Date: September 16, 3:30 PM
Location: Mistress Brewing, Ankeny
Speaker: Jeff Heng, Chief Actuary, Farm Bureau Life & co-owner of Mistress Brewing
Jeff will speak about the history of the brewery, their insurance needs, and COVID impacts on the business, among other things.
We'll also sample flights of Mistress Brewing's beers.
If you have paid your 2021 CPCU Society dues, your registration is complimentary. If you have not paid your dues, it is $10.00 to attend.
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Greetings from the Iowa CPCU Society!
I hope you had a fantastic summer! In this month’s message, I will recap the fun our chapter had during the summer. I am also excited to kick-off our fall CPCU schedule.
On June 17th we held our first in-person event in 15 months with our summer networking social at the Iowa Events Center. We had a great turn-out and it felt good to gather again in the same room. It was nice to catch-up with old friends, meet new faces to our chapter, and enjoy the delicious food and drinks provided by the Iowa Events Center. Thank you to Phil Krois, our chapter’s Member Involvement Chair, for your organization and planning for the event.
Next, on July 28th we held our traditional charity golf outing at Toad Valley Golf Course. This year’s event helped fund the four scholarships our chapter awarded in 2021 totaling $6,250. We expanded our scholarship offerings to two undergraduate degree recipients, one graduate degree recipient, and one candidate recipient working towards the CPCU designation. Look for more information included in this month’s Chaptergram congratulating our 2021 scholarship winners. Thank you to Morgan Regier, our Scholarships Chair, for your commitment to furthering the chapter’s mission to support education in our industry. Also thank you to Mary Calmer, Director of Member Activities, for organizing the golf outing.
On August 11th we held our New Designee Reception at Smash Park. All 2020 and 2021 new designees and current board members were invited. The event was a success and I enjoyed meeting many of our new designees and learning about their CPCU journeys. Thank you to Mary Clayton, chapter New Designee Chair, for hosting the event. Congratulations to all our new designees and welcome! We hope you will find ways to stay engaged and utilize the many benefits of being a member of the Iowa Chapter. For new designees attending the In2Risk conference in-person, make sure to read the details in this month’s Chaptergram about the Iowa Chapter New Designee Reception in Orlando.
I invite you all to mark your calendars for Thursday, September 16th for our next chapter meeting. I’m excited we will be meeting in-person at Mistress Brewing in Ankeny! Lori Myers, Champions Coordinator, and Vice President Sara Van Wyk, have a fun meeting planned that you won’t want to miss. The registration link and meeting details can be found in this month’s Chaptergram and on our website. I look forward to seeing you there!
As evidenced by the different offerings we had this summer, our chapter remains active in providing numerous opportunities for our members to participate and connect. We hope you will join us at an upcoming event this fall to take advantage of the many benefits the CPCU designation provides. Until then, take care!
Brad Soma, President, Iowa CPCU Society Chapter
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Corey Broxson, CPCU
Rating Analyst
Grinnell Mutual
My name is Corey Broxson and I’m from Waukee, Iowa. I graduated in 2018 with a major in Actuarial Science from Central College, where I also played baseball for four years. I’m now a Rating Analyst at Grinnell Mutual.
In my first job after graduating college, I was an analyst at Farm Bureau in West Des Moines, Iowa. While in the actuarial department I was looking for a way to learn more about the insurance industry, as well as how to become a more competitive candidate for future positions. My supervisor suggested I look into obtaining the CPCU designation. Shortly after this discussion, I took my first exam and then completed the designation a year and a half later. I studied by using the Institute’s online courses.
Once I completed my final exam I spent much of my time preparing for my wedding that occurred in January of 2021 and playing softball.
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Name: Todd Bandow
Hometown: Born in Stevens Point, WI, but moved to West Des Moines, IA in junior high
Alma Mater: Drake University
Employer: Nationwide as a Director, Middle Market Construction. Todd has a 20-year career at Nationwide. He started in Commercial Underwriting then held a variety of roles including Operations Director, Underwriting Director, AVP of Underwriting. Most recently, he launched the construction vertical and leads the sales and underwriting team. He does quite a bit of travel around the Midwest and finds his work challenging and rewarding!
Title: Director, Middle Market Construction
Insurance Designations: CPCU, AU (Associate in Underwriting), AIS (Associate in Insurance Services)
Area of study: Business major- Marketing
How Todd got into insurance: When graduating college, Todd didn’t know what to do, kept options open, and fell into insurance. He started at Nationwide then went to Guide One and ended back at Nationwide. Relatives had been in insurance but was not a big influence into why he joined the industry. When interviewing with other companies upon graduation, he realized he loved Nationwide and the culture resonated with Todd. He saw opportunities for advancement and they had offices around the country. Todd believes insurance is an industry that people can easily fit into, is never boring, and every business needs it.
How long has Todd been a member of CPCU? Since 1999. He was on the Boston trip and now it is one of his favorite cities!
How has his involvement with CPUC influenced his career? Todd believes it enhances your credibility when deal with other insurance professionals. It shows taking the time to further their insurance knowledge and investing in career. It's also a way to relate, share stories with others, and build rapport.
What’s something about Todd (a fun fact) that not many people know? He's an avid fitness buff! Loves practicing yoga, participates in boot camp style workout classes and extreme obstacle course racing!
What’s the last book he read (personal or professional)? Todd recently re-read Make Your Bed by Admiral William McRaven. Great leadership book by the retired Admiral who started his Naval career as a Navy Seal. It applies to both business and how you carry yourself through life.
Words Todd lives by: “It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up.” (Vince Lombardi)
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Inviting All 2020 and 2021 New Designees to celebrate with the Iowa Chapter at In2Risk in Orlando, FL
Any Iowa Chapter 2020 and 2021 new designees attending the In2Risk conference 09/23/21 – 09/25/21 in Orlando, FL are invited to attend an Iowa Chapter celebration to recognize your efforts in achieving the CPCU designation.
What: Iowa Chapter New Designee Reception Join us for appetizers and drinks!
Where: Rix Sports Bar & Grill (located in the Coronado Springs Resort where the conference is held)
When: Friday 09/24/2021 at 5:15 PM
Please email Brad Soma ([email protected]) before 09/14/2021 if you plan to attend. We hope to see you there!
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Our CPCU chapter has a scholarship program that awards deserving students for their academic achievements. This year, we provided one candidate scholarship for $250, two undergraduate scholarships for $2,000 each, and one graduate scholarship for $2,000. These scholarship dollars are a wonderful opportunity for students to receive funding for their tuition and other school related expenses. The candidate scholarship money is to be used towards obtaining the CPCU designation. We received a total of 20 applicants for all scholarships this year.
This year’s winners are:
Candidate
Danette Kobolt – Danette is anticipated to complete her CPCU designation at the end of 2021. She currently works at Nationwide Insurance as a Compliance Leader.
Undergraduate
Braden Sankot – Braden is about to enter his Junior year at Drake University majoring in Business Analytics with a minor in Risk Management and Insurance.
Julia Hippely – Julia is about her enter her Senior year at William Penn majoring in Business Management with a minor in Insurance Risk Management.
Graduate: Theodore “Ted” Lussem Achievement Scholarship
Andrew Stroud, CPCU, AIC-M, AINS – Andy earned his MBA this spring at Drake with an emphasis in Innovation and Leadership. He currently works at Farm Bureau Financial Services as a Claims QA Specialist.
This year’s undergraduate and graduate scholarship winners will be formally recognized at I-Day in November. Congratulations to our 2021 scholarship recipients!
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Chapter Member earns IAIABC NextGen Award |
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Congratulations to Cody Allen who was awarded the 2021 International Association of Industrial Accident Boards and Commissions (IAIABC) NextGen Award in recognition of his contributions to the workers' compensation industry.
You can read more about Cody's accomplishment here.
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