencies. She implemented dashboards in Salesforce that allows our team to monitor and track workflows to make sure we are meeting customers’ expectations.”
In 2023, Uballez earned Arvest’s Operations Associate of the Year award, having helped refine the company’s technology while utilizing industry acumen to enhance the equipment finance division as a whole. She helped create several new dashboards within the Salesforce origination system. She also identified the need to cross-train the documentation team and implemented a plan to complete this initiative.
Beyond her professional accomplishments and commitments, Uballez is also involved in developing youth in her community by partnering with the Ignite Global Business Program through Bentonville Public Schools and coordinating race weekends for her local National Interscholastic Cycling Association team.
Uballez is a testament to the fact that, with passion, dedication and the right mindset, one can achieve their goals and make a positive impact on their field and community. •
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