Associate News

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Grinnell Mutual Recognized as Top 50 Property and Casualty Insurance Company

Grinnell Mutual has been recognized by Ward Group as one of its 2020 Top 50 Property and Casualty Performers for the fifth year in a row. Ward Group, the leading provider of benchmarking and best practices for the industry, analyzed the financial performance of nearly 3,000 property-casualty insurance companies based in the United States and identified the top performances based on objective data and subjective quality measures. Each company must pass primary safety and consistency tests and are measured and scored along five-year average returns on equity, assets, total revenue, growth in revenue, growth in surplus, and combined ratio.

“It is always an honor for Grinnell Mutual be recognized by Ward’s as a top 50 property and casualty insurance company. To be part of that list five years running is an accomplishment we’re very proud of,” said Jeff Menary, president and CEO of Grinnell Mutual. “We’re grateful to our employees, members, and agents, who always put in the work to ensure our continued growth and financial security.” Ward Group is in its 30th year of conducting the analysis.

Dina Schultz Named Senior Vice President of Pekin Insurance

Pekin Insurance has announced the newest member of its Executive Team, Dina Schultz. Schultz was recently named the Senior Vice President (SVP) and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of The Farmers Automobile Insurance Association and SVP of Pekin Life Insurance Company. Prior to joining the Executive Team, Schultz was SVP and COO at Society Insurance in Wisconsin. In her tenure there, she oversaw the strategic leadership of internal operations. Additionally, she led strategic planning that successfully shaped and guided the future growth of the company. She also served as the Vice President of Sales and Marketing, where she implemented a new brand and expanded into other states. Schultz spent 10 years at Missouri Employers Mutual, the state’s leading workers compensation carrier. While she served as COO, the company grew from a startup to $150 million in revenue. Schultz has served as a board member of the Wisconsin Restaurant Association and is a past president of the University of Wisconsin, Fond du Lac Foundation. She is an active member of the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI) - Dane County, a Rotarian of the Fond du Lac Rotary Club, and previous board member of the Cops for Kids Foundation in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.

A native of Camp Point, Illinois, Schultz earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing, Public Relations, and Advertising with a minor in Psychology from Stephens College.

FCCI Insurance Group Names Cina Welch as President and CEO

The FCCI Insurance Group board of directors is pleased to announce its selection of Christina ‘Cina’ Welch as president & CEO. Welch began her career with FCCI in 1998 as attorney in the legal department and has held varied and progressively complex roles during her tenure, taking on the role in 2018 of executive vice president, general counsel, and chief audit & compliance officer. “We are delighted to welcome Cina to her new role with FCCI,” said Jack Cox, FCCI’s chairman of the board. “We were fortunate to have a number of exceptional internal candidates. We feel confident in our decision and look forward to what Cina’s leadership will bring to FCCI in the coming years.” Welch’s many accomplishments include the development of FCCI’s Data Security Incident Response and Information Security programs; building a robust Enterprise Risk Management program; managing FCCI’s Business Continuity Management program – including the corporate COVID-19 response; and leading the company’s geographic expansion efforts. To learn more about FCCI Insurance Group, visit www. fcci-group.com.

J.C. Restoration – The Official CLEANUP Hitter Sponsor on Both Sides of Town

J.C. Restoration, Inc. (JCR) is proud to announce they have signed on as a 2020 CLEANUP Hitter sponsor for both Chicago baseball teams in town. JCR will be featured as the official CLEANUP Hitter sponsor on WGN Radio 720 for the Chicago White Sox, which consists of live in-game mentions. On 670 The Score, the restoration company will be featured after the games as the Post-Game CLEANUP Hitter Recap sponsor for the Chicago Cubs. In baseball, the CLEANUP hitter is the fourth hitter in the lineup. This is the player with the most power on the team and their most important job is to bring runs in - the CLEANUP hitter “cleans up the bases”!

This partnership is a perfect match since JCR is the premier disaster restoration company in the Chicagoland area – from North to South. From water and fire damage restoration, to emergency clean-up and board-up, to full reconstruction services, JCR is the CLEANUP partner of home and business owners in greater Chicago. To mark the new partnership, JCR has created a new phone number so baseball fans will be able to easily reach them: (331) CLEANUP.