Using MAIA's strengths to Transform

July was an amazing month for me this year. Not only was I installed as President of the Missouri Association of Insurance Agents, I also took an incredible trip to Cape Town, South Africa. Whether it was seeing Table Mountain (one of the seven wonders of nature), standing at the Cape of Good Hope, or being in the bush having coffee with lions and rhinos, it was truly an amazing experience. We were also fortunate enough to meet Christo Brand, who was a guard on Robben Island and became very good friends with one of the inmates. That inmate was Nelson Mandela, and when asked what he remembered most about Mr. Mandela, without hesitation he said his humbleness, his kindness, and his respect for all others.

That is how I feel now. I am truly humbled and honored to serve as MAIA president. I have always had a strong belief in serving and to serve something larger than myself that provides a positive impact. The Missouri Association of Insurance Agents is that for me. Thank you for allowing me to serve you.

The very first experiences I had with MAIA were that of kindness from the association. Whether that was participating in the Elite Force Sales Training or attending continuing education classes, I felt like any questions or assistance I needed, the association would drop everything just to help me. That’s when I knew I was collaborating with extraordinary people. Everyone at the association has a passion for their work; more importantly, they have a passion to serve their members, and I have experienced that.

I have grown to have an immense respect for all the individuals I’ve encountered over my years of experience with the association and the industry. Whether it was past or present MAIA members or board members, I experienced nothing less than their commitment and professionalism to help each other succeed.

Then there is Mr. Larry Case. When I think of Larry Case, one word comes to mind: significance. What significance means to me is "changing the lives of others." It’s even better when you love what you are doing. Larry had a positive impact on our careers, our agencies, and our industry for 30 years. It was a pleasure watching him lead, and with all my respect I want to say, "Thank you!"

Mr. Matt Barton, our new CEO, has some big shoes to fill, but is very capable. We are counting on him to help us write our next chapter. I look forward to collaborating with Mr. Barton.

As some of you may know, I grew up in a military family. That is not quite the legacy of this industry, but the core value is the same. One lesson that was instilled in me was no matter where I lived, "You make the place better." That’s how I see our association. We are making our industry better by protecting agents’ rights, providing educational opportunities, and addressing legislative concerns.

Those items are just a few of our top strengths, but we have opportunities to address as well. We have an opportunity and need to engage younger and more diverse prospective agents into the industry and our association through technology and social media. We have an opportunity to connect at the university and high school levels to discuss our industry. We have an opportunity to invite new talent to our association to explain more about who MAIA is. Simply put, we will adapt to industry changes and challenges. This will help us narrow the gap between our current workforce and the need for new talent to continue the independent agency system.

Finally, I cannot stress enough the impact of our PAC contributions and our conversations with our elected officials regarding issues that are important to each and every one of us. One way of thanking them is making a contribution to their campaign committee or make a contribution to InsurPac so they can make the contribution to their campaign committee. So my ask is if you haven’t contributed please consider helping us move our industry in the right direction. If you have, please consider giving more.

We need to continue raising each other up. At the end of the day it’s up to all of us to make our industry better. I’m counting on you to help me.