Welcome Dave Hulcher , new KAIA Executive Director
by jennifer mcdaniel
A fter hours behind the wheel , the yellow lines on the pavement begin to blur , and each passing road sign looks like the previous one .
But Dave Hulcher keeps pressing on .
The 16-hour , 1,200-mile trip from his home outside Richmond , Va ., has given him time to think about his new life in Kansas , and the possibilities ahead in his role as executive director of the Kansas Association of Insurance Agents .
In July , Hulcher kissed his wife , Laura , and daughters , Reese , 11 , Sydney , 9 1 / 2 , and twins , Beau and Taylor , 5 1 / 2 , goodbye and embarked on a solo trip to Topeka .
In mid-June , the KAIA Board of Directors announced Hulcher was its choice to fill the executive director position .
As he steps into the role , Hulcher already has goals in mind . For him , the new job is an opportunity to bring KAIA members together . It also reminds him of one of his favorite quotes from Benjamin Franklin : “ We must , indeed , all hang together or , most assuredly , we shall all hang separately .”
“ It ’ s so much better when we can work on things together ,” Hulcher says . He believes that by members staying connected and involved in the association we can have a much more powerful voice and leverage our scale in all areas including legislatively , with carriers , and with other product providers . “ Through strong communication of membership benefits I would like to be a unifier for our members . I want to make sure our members know what resources are available to them . They need to get value from their memberships , and I want us to be a resource to every member , large and small , and provide them with the resources to better serve their clients .”
As a young boy , Hulcher grew up in the shadows of the
nation ’ s capital , in the Washington , D . C ., suburb of Fairfax , Va . His father worked for the U . S . Department of Agriculture and his mother was an instructional aide in the Fairfax County school system . “ I was very fortunate to have parents that supported me in every way ,” says Hulcher .
Like his great-uncle , father and older brother , Hulcher also attended Virginia Tech . He later graduated with a bachelor ’ s degree in Finance and a passion for his alma mater . If you ask , he ’ ll tell you he ’ s proud to say he ’ s a diehard Hokie . He ’ s already heard from members about the Hokies 2008 Orange Bowl loss to KU .
During his time in college , Hulcher had the opportunity to participate in a co-op intern program in Financial Management through the U . S . Department of Defense . Although he spent multiple semesters and summers gaining job experience with the Defense Logistics Agency , he ultimately felt his approach to business would be a better fit for the private sector .
After earning his degree , Hulcher , like other college grads , began looking for a job . It wasn ’ t long before he began working as a sales executive in the commercial lines department of the CIMA Companies Inc ., one of the largest independently-owned insurance agencies in the Washington D . C . -metro area at the time . During this time , Hulcher received his property and casualty licensing and participated in a rigorous training program .
Although he was in the role a short time , Hulcher said he learned a producer job was extremely challenging , especially for someone so young and right out of college . “ There ’ s an incredible amount to learn in assessing customer risk and applying coverage ,” he said . “ And the more experience and knowledge you have , the better off you are in being able to add value to your customers . Looking back , I think finding a good mentor as a young agent is very important . Getting involved in the association
| JULY - AUGUST 2016 | KANSAS INSURANCE AGENT & BROKER
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