October meeting details coming soon.
Also save Thursday, November 11th for I-Day 2021 at the Iowa Event Center.
Follow our Chapter on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter to keep informed of upcoming chapter meetings and events!
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Greetings from the Iowa CPCU Society!
Our September chapter meeting was held 09/16 at Mistress Brewing in Ankeny. Thank you to Jeff Heng, Chief Actuary at Farm Bureau Life and co-owner of Mistress Brewing, for speaking to us about the history of the brewery, specific insurance needs, and how the pandemic has impacted the business. All of us in attendance were appreciative of the excellent hospitality provided by Jeff and Mistress Brewing. After the opening presentation, we toured the facility and networked with fellow CPCU’s while enjoying the wide variety of beverage options. For those of you that couldn’t join us, I highly recommend you stop by Mistress Brewing for a beverage and to say hi to Jeff. A special thank you to Lori Myers, chapter Champions Chair, for your work planning and organizing a fantastic meeting.
As we begin the last quarter of 2021, be on the lookout for an email from the CPCU Society to renew your membership for 2022. The Society no longer sends paper invoices so instructions will be provided within the email about how to pay your dues. The CPCU Society has created new membership categories for next year with the hope of connecting more professionals from our industry to the career benefits the CPCU designation provides. While the names of the membership categories are changing, rest assured that the value you receive as a member of the Iowa Chapter will remain the same in the coming year.
We are proud to be recognized by the CPCU Society as a Platinum Circle of Excellence chapter, which is the most distinguished level of this award. We do our very best to fulfill our organizational mission of providing outstanding value for our members to enhance their careers as professionals in the insurance industry. Our chapter board made the decision to keep our dues the same price for next year. We hope you will take advantage of the content and events provided by the Iowa Chapter by renewing your membership and encouraging your colleagues to do the same.
If you are interested in becoming more involved with our chapter by joining the board for next year, please let me or another member of the board know. Serving as a volunteer on the chapter board is an excellent way to meet new people in our industry, grow your leadership skills, and engage in decisions that shape the future of our chapter and its members. We have numerous positions and areas of interest that you can get involved with, and we are always looking for new ideas to engage our membership in innovative ways. For those of you interested in volunteering, I encourage you to reach out and learn more about how we can align your passion with the Iowa Chapter board.
Enjoy the crisp weather fall brings in Iowa and I hope to see you at our next event!
Brad Soma, President, Iowa CPCU Society Chapter
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Annie LaMair, CPCU,AINS
Personal Lines Underwriter II
IMT Insurance
My Name is Annie LaMair. I was born and raised in West Des Moines, IA where I still live. I attended Iowa State University where I received my degree in Marketing and now work at IMT Insurance as a District Personal Lines Underwriter for the state of Nebraska and a portion of southwestern Iowa.
I chose to pursue my CPCU since my dad and brother are both in insurance, as was my grandfather. They all have their CPCU designations and I was motivated to be the first female LaMair to achieve it as well. I also had encouragement from my company and without the guidance from Abby-Jaye Dawson (IMT Insurance) I would not have known where to start.
The knowledge I have gained from my studies has been beneficial as I chose the commercial route since I already work in personal lines. It has helped me to understand more complex insurance concepts and risks. My study regimen was to read the book in its entirety, make and review my flash cards, utilized the practice exams and quizzes as well as reviewed the content with my dad.
Now that my studying is done, I can’t wait to sleep in on the weekends, travel, read books for fun, work on house projects and renovations, and hang out with my family and friends. I am also looking forward to attending In2Risk!
One fun fact about me is that I am ordained (thanks to the internet)! I have never performed a wedding and really only did it in college because I never had a fun fact to share but now I do!
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Name: Crystal Bauman- Grinnell Chapter
Hometown: Montezuma, IA
Alma Mater: University of Northern Iowa
Employer: Grinnell Mutual – been with the company for 17 years- always in underwriting, but have fulfilled a variety of positions
Title: Senior Commercial Lines Underwriter
Insurance Designations: CPCU, CIC, AU-M, AIS, AAI, Supervisory Management Certificate; working on her ARM!
Area of study: Business Administration and minored in Real Estate
How long been a member of CPCU? 9 years
How as your involvement with CPCU influenced your career? CPCU allowed Crystal to invest in her career and increase knowledge of the industry. She has been in underwriting for 17 years, so CPCU allowed her to expand outside of that into all areas of the industry. It has also allowed for mentoring opportunities for herself and to mentor others!
What’s something about you (a fun fact) that not many people know? Crystal loves music and attending live concerts. She started learning how to play the guitar during the pandemic.
What’s the last book you read (personal or professional)? Essentialism by Greg McKeown- both a personal and professional book which discusses getting the important stuff done. It focuses on trying to do the right things the right way at the right time! All about choices and learning how to say no when necessary to accomplish what’s truly important.
Words you live by: Never stop learning and growing!
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Brett Clausen was inducted as the CPCU Society President Elect for the 2022 term.
Kevin Seward was inducted as the CPCU Society Secretary/Treasurer for the 2022 term.
Ashley Laubscher was recently promoted to Director- Commercial Underwriting at Grinnell Mutual.
Congratulations to all!
Please submit your awards, promotions, accomplishments, and retirement announcements to [email protected] so we can recognize you!
If you want to submit recognition on behalf of a colleague, we will need their permission.
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Burkhalter Award Nominations Due October 5th |
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The Iowa Chapter is seeking qualified recipients for its prestigious Burkhalter Award. If you know of an individual or organization who has made an outstanding contribution to our profession, please let us know.
To nominate an individual or organization, please send your submission by email to [email protected] by October 5.
For more information about the Burkhalter Award and to download a nomination form, visit our Awards site.
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Nominating Committee Report for October 2021 Election |
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Officers will take their oath of office on I-Day, November 11, 2021 and all candidates assume their office on Monday, January 3, 2022.
Slate of candidates
President: Sara Van Wyk
Vice President: Abby-Jaye Dawson
Secretary: Melissa Allen
Treasurer: Barnes Kelley
Director 2 year term: Lori Myers
Director 1 year term: Neil Wysocki
Directors that will continue for the next year without being elected:
Megan Carpenter
Mary Calmer
Nominating Committee:
Brad Soma
Jeff Wilson
Sara Van Wyk
Chris Murphy
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