It was June 1982, and a gorgeous day in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. My dad was in insurance classes and seminars all day, so my mom was looking for creative ways to entertain my brothers and me. I was 15 years old. Actually, I was 15 years, 9 months old. The nine months is key, because it meant I had my driver's license learner's permit! Since June is not the prime tourist season in Steamboat Springs, my mom took us to the back of the resort where there was a huge empty parking lot. I almost screamed when she said, "OK, it's your turn to take the wheel."
She sat my brother Dave in the front seat with me, and she and my brother Mike took the back seat. Things went smoothly for a while. I was slowly making circles around the parking lot, making us a bit dizzy. Mom eventually said, "Why don't you see if you can stop? Gently push on the brake."
Well, what gently meant to me was obviously different from what it meant to my mom. As I applied the brake, my brother Dave went flying into the windshield. (Seat belts weren't as widely used then. He has since recovered very well.) Needless to say, I didn't drive anymore that day.
Back to my dad. What I didn't know was that while I was out doing loops in a parking lot, he was attending the Colorado Young Agents Conference. I was a guest at the conference and didn't even realize it.
Oh, how times have changed! Today I am the chairperson of the IIAA National Young Agents Committee.
As the IIAA Young Agents Committee prepares to host its 25th annual National Leadership Conference this October in Orlando, it seems appropriate that this article shines a spotlight on several former Young Agents Committee chairpersons.
I asked three former chairpersons to comment on how being involved in the Young Agents Committee benefited them in their career and their associations and to share some of their memories. Here are their thoughts:
Jeanne Heisler, The Ronan Agency, Inc., Brick, New Jersey, IIAA Young Agents Chairperson, 1984-1985
"I became involved with IIAA when I responded to an ad in our state association newsletter inviting young agents to get involved. I was 23 years old and had been working for a few years as an agency commercial lines producer. I had my CPCU designation and had just started working on the CLU designation in addition to attending CIC seminars. It was my first involvement in the association side of the industry and I was hooked from day one.
"I had been wondering whether I really liked the insurance business, working in a small agency with basically no involvement with people my age. The Young Agents Committee provided me with an opportunity to meet many other individuals throughout the state and learn what was going on in our industry.
"Within two years, I was chairperson of the New Jersey Young Agent Committee and moved onto the national committee. My activities at the national YAC gave me the confidence to get involved with our local and then the state board. (I was New Jersey president in 1992.) I also worked on a number of other national committees--seven in all, serving as chairperson of four.
"I recommend that everyone entering the insurance industry should get involved with IIAA. I always advise member agencies that they should encourage all their staff to participate in association meetings, conferences and other activities. The networking opportunities are endless; the information exchanged is valuable in operating your agency, not to mention the friendships that last a lifetime. I remain friends with many of the state and national young agents whom I met so many years ago.
"My fondest recollection from my young agent experiences is Raymond Burr's involvement with young agents. He was the IIAA spokesperson at the time, and I invited him to speak at a Young Agents Conference. He stayed the entire conference and thoroughly enjoyed himself. He then came to several other YAC conferences. He began visiting young agents around the country, and he always invited those of us who had been involved to meet with him when he came to the IIAA annual conventions. He exchanged holiday cards with many of us as well. He did this throughout his time as IIAA spokesperson."
Jim Armitage, Arroyo Insurance Services, Inc., South Pasadena, California, IIAA Young Agents Chairperson 1991-1993
"My involvement in Young Agents has been an invaluable experience and has helped me better service my clients. Many of our customers have branches in other states. Having a network of young agent contacts throughout the country has helped me place business and find out what is happening in a particular state. Many times I have referred clients who are moving out of state to young agents I know in other parts of the country. My clients appreciate this professionalism.
"Young Agent involvement got me started in the state and national associations as well. I began participating on a local Young Agents Committee and started going to state conferences. I was then asked to be on the state committee, became committee chairperson and then served on the state association board. I served on the board and went through the chairs to become the association president.
"During this time, I was asked to serve on the national Young Agent Committee and was honored to be named chairperson for two years. This involvement got me interested in going to the National Legislative Conference and the IIAA annual conventions. I haven't missed a National Legislative Conference in 10 years. I am currently IBA West's state national director to IIAA and also serve on the National InVEST Board.
"Young Agents is an incubator for future association leaders. It is a way of bringing new people into the industry and our association."
Lynn Mathis, Williams, Turner & Mathis, Inc., Atlanta, Georgia, IIAA Young Agents Chairperson, 1993-1995
"The success of our agency is due to the active involvement my brother and I had with the Georgia Young Agents. My father, who died at the early age of 47, started the agency. Upon graduation from college, I joined my brother who already was working full-time in the agency. My brother was 25 years old and I was 21 years old and following the death of our father, we were running an agency that had been in business for seven years!
"My father had instilled in my brother and me the importance of active involvement in association activities, especially the Young Agents. We were able to attend conferences, hear wonderful consultants and network with other agents. What we were able to get from the Young Agents meetings gave us the skills that helped us succeed. Twenty years later we are going strong. We have 17 employees and we are still active in association activities.
"I wanted to become involved in some leadership capacity with the Young Agents so I could pay back the organization that had done so much for me. Both my brother and I served as Georgia YAC chairpersons.
"My involvement with YAC on a national level also came from a sense of duty. The national YAC meeting needed to be a training forum for state YAC leaders. Our committee worked hard on refocusing the attention of the annual meeting. I felt strongly that the national YAC needed to focus on helping each state become stronger. Most young agents do not have the resources to attend a national meeting, but within their own state they may be encouraged to become active.
"I'm currently serving as president of the Georgia association. I'm sure I was selected as a candidate for a Georgia leadership post because of my involvement with Young Agents both on the state and on a national level. I serve Georgia as a state leader because I think the value of our association is essential to the success of many agencies. My dad was right: You should be active in association activities to better yourself and your agency."
The current IIAA Young Agents Committee will host a YAC member reunion October 28, 2000, during the National Young Agents Leadership Conference in Orlando, Florida, October 28-30. If you were a YAC member during your early years with the association or are currently serving as a Young Agent leader, we'd love to share your memories at this reunion. And don't forget about the IIAA Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C., May 1-3, where a special YA luncheon and tour are scheduled for May 1. This is a great opportunity for YA's to have their voices heard in Washington, Young Agent style!
For more information about the YAC reunion, the Leadership Conference or the Young Agents events at the IIAA Legislative Conference, please contact Leslie Mularski, IIAA Young Agents Coordinator, via e-mail at lmularski@iiaa.org or by phone at (703) 706-5459. *
The author
Pam Adams, CIC, is chairperson of the National Young Agents Committee. She is a senior vice president and personal lines team leader for ISU Insurance Services of Colorado, Inc. Her responsibilities include designing and servicing insurance programs for a wide variety of businesses including restaurants, apartments, and mortgage brokers and bankers. She also is one of the agency's representatives who attend regional franchise meetings for ISU International.
Jeanne Heisler
The Ronan Agency, Inc.
Brick, New Jersey
IIAA Young Agents Chairperson, 1984-1985
Jim Armitage
Arroyo Insurance
Services, Inc.
South Pasadena, California
IIAA Young Agents Chairperson 1991-1993
Lynn Mathis
Williams, Turner
& Mathis, Inc.
Atlanta, Georgia
IIAA Young Agents Chairperson, 1993-1995
©COPYRIGHT: The Rough Notes Magazine, 2000