PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

ONWARD & UPWARD

A MESSAGE FROM JASON ERNEST

I was planning to write the usual article for this month’s column – tied to our highlighted partners this month and the need for marketing and website design help.

However, a sad event at IA&B has changed my focus for this column. Our marketing assistant at IA&B, Melissa Telesha, passed away on May 10 after an unfortunately short battle with cancer. Melissa was only 52 years old. Despite her young age, Melissa was a 32-year veteran at IA&B. You read that right – 32 years. She was a dedicated and loyal employee at IA&B, and she will be sorely missed.

To work at one place of employment for 32 years is remarkable in today’s environment. It’s a rare occurrence, when the average adult during the ages of 18 to 50 will hold 12 jobs in that period. But while Melissa was one-ofa-kind and a true spirit at IA&B, her tenure at IA&B really wasn’t that surprising.

We have 24 full-time professionals at IA&B. And among those 24, the average tenure at IA&B is 15 years. It’s a statistic that we are proud of, and this stability only serves to benefit you, the member. Believe it or not, Melissa was not the longest tenured team member at IA&B. Taking that honor is Tracy Banks, our administrative manager, with 41 years of service! (She’d like you to know she started at age 10.) Not far behind is Sue Zvorsky, our education manager, with 36 years. We have four more staff with over 20 years of service, and six staff with well over 10 years of service.

You will not find a more dedicated and reliable team. To that point, over the last year-plus, our staff has done a remarkable job in adapting and evolving to the work-fromhome and now hybrid office environment. They embraced the change, managed accordingly, and as a result we had a very successful year at IA&B. Long tenured employees mean that they like their job, and they are committed to their job – and that is certainly the staff at IA&B. Over the last year, they have continued to deliver our quality resources and services, sometimes in different ways.

With Melissa’s passing, I want to make it a point to highlight our staff more. Not in a selfish way – but in a way that our members get to know our staff better, and in turn use our staff more. Each of our 24 employees plays an integral role in what IA&B does for its members. There are some who are more visible to our members. But there are just as many behind the scenes, like Melissa, who tirelessly make IA&B run. As you get to know the team, I hope you get to know IA&B and all we offer better.

Please check out our staff directory at IABforME.com to see the team. Moving forward, we will highlight a staff person at IA&B each month in Primary Agent. You’ll be able to learn what exactly this team member does on your behalf, and you’ll get to know some personal tidbits as well. The IA&B staff is your staff, and I’d like for that connection to be there.

Losing a long-time team member hurts. But the strength of the IA&B team helps us through it. And it’s that strength that allows us to provide quality programs, products, and service to our members. We’ve been doing it a long time, and we will continue to do it for a long time.

Jason Ernest, Esq. IA&B President & CEO