A snowstorm didn't prevent the Philadelphia chapters of the Society of Financial Service Professionals and National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors received the annual View from the Top. Speakers included Patrick Boyle of Alliance Bernstein, Peter Freeman of the Financial Services Roundtable and David O’Malley of Penn Mutual Life Insurance Co. Pictured are some of the attendees.

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About 400 insurance agents from the Greater Philadelphia area took part in the recent Greater Philadelphia Association of Health Underwriters (GPAHU) Annual Conference. Among the highlights of the day-long event was a panel discussion featuring Sue Schick of UnitedHealthcare of Pennsylvania, Daniel Hilferty of Independence Blue Cross, Patrick R. Young of Aetna Pennsylvania and Delaware and Stuart Lavalle of Coventry/HealthAmerica discussing the likely effects of health reform on the insurance industry. In addition, a $10,000 donation presented to Vinice Phillips, the organization's contract lobbyist, to support the Millennium Fund, and Dr. David B. Nash of the Jefferson School of Population Health at Thomas Jefferson University discussed implications of health reform on doctors and the practice of medicine in the future. A breakfast, lunch and vendors providing the their latest product offerings also were a part of the annual event.

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JUNE 2010: Nearly 250 independent agents, CSRs and company personnel gathered in Rehoboth Beach, Del., June 8-10 for the Delaware Association of Insurance Agents & Brokers’ 53rd annual convention. The event included educational seminars, social outings and a trade show and culminated with a banquet and awards ceremony. The event kicked off on Wednesday with social outings. DAIAB members and company representatives mingled on the greens at the Kings Creek Country Club, over fishing on a chartered boat and throughout local vineyard and brewery tours. That evening they took part in a reception. On Thursday, DAIAB members attended a CSR-appreciation luncheon and earned continuing-education credits at four seminars. Renowned industry experts Bettye Buffington and Jerry Milton taught sessions on Business Auto, insuring condos and Workers’ Comp. Melanie Graham of the National Flood Insurance Program led a workshop on Flood. Scott Addis, president and CEO of The Addis Group and Addis Intellectual Capital, provided an executive leadership session on Thursday. He shared strategies to avoid commoditization and customers’ price-based purchasing decisions. The convention culminated that evening with a banquet dinner, where Addis provided the convention’s keynote address. Titled “2010 Organic Growth ‘Purple Cow’ Findings,” his presentation highlighted the key characteristics of independent agencies experiencing the greatest organic growth. The banquet also included an awards ceremony, where several attendees were lauded for their contributions to the association and the Delaware insurance community. Association leadership presented DAIAB-member Mary Rowland, of Willis of Delaware in Wilmington, Del., with the Wharton-Ranalli Leadership Award. Matt Kilroy, of The Main Street America Group in Bear, Del., received the William H. Lenhart, Jr. Award for forging strong company-agency relationships. In addition, DAIAB awarded two recent high school graduates – Sierra Spicer and Robert Yerkes – with $1,500 Joann Scott Memorial Scholarships.

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MAy 2010: Neal Petersen, author, sailor and motivational speaker, presented the keynote address “No Barriers – Only Solutions!” to NAIFA-Pennsylvania members at their annual convention May 17-18 at Seven Springs Mountain Resort, Champion, PA.Petersen described his journey from an impoverished childhood in apartheid South Africa to the realization of his dream of designing and building his own sailboat, in which he raced solo in a 27,000-mile race around the Southern Hemisphere. In his speech, Petersen compared the challenges of sailing around the world to the challenges faced by those in an ever-changing business climate.Also speaking at the convention were Robert Chappell, chairman and chief executive officer of The Penn Mutual Life Insurance Co., and NAIFA Trustee Jules Gaudreau of Massachusetts. Chappell told the group that despite the economic turmoil of the past two years, the reputation of life insurers has not been impaired, and that whole life insurance remains as sound an investment as ever before. He also provided some insight into understanding the unique needs of the women’s market.Gaudreau gave an update of what is happening with NAIFA on a national level. He also gave attendees advice on growing their business.The convention also included a grassroots advocacy training session, a half-day “Local Success Planning” workshop for incoming association leadership, an awards presentation and the election of officers and directors for the coming year.NAIFA-Pennsylvania’s highest honor, the Keystone Award, was presented to Robert DiCola, CLU, ChFC. DiCola was honored for his many years of service to the state association, which include serving as NAIFA-PA President in 2001-2002, and serving for six years as NAIFA-PA Treasurer, from 2003 to 2009.Richard J. Pitonyak, LUTCF, was presented with the Scott D. Jackson VIP (Very Important Pennsylvanian) Award. The award is presented to the “unsung hero” working behind the scenes in his or her local association. Pitonyak was honored for his many years of service to NAIFA-PA and to his local association, NAIFA-Erie, which included serving as chairman of the NAIFA-Erie annual legislative luncheon for the past 10 years and serving as a NAIFA-Erie board member since 1987. For the past 20 years, he was the chairman of NAIFA-Erie’s annual golf outing that has raised more than $200,000 for Mercy Center on Aging’s Senior Center. On the state level, Pitonyak has served as chairman of the NAIFA-PA Credentials Committee, has assisted with numerous state conventions and organized the golf outing at the state convention for many years.Paul Weidensaul was presented with the NAIFA-PA Humanitarian Award. Weidensaul was honored for establishing the 193rd Special Operations Wing Association, which provides care packages to military personnel stationed overseas, as well as provides support and assistance to military personnel and their families. Weidensaul also has served as chairman of the Compassion Ministry at Hershey Evangelical Free Church since 1983, serving individuals and families in need.Amanda Walck was presented with the 2010 Keystone Foundation Scholarship. Walck is a 2010 graduate of East Stroudsburg Area High School-South. She plans to attend Albright College in Reading, PA, to study chemistry.Five NAIFA-Pennsylvania local associations were honored in the Association Award of Excellence Program, which recognizes local associations for their efforts in member benefits, political advocacy, membership and governance. Winners of these awards were NAIFA-Altoona Area, NAIFA-Greater Harrisburg, NAIFA-Laurel Highlands, NAIFA-Lehigh Valley and NAIFA-Tri-County.At the close of the convention, Joseph G. Marrazzo Jr. was installed as 2010-2011 NAIFA-Pennsylvania President. Marrazzo is the president of Marrazzo and Associates Financial Group in Harrisburg. Other 2010-2011 officers elected include: Jason Muskey, LUTCF, CLTC, CSA, of Moosic, President-Elect; B. Douglas Trainer, LUTCF, of Pine Forge, Vice President, and Eric Weinberg, LUTCF, RFC, of South Abington Township, Secretary.Five members were elected to the board of directors. They are: Carina Hatfield of Pottstown; John C. Hynes, LUTCF, of North Huntingdon; Louis Pettinato of Old Forge; Christine Pikutis-Musuneggi of Canonsburg, and David E. Punt, CLU, of Harrisburg.Elected to serve as Regional Vice Presidents were Stephen C. Target, CLU, of Conshohocken, and Darrell Westby of Mechanicsburg.

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APRIL 2010: About 1,000 agents, brokers and other insurance professionals from Western Pennsylvania and the tri-state region descended upon the “Golden Triangle” as the Insurance Club of Pittsburgh hosted its 84th Annual I-Day event. The daylong affair, held at the Hilton Pittsburgh where the city’s three rivers famously converge, presented opportunities for professionals to gain continuing education credits, network with fellow professionals, and learn about products and services at one of the nation’s largest “I-Day” gatherings. Topics covered during seminars included fraud, disaster restoration and ethics, as well as a keynote address by Travis Williams, an executive with the Pittsburgh Penguins, which was in the midst of its run for the 2010 Stanley Cup. Pictured are attendees who stopped by the Insurance & Financial Advisor/IFAwebnews.com exhibit booth during the event.

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MARCH 2010-- Regional agents and brokers gathered in Lancaster, Pa., for a continuing education seminar that was both timely and topical. “Consumer Directed Health Plans: Stacking Options and COBRA,” was hosted by the Central Pennsylvania Association of Health Underwriters, and offered on the day President Obama signed health care reform into law. While some expressed concern about the new law afterward, others saw it as an opportunity to better serve their clients, with a determination to increase production dramatically in the next several years to offset any potential future challenges. Leading the meeting was, from left, Rob Berger from Broker Benefit Solutions (BBS), CPAHU President Julie Martin, Amy Weyant of BBS, and Steve Jackson, vice president at PrimePay, and the event’s featured speaker.

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APRIL 2010 -- Agents and brokers from throughout Pennsylvania gathered near Harrisburg for the 2010 Central PA I-Day, held in early April. More than 200 insurance professionals received continuing education credits and attended seminars on various topics, including enterprise risk management, claims mediation, CRM, CSR training, environmental trends and fraud and special insurance. In addition, Gio Acosta, a student at Harrisburg University of Science and Technology, was presented with a $2,000 scholarship on behalf of the I-Day committee. Photos are of attendees, exhibitors and sponsors.

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Pennsylvania Insurance Commissioner Joel Ario (far right) was the featured guest at the NAIFA-Pennsylvania January board of directors meeting, where he updated the board on the latest department news and how it affects agents. Shown with Ario are NAIFA-PA leaders (from left): Doug Trainer, secretary; Jan Hartman, executive vice president; Bill Krause, president; Scott Hoover, treasurer; Joe Marrazzo, president-elect; Jason Muskey, vice president; and Randy Kaufmann, national committeeman.

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JANUARY 2010-NAIFA Greater Philadelphia and the Greater Philadelphia Chapter of SFSP hosted their annual “View From The Top” morning program recently at Green Valley Country Club. Attendees heard from a number of experts who provided an oversight of the state of the insurance and financial services industries, current and future trends, mergers and acquisitions, product trends and upheavals in the insurance, investment and financial business. Pictured are attendees.

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October 2009: Life insurance agents and financial planners from the Lehigh Valley area convened on the Holiday Inn Conference Center for the 2009 Eastern Regional Sales Caravan, with a morning and early afternoon filled with educational and motivational speakers. Sponsored by NAIFA-Pennsylvania and NAIFA-Lehigh Valley, the event included a vendor fair and the following speakers: Naomi Duke, a Court of the Table member and a special care planner and settlement consultant with The K Corporation of Houston, Texas; Donald J. Benedetti, a multiline agent with Farm Family Insurance who is a 28-year Million Dollar Round Table member, Platinum Knight of the MDRT Foundation and 2006 MDRT Foundation president; and Garrett D'Alessandro, president and chief executive officer of Rochdale Investment Management. Photos are of attendees, speakers, and vendors/sponsors.

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October 2009: Lancaster’s Eden Resort was the spot where life insurance agents and brokers congregated for learning and networking at the recent South Central Regional Sales Symposium, hosted by NAIFA-Pennsylvania (National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors). Agents from throughout the region received continuing education credits and learned about topics such as strategic home equity management, estate planning in uncertain times, social media and website marketing, 2010 Roth IRA conversions and a young advisors’ program. In addition, attendees were motivated by speaker Joe Jordan, whose talk was entitled, “Living a Life of Significance.” Photos are of attendees, vendors and sponsors.

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The Dauphin County Commissioners joined the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors-Greater Harrisburg to proclaim September 2009 as Life Insurance Awareness Month. Shown here are (left to right) Dauphin County Commissioners Jeff Haste and Nick DiFrancesco; NAIFA-Greater Harrisburg members Jennifer DeProspo, Robert Farabaugh and Kathy Marrazzo, and Dauphin County Commissioner George P. Hartwick III. The life insurance industry sponsors an annual observance of September as Life Insurance Awareness Month as a way of educating the public on the importance of life insurance to a family’s financial plan.

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October 2009 -- The event was billed as a “Super Day,” and judging by the turnout and satisfaction among many attendees of the quality of the speakers’ remarks, it lived up to expectations, according to organizers. The 2009 Greater Philadelphia Financial Services Super Day, held at the Marriott West in Conshohocken, Pa., brought more than 200 professionals from across the region for a day of continuing education, networking and fellowship. The event was sponsored in part by the Greater Philadelphia chapters of NAIFA (National Association of Insurance & Financial Advisors), SFSP (Society of Financial Service Professionals), FPA (Financial Planning Association), PEPC (Philadelphia Estate Planning Council) and WIFS (Women in Insurance and Financial Services). Other groups participating included NAILBA, The American College, AALU and MDRT. Speakers and topics included an economic overview by Herb Taylor, vice president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, Ron Duska of The American College, and Marc Cadin of AALU (Association for Advanced Underwriting). Topics included: teamwork for high net-worth clients, fiduciary standards, rebuilding retirement plans, life insurance as an asset class and ethics. In addition, vendors and sponsors held a trade fair during the event. Photos are of attendees, sponsors/exhibitors and speakers.

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OCTOBER 2009 -- About 40 members of the Pennsylvania chapter of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors visited state legislators in Harrisburg, Pa., Oct. 6. The annual Day on the Hill gives NAIFA members from all over the state the chance to meet with their district legislators or staff members.

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October 2009: A record number of attendees were on hand to hear from leaders of several health insurance carriers as part of the annual conference hosted by the Greater Philadelphia Association of Health Underwriters (GPAHU), held recently in Drexel Hill, Pa.About 500 health insurance professionals heard updates and analysis of the health reforms being proposed by Congress and President Barack Obama. Among those who addressed the gathering was Ron Williams, chairman and CEO of Aetna; Sue Schick, CEO of UnitedHealthcare in Pennsylvania; Chris Butler, executive vice president and chief operating officer for Independence Blue Cross; Mary Claire Bonner, senior vice president at Aetna; and Matt Manders, senior vice president at CIGNA. In addition, attendees attended seminars and CE courses on benefits and the legislative process, and an exhibitor trade fair.Photos are of attendees, sponsors/exhibitors and speakers.

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SEPTEMBER 2009-The Dauphin County (Pa.) Commissioners joined the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors-Greater Harrisburg to proclaim September 2009 as Life Insurance Awareness Month. Shown here are (left to right) Dauphin County Commissioners Jeff Haste and Nick DiFrancesco with NAIFA-Greater Harrisburg members Jennifer DeProspo, Robert Farabaugh and Kathy Marrazzo, and Dauphin County Commissioner George P. Hartwick III. The life insurance industry sponsors an annual observance of September as Life Insurance Awareness Month as a way of educating the public on the importance of life insurance to a family’s financial plan.

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AUGUST 2009 -- The Central Pennsylvania Association of Health Underwriters installed its 2009-2010 Executive Board at a recent board meeting. Pictured: (back row, from left) Bev Cleland, awards chairwoman; Eric Beittel, legislative chairman; Julie Martin, president; Amy Weyant, education chairwoman; Deb Wilkinson, secretary; Erica Grimm, immediate past president; Rob Berger, membership chairman; (front row, from left) Don Nissley, communications chairman; Gil Davis, media chairman; and Brad Barger, treasurer.

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JULY 2009 -- The Kistler-Tiffany Foundation recently held its 21st annual golf outing at the Moselem Springs Golf Club in Fleetwood, Pa. Proceeds from the event go to the foundation, which supports many local organizations and initiatives.

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Matthew Finn has recently been awarded the Associate of The Year from Guardian Disability Insurance Brokerage, a regional disability insurance brokerage based in Rockville, Md.

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MARCH 2009 - The National Capital Chapter of the Society of Financial Service Professionals (SFSP) recently hosted its 12th Annual Professional Night. The evening event, held at the Ritz Carlton in Tysons Corner, Va., drew insurance and financial service professionals from throughout Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. for networking with others in the profession. Keynote speaker for the event was George Stephanopoulos, host of ABC’s This Week Sunday morning talk show, and former staff member in the administration of President Bill Clinton. Photos are of various attendees from the event.

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April 2009: Agents and brokers from throughout Central Pennsylvania gathered for the annual Central PA I Day, held at the Radisson Penn Harris in Harrisburg. More than 200 insurance and financial service professionals spent the day learning and networking, and provided support to a future business leader through a scholarship to Harrisburg University. Executives from GenRe, PMA Insurance Group, Tuscano Agency and other companies provided a full-range of continuing education seminars, on topics such as reinsurance, financial collateral, personal lines, auto fleet monitoring and EPLI. The Central PA I Day committee also awarded $1,000 toward scholarships at Harrisburg University. Exhibitors and sponsors also benefited from exposure to the agents and support staff in attendance.

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April 2009: Agents from throughout the region attended Reading’s 48th Annual “I” Day held at the Inn at Reading, Pa., in April. Pennsylvania Insurance Commissioner Joel Ario headlined the event, providing an overview of the insurance industry in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and his take on national insurance issues. In addition, attendees received education on insurance fraud and attended an insurance carrier panel discussion. Meals and an exhibit/trade fair were also on the agenda. Photos are of attendees, sponsors and speakers.

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APRIL 2009-Nearly 70 members of the six local chapters of the Pennsylvania Association of Health Underwriters gathered April 28 for a “Day on the Hill,” meeting with state legislators in Harrisburg, Pa. Members held more than 75 meetings throughout the day with members of the Pennsylvania House and Senate and their staff, sharing information about the importance of health reform legislation to help agents, brokers and the private sector insure more individuals in the state.

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MAY 2009 -- Pennsylvania Insurance Commissioner Joel Ario was one of many speakers during the 2009 NAIFA-PA Annual Convention in Gettysburg, Pa. NAIFA President Cliff Wilson also spoke during the event, which featured opportunities for continuing education credits, learning about new products and networking with members from across the state. Prudential Financial was recognized as "Company of the Year" for its support of NAIFA-PA.

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JUNE 2009 -- Nearly 250 independent agents, CSRs and company personnel gathered in Rehoboth, Del., June 9-11 for the Delaware Association of Insurance Agents & Brokers’ 52nd annual convention. The event included educational seminars, social outings and a trade show and culminated with a banquet and awards ceremony.
“The convention was a success,” said John Yasik, chairman of the DAIAB. “It has become a staple gathering for who’s who in the Delaware insurance world and draws a loyal crowd.”
The event kicked off on Wednesday with social outings. DAIAB members and company representatives mingled on the greens at the Kings Creek Country Club, over fishing on a chartered boat and in the shopping district of Cape May, N.J.
That evening they took part in a reception, followed by a charity Texas hold’em poker tournament that raised $450 for the American Cancer Society’s Delmarva Division’s Insure-a-Cure Relay for Life Team.
On Thursday, attendees took part in a CSR-appreciation luncheon and earned continuing-education credits at four seminars. Renowned industry experts David Digman, Jerry Milton and Krista Yankowski taught sessions on D&O and professional liability; agency development; ethics and E&O; and personal-lines coverage.
Alex Soto, president of InSource, Inc. and former Big “I” president, provided an executive leadership session on Thursday. It addressed how politics, eroding industry confidence and a soft market have converged and how agents can make lemonade out of those accumulating lemons.

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