DII November 2018 by Independent Insurance Agents of Dallas

DALLAS INSURANCE INSIDER

NOVEMBER 2018 ISSUE

2018 JMIC

Everything you might have missed if you didn't attend!

SPONSOR RECOGNITION

TOP SPONSOR RECOGNITION

EXHIBITOR RECOGNITION

UPCOMING EVENTS

VOLUNTEER & COMMITTEE RECOGNITON

IIAD AWARD WINNERS

KOAH'S STORY & MAKE-A-WISH

CONFERENCE ROOM FIASCO

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

“Hard work opens doors and shows the world that you are serious about being one of those rare - and special - human beings who use the fullness of their talents to do their very best.” -Robin S. Sharma. I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and have gotten ahead of the crowds on Christmas! Amid the Holiday season, I thought I would take this opportunity to hit on a couple of important highlights. Throughout the year, we are constantly brainstorming on how to improve as an association. The IIAD team along with the board have collectively had some very good conversations about serving our members effectively and providing a beneficial experience for all. One of our gifts to all our members this year is that we will continue to work to make the association as impeccable as we can in order to provide you all, as the core of the association, what you deserve!

IIAD'S 2018-2019 PRESIDENT

Something my parents instilled in me as I was growing up is to always be of the mindset that you will only get out of something what you are willing to put into it. I simplify this as a math equation. A numeric value multiplied by zero will always be zero. In other words, if you want something and do nothing to obtain it, you will ultimately have nothing to show. I asked everyone at the installation luncheon to get involved, and I will continue to do so throughout my presidency. The association relies heavily on your volunteer efforts. I can almost assure you of one thing, if or when you get involved and give something, you will find a return that is greater than you expected. We need you and the talents you were blessed with to help us as an association! I thank you in advance for your consideration. From my family to yours, I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and New year. Blessings to all!

IIAD'S EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

“November is the month that offers us a time to stop and give thanks for our veterans, and for the bounty we have been given. I know the month will be ending as this is published, but I’m grasping to it just to share one more expression of gratitude. The 31st Jim Millerman Insurance Convention was one for the books, and I am thankful for the army of volunteers that created and delivered this outstanding event. A listing of the committee and volunteers can be found in the magazine along with the fabulous sponsors and exhibitors. But I especially want to thank my right arms, Noemi Obenhaus and Courtney Erskine. These two ladies offered up their grit, creativity and determination to make the event successful. They devoted late nights and early mornings, all while under the added stress of the mess we had cooking in our board room from our claim leak. I can’t say enough about their efforts and offer this as my public expression of gratitude. I do hope everyone enjoyed the 31st Jim Millerman Insurance Convention several weeks ago. The Roaring 20’s was a fun era to revisit, and there were more costumes this year than in any year past. If you missed Bill Jackson’s “Sooner” red and white wingtips, you will need to look for pictures of them in magazine. A special “Thank you” to our three big sponsors: Texas Mutual, CRC Group & AIG. If you are looking for help this holiday, look no further than our talented Mr. John Spicer, IES Director. John has created a Holiday Special that you will want to get in on, and his talent pool is the best in North Texas. John has worked to elevate IES to an extremely valuable service for our members and people in the community. We are setting the stage for 2019: contracts have been signed with Gleneagles for our tournament on June 10th, and the Clay Shoot will be held September 10th at the Dallas Gun Club. The Jim Millerman Insurance Convention will be held November 7th at The Irving Convention Center. Before you slide into the holidays, make sure you check our listing of all the IIAD 2019 dates and add to your new calendars. Lastly, we need new eager beavers to help us plan and orchestrate our events. The committees are a fun way to get involved without obligating yourself to a huge time commitment. We need your help, ideas and creativity to keep the magic flowing, so please consider getting involved with IIAD now. Wishing you all a Blessed Christmas and holiday season!

“What’s the secret of success? Right decisions. How do you make right decisions? Experience. How do you get experience? Wrong decisions.” – John Wayne Hello IIAD members! As 2018 comes to a close, the Emerging Leaders have completed our rebranding and we are off and running! We have had a few amazing events so far! Starting with our amazing networking event in September that was sponsored by Southwest Risk! We had over 100 insurance professionals come out to support the Emerging Leaders and network with their peers. We look back on that event as a HUGE success for our group! Next, we have just completed our fundraising efforts with our Annual Wine Toss event held November 8th at the Jim Millerman Convention. This is a huge fundraiser for us every year and this year was no different. This year we changed our fundraising beneficiary to the IIAD Scholarship Fund to better partner with the IIAD. In total we were able to raise over $1300 for that cause! This was such an amazing result that will really make a difference in a student’s life! Looking forward to 2019, we have quite a few philanthropy events planned with City Square, who we have worked with in the past. We are planning to work in their thrift store as well as their food bank to help with our local community.

IIAD'S EMERGING LEADERS PRESIDENT

The Emerging Leaders group is extremely excited for 2019. We have grown significantly and hope to continue that trend! Please feel free to reach out to me directly if you or anyone you know would like to be involved in our group! Thank you very much for your support! Sincerely, Philip Lawson, CIC YA President Patterson & Associates Insurance

November 8th, 2018, IIAD hosted their Annual Jim MIllerman Insurance Convention. This year's theme was the "Roaring Twenties" and it was a Roaring good time. With 4 speakers and a trade show with 90 hand selected booths, there was something for every attendee to enjoy. As an extra surprise, we had a networking social at the end of the day where the band In10City played, after all, "a little party never killed nobody".

IIAD PRESENT THE "ROARING TWENTIES"

November 8th,, 2018

To our Sponsors

This event would not have been a success without the generous support you all have provided us! We deeply appreciate the willingness with which you have and continue to sponsor our efforts to make each year better than the next. We sincerely can't thank you enough!

Free CE for members!

TO OUR TOP SPONSORS 15

You’re deep in the heart of Texas Mutual.

In Texas, we have a deep appreciation for our stars—and not just the ones in the sky. Texas Mutual agents are shining examples of what makes our business and our company special. It’s the reason we’re so committed to the independent agency system and why we’re grateful to have you out there guiding us into the future.

(800) 859 -5995 H www.texasmutual.com (l to r) Lisa Evans, VP Strategic Alliances; Steve Math, SVP Underwriting; Curtis Johnson, Jr., VP Claim Operations;

Kim Haugaard, SVP Policyholder Services; Jeff Lentz, VP Underwriting; Rich Gergasko, President/CEO; Jeanette Ward, COO; Eric Bourquin, VP Safety Services; Mike Barron, CFO and SVP of Financial Services; Bill Jackson, VP Dallas Region; Peppia Gates, VP Houston Region; Jim Kohloff, VP Austin Region © 2018 Texas Mutual Insurance Company

Sam Richter- Keynote Speaker

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BY JAY A. HUMINSKY, RHU, REBC

We are in the business of insuring risk(s). Your clients realize the value of their assets and ask you to provide an insurance policy that will protect the asset in the event of a loss. The best thing you can do for your client, personal or commercial lines, is to identify all the risks your client has and help them protect their assets and financial future. I added the caveat “Financial Future” because replacing an unprotected loss could be devastating to the average family. If you’r e a Commercial Lines agent I’d like you to think about something. Your clients are your livelihood, and protecting them is your main goal. If you represent a company with partners, the existence of that company depends on those partners. Do you think a business continuation policy would be as important to you as it is to them? The first business continuation and succession case I put together was for a friend of mine 25 years ago. He was in business with his younger brother, who had no appreciation for insurance or insurance agents. I watched their company and their families grow over a ten year period of time. My friend was about to get married and I could see the family dynamic changing. A risk had become evident. The question I asked both brothers during lunch should be addressed with any client that has a partner, or partners: If anyone of you, as partners, dies today, how would you feel about their spouse taking their place? Sadly the policies I placed were tested within 14 months, as my friend died in a car accident leaving his bride of three months a widow. Two months after the funeral, his brother, in tears, thanked me. The policies I placed and the agreement our lawyers set up provided my friend’s widow a death benefit paying for his ownership share of he and his brother's company. Money his brother did not have. Few companies have business continuation plans or Buy-Sell Agreements. Suppose a company owned by two partners has a current business valuation of $2,000,000 and one partner dies suddenly. The spouse might be clueless to the operation of the business, and worse yet, the living partner can’t stand them. If the living partner or the spouse does not have the cash assets to buy the other out, there is a problem. And that is just the first of many. They were a partner for a reason. Will their absence adversely affect the future of the company? All these are risks can be covered buy life and disability insurance. Protect your assets (your clients) and protect your client’s assets, by considering all risks and insuring them accordingly. Members of the Dallas Association of Health Underwriters can help you with risks like this. Let me introduce you to someone that can help you and your clients today.

Placement Fee IES would like to offer all IIAD members a gift this holiday season. Â 10% placement fee for all candidates who are hired in the month of December. All candidates who accept, sign the offer, and start on or before January 14th will be eligible for the 10% placement fee.

To our Exhibitors

As many of you know every year the Emerging Leaders, former Young Agents, host a fundraising wine toss at the annual Jim Millerman Insurance Convention. This year they decided to have all proceeds go to the IIAD Scholarship. This will be a four-year scholarship that goes to an agency member or their dependents. The Emerging Leaders were able to donate over $1,300!

Lower Workers’ Comp Premiums for Your Construction Clients. Earn a $100 * Bonus. Place your Texas Mututal insureds into the Texas Construction Safety Group, and receive $100! The Texas Construction Safety Group saves your clients money and builds your loyal customer base – you keep all the commission and control of the account. Ask your underwriter to quote your accounts in the Texas Construction Safety Group.

txconstructionwc.com

Gina O’Hara: info@txconstructionwc.com 888.275.2626, ext. 6324

12-13-18: IIAD Holiday Party 1-16-2019: CE & Past Presidents Luncheon 2-21-19: CE & Make-a-Wish Luncheon 2-21-19: Emerging Leaders Networking Event 3-20-19: CE & Emerging Leaders Luncheon 3-20-19: Producer Workshop 3-21-19: Emerging Leaders March Madness Networking 4-17-19: CE & Luncheon 4-18-19: Emerging Leaders Networking 6-10-19: IIAD Annual Golf Tournament at Gleneagles 6-19-19: CE & Summer Intern Luncheon 8-21-19: CE & Installation Luncheon 8-22-19: Emerging Leaders Networking 9-10-19: IIAD Annual Sporting Clays Shoot at Dallas Gun Club 9-18-19: CE & Legislative Update Luncheon 10-16-19: CE & CSR Appreciation Luncheon 11-7-19: IIAD's Annual Jim Millerman Insurance Convention

To our volunteers

Linda Anderson- Texas Specialty Underwriters Donna Hauser- The Combined Group Alice Macik- Philadelphia Jan Savage Patriot- National Underwriters Shanna Sutton- Specialty Insurance Managers Gail Estes- Philadelphia Lori Martin- Philadelphia Moe Ahmad- Philadelphia

To our JMIC Committee

Philip Lawson- Patterson & Assoc Genice May- Myron Steves Noemi Obenhaus- IIAD Lori Snelson- Blackmon Mooring Courtney Erskine- IIAD Erin Vangieson- State Auto Amy Lefort- Texas Mutual Ben Patterson- Patterson & Assoc Bill Jackson- Texas Mutual

Christina Lehman- Berkshire Hathaway Collin Brence- Swingle Collins Lance Goff- Philadelphia Ins Laura Shone- Ind Ins Group Michelle Lee- United Heartland Lori Chadwick- GoTo Premium Finance StephenÂ Pine- Patterson & Assoc Toni Campbell- Midlands

2018 CSR of the Year Thasia Foster TexCap Insurance

2018 Underwriter of the Year Alex Plotkins Central Insurance

2018 Volunteer of the Year Laura Shone Independent Insurance Group

Victoria Aitken-Intern, Emily Hart-Administrative Assistant, Rachel Baker-Office Manager, Madelyn Murray-AdoptionWorks Director, Rob Pine-Executive Director, Allison Abby-Maternity Case Manager, Stephen Pine-IIAD President, Tammy Land, Drew Brown, Sara Conway- IICF

IICF Southeast’s Board wanted to learn more about local charities in Dallas. The IICF Board approached IIAD for a recommendation, and the Executive Committee of IIAD nominated ChristianWorks of Dallas. ChristianWorks of Dallas was one of 10 non-profit charities to receive a grant of $2,500. ChristianWorks is a non-profit Dallas-based organization that was established in 1967, to provide therapeutic, Christian counseling that helps children and families going through tough times, with a focus on grief, but they also help with adoption, marital counseling, orphan outreach, and support groups.

Learn more about ChristianWorks by visiting their website: https://www.christian-works.org/about-us/

To Trusted Choice & Make-a-Wish

IIAD has again been awarded a $7,500 Trusted Choice grant to provide to our local Make-a-Wish to sponsor a child’s wish. A presentation of the award was made on November 8th during the IIAD Jim Millerman Insurance Convention. On hand to accept the grant from Make-a-Wish North Texas were Ashley Ammerman, Director of Mission Integration and Tabatha Gonzalez-Olaechea, Director of Development. Koah Wolf, and his parents Natalie & David, were also included in the grant celebration. Koah was the 2016 recipient of IIAD’s Trusted Choice Make-a-Wish grant. His wish was to swim with the dolphins in Hawaii, and IIAD threw a Hawaiian Luau prior to his trip. Natalie eloquently relayed Koah’s story and shared the powerful impact of the granted wish and send-off party.

As told by his Mother, Natalie at the IIAD JMIC Luncheon Koah, our little lion man was born in 2011 with a heart defect called a hypoplastic left heart. Which mean his left ventricle, the one that affects the normal blood flow to the heart, was never formed. I had a normal pregnancy and there were no signs of a birth defect during that time. Within hours after Koah being born our lives quickly changed. The life we imagined was now one filled with hospitals, blood work, feeding tubes, and so many unknowns. Koah underwent multiple surgeries, three of which were an open heart. His surgeon put a replacement ventricle on the heart. He battled many complications because his heart also sits backward in his chest. But our little lion man beat the odds. Every obstacle that he faced with he overcame. This wasn’t an easy battle. Lots of tears and ouchies and booboos. After Koah's third open heart surgery in 2014 he blossomed into the wonderful little boy he is today. He lights up a room when he walks in, Koah truly lives every day to the fullest. When we found out that Koah qualified for Make-A-Wish our minds and hearts grew with anticipation and excitement. And then when we found out that his ultimate wish, to go whale watching in Hawaii, was granted you can only imagine the happiness in our house! In Hawaiian Koah’s name means fearless warrior, a name that suits him perfectly! The days leading up to our trip to Hawaii were like a dream.

The IIAD was a huge part of this! Koah’s Hawaiian themed sendoff party was one of the best days of our lives. Every tiny detail did not go unnoticed. I still look at pictures of Koah dancing with the Hawaiian dancers and cry happy tears! Koah felt the love that day. He gleamed with happiness and went on and on about how many cards and gifts he received. One of our favorite parts was when Gary Lindsay performed a song for Koah that left us and our entire family in a bucket of tears. We still have the lyrics that Gary gave us that day. All the trying times at the hospital, and all the struggles Koah faced were forgotten about from that day on and during our trip in Hawaii. He could have saved his wish to use later in life, and some asked us if we were worried about Koah being too young to remember this when he grows up. I don’t think that could ever happen because between our family his trip is brought up almost daily. Make-A-Wish, IIAD and Hawaii changed our lives forever! Thank y’all so much!!!

It’s great to walk into your office on a Monday morning and find water has been leaking in your server/storage room for some unknown period of time over the weekend. Well, it’s not really great. It’s annoying and cause for a little distress, especially when the leak is so closely positioned to your server and phone board. On October 8th this was my reality. Did I also mention this was just one month prior to our big signature event, the Jim Millerman Insurance Convention? Yeehaw!

The damage in our suite was chalked up to old, faulty plumbing in the bathroom above us. Fortunately, there was no damage to our server or phone system. Also, fortunately for us, we have a great relationship with Blackmon Mooring. They are an active member of IIAD who also happen to have a great relationship with our building management team. As a former claims’ adjuster, I’m pretty familiar with the claims process. Mitigation came first, and our building’s maintenance crew sprung into action to cover the server and phone board with plastic sheeting as water was still spewing down from the ceiling. I’m grateful for Robert Sanchez’s & Tino Ramirez’s quick response. Alisha Sandella, our new building manager with Cedar Ridge Property Management was super! She contacted Blackmon Mooring and was like a dog on a bone with her painting contractor to make sure our room was put back to its original state down to the positioning of each shelf bracket. She did an outstanding job in seeing us through the process.

Jesse zimmerman- Project Coordinator Mark Miller- Operations Supervisor Matthew Alexander- Sales Manager

And the Blackmon Mooring team was “Johnny-on-thespot”. Lori Snelson was already aware of the problem when I called her that Monday morning and Jesse Zimmerman jumped on it. He had a crew clean up the mess, provide environmental testing, haul off the damaged goods, and reassure me that our damaged payroll documents could be remediated. Like a good insured, I contacted our agent, Bibby Brilling, and a claim was created with The Hartford. Our adjuster, Krista Griffin, was swift to respond to my calls and questions. We joked about the close-knit support group we have in Dallas, as she and Jesse with Blackmon Mooring had worked on many claims together. Our small world keeps getting smaller.

The Blackmon Mooring crew helping us clean and organize the storage room.

Krista Griffin’ Claim Adjuster The Hartford.

Yes, our entire storage room had to be moved out into our board room. Time had to be spent going through years of pictures, old tax records and other documents to determine what needed to be salvaged or pitched. But, In the midst of all the chaos that was on top of the chaos of preparing for the big Jim Millerman Insurance Convention, I was grateful. This could have been so much worse. We said goodbye to Scarlett O’Hara, our Christmas trees, and some odds and ends that aren’t really all that important in the scheme of things. Board meetings were displaced only once, and everything is coming back together because 1) People cared and 2) People did their jobs. It’s a simple formula for remedying just about anything. Moreover, it reminded me of the great industry we serve and how we are there when people need us the most. The insurance policy that is sold is just a promise until a claim occurs. The strength of the promise lies in the people behind it that show up and do their jobs, and that care for the people on the other end of the phone. And it reminded me that this is a relationship business, and I am thankful for the relationships we have with our members.

Ceiling to the IIAD Storage room

I hope this is a simple reminder to all that what we do is important every day! Don’t ever think your role is insignificant in the chain. We can’t do everything, but everyone can do something.

First picture from the incident

Our beloved Scarlett O'Hara, gone but never forgotten Sitting water from leak

The 2018 IIAD Jim Millerman Insurance Convention began the morning with a riveting presentation by @Risk Technologies President Sean O’Brien and Senator Rick Santorum on the topic of Cyber warfare. Mr. O’Brien’s passion for combatting cyber threat was evident as he walked attendees through the motive behind cybercrime, the unconventional tactics used to disrupt, and the realities associated with this growing threat. Following was a 90-minute workshop by Sam Richter on sales intelligence, entitled “Every Yes begins with a Know”. Sam shared proven techniques to change the way we approach the prospective client and ultimately win the sale. Countless web search secrets, tips for using social media and ideas for differentiating from the competition were handed out like candy. A link to Sam’s guide will be provided soon for those that couldn’t take notes fast enough. State Auto sponsored the third morning session by Retired AF Brigadier General Steve Roser entitled, “How to have a successful career, and a fun-filled life”. The General encouraged the audience to figure out what your “why” is for doing what you do in order to determine if you are where you should be. He utilized his recent climb up Mt. Kilimanjaro benefiting the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to demonstrate his points and provide a picture of motivation beyond belief when sharing the story of Colonel Buff Burkel’s retirement ceremony at the top of the mountain. Sam Richter again “Wowed” the Luncheon audience with his Keynote entitled, “Don’t Steal the Cheesecake”, a lesson in how important our digital reputation management is, and how quickly it can be turned upside down. Helping us navigate social media and personal branding and providing us with the best way to respond in digital format to avoid becoming a YouTube sensation were the big take-aways. Sam also graciously spent time in the exhibit hall afterwards to help those looking for additional information on his subject matter.

Annual Thanksgiving Feast Every year Allen Sparks holds a Thanksgiving Feast where he makes his world famous beef tenderloin! This year they filled the office to its maximum with family, friends, and other important people that play a role in the Independent Insurance Group life. They had a massive spread of food, and a dessert section to match! They even included a photobooth to let guest commemorate the day! The IIAD staff was honored to be apart of it.

Stone Falls bridges the gap between non-admitted and admitted placements. • A- Rated Admitted Market with no volume commitment. • Limited competition within a service area. • Products designed by retail agents for the business owners they serve.

! e c la p t e k r a m r te t e b a d il It ’s time to bu For more information, visit www.stonefalls.com, or contact Brandi Bingham, 214-701-1283 | bbingham@stonefalls.com

Myron Steves www.myronsteves.com

AmWins www.amwins.com

Hull & Company www.hullco.com Texas All Risk www.allriskga.com

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Texas Mutual www.texasmutual.com

Stone Falls www.stonefalls.com

40 Philadelphia Insurance www.phly.com

Insurance Employment Services www.iiadallas.org/page/IES

Blackmon Mooring www.blackmonmooring.com

Luba www.lubawc.com CRC www.crcgroupins.com Texas Construction Safety Group www.txconstructionwc.com

Summit www.summitholdings.com Service Lloyds www.servicelloyds.com

ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE THE IIAD STAFF

Tammy Land Executive Director

Noemi Obenhaus Executive Administrative Assistant

John Spicer Insurance Employment Services

Courtney Erskine Communication and Marketing Director