What Sets Us Apart

Jon Gorman | Editor-In-Chief

No two snowflakes are the same. Each one is unique. The same can be said for man. We are all unique with individual stories and life events that define us as people.

Looking back at my life, it’s full of stories. My ESPN SportsCenter highlight reel would probably include throwing a no hitter in a regional-all star tournament during high school of which every out but two were via strikeout, the one home run I hit (I was a line-drive gap hitter), and putting down the first two-handed dunk of my life as a freshman in college. But perhaps my favorite story to tell at cocktail parties is how I met my wife. When asked the question, my response is simple, “We met at a homeless shelter.”

Like individuals, companies and associations are unique. When it comes to renewing your membership in NAMIC every year, perhaps one of your considerations is the unique set of services, seminars, or advocacy positions offered your company. Your cmpanies also have unique characteristics and stories to tell that make up the fabric of the industry.

In this issue of the magazine, we present some very unique, and focused, member stories. When it comes to serving a niche market, many insurance companies are at the forefront of their industries, or stand alone. Contributing Editor Lisa Floreancig explores the issue of niche insurance by talking to insurance companies and associations that fill a void in many niche markets. We also profile companies that provide niche insurance products to unique segments of the industry, and have interesting, funny, and inspiring stories to tell.

Also in this issue, our government affairs staff updates you on some of the biggest issues facing the industry in the federal government. While Congress was on its summer recess during August, our federal lobbyists and staff were able to take a deep breath, albeit a quick one, preparing for what promises to be a busy fall. We’ll update you on the threat to repeal limited antitrust provisions provided to insurers under the McCarran-Ferguson Act, the extension of the public/private partnership to provide a terrorism backstop, and continuing flood and coastal insurance issues.

Additionally, our government affairs staff discusses opportunities for your company to become involved, if it already isn’t, in NAMIC’s advocacy process. NAMIC PAC and grassroots activities are dependent upon active participation of the association’s members. As of the middle of August, more than 315 NAMIC member company representatives had made the walk from NAMIC’s D.C. office to Capitol Hill to meet with federal lawmakers from 34 states. That involvement is just one example of how you can become more active in the advocacy process.

This issue will also introduce you to NAMIC’s incoming board chairman John Bykowski, president and CEO of SECURA Insurance Companies in Appleton, Wisconsin. While John prepares to assume the chairmanship of the association at NAMIC’s convention, vendors are set to showcase their companies and products. Exhibiting at the association’s annual convention in Grapevine, Texas, September 16-19, vendors appearing at the Exhibit Show offer top-quality products and services while providing the latest technology and business solutions for your company’s day-to-day operations, and we’ll list them all.

In addition to the magazine’s regular departments and columns, we’ll also report on two other unique subjects: the continuing evolution of the web and the concept of Web 2.0, as well as legal developments related to severance agreements.

Finally, with this issue, we say farewell to longtime editor and writer for this magazine and its predecessors, as well as a unique person who is familiar to much of NAMIC’s membership. At the end of September, Managing Editor Janet Wright will retire following more than 30 years with the association. In a column, she bids friends, associates, and members a fond farewell.

One of the great things about being a writer, editor, and communicator is the ability to tell unique stories, of which I’m sure Janet has many relating to the association and its members. This magazine regularly shares some of the unique stories and people affecting this industry. As for the personal story I mentioned earlier, my wife and I did, in fact, meet at a homeless shelter, but we weren’t living there. She was a social worker, and I was doing some freelance work for the shelter. We happened to meet as I was dropping off some work to be reviewed, and the rest is history. But that first sentence of the story sure grabs people’s attention, and sometimes, that’s all it takes.

Want to share the stories that make your company unique? E-mail in@namic.org with the stories that exhibit your unique service to the industry and your policyholders.

Posted: Tuesday, October 16, 2007 12:00:00 AM. Modified: Tuesday, October 16, 2007 2:59:59 PM.

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We are 1,400 property/casualty insurance companies serving more than 135 million auto, home and business policyholders, with more than $196 billion in premiums accounting for 50 percent of the automobile/homeowners market and 31 percent of the business insurance market. We are the largest and most diverse property/casualty trade association in the country, with regional and local mutual insurance companies on main streets across America joining many of the country’s largest national insurers who also call NAMIC their home. More than 200,000 people are employed by NAMIC members.