A WALK DOWN MEMBERY LANE
A look back at the highlights of FY2020
By Dave Hulcher
Membership to KAIA is an investment in your agency, your career, and the future of the independent agency system. This
year has been unique, given the COVID-19 pandemic. Like many agencies, KAIA has had to adapt and reprioritize activities
to make sure we are providing members with information and needed resources. We believe that we are at our best when
members need us the most. We want members to rest assured knowing that KAIA staff is committed to providing a positive
ROI on their membership investment.
The future is bright, and our next membership year brings an exciting time for KAIA as we will celebrate 100 years
of serving our members and being a trusted leader in the Kansas insurance industry. It is a proud recognition of our
organization, our industry, and the members that have made KAIA special. But let’s pause and take a moment to walk
down “MEMBERY LANE” to review some of the highlights and accomplishments in supporting our members from the
FY2020 membership year.
NETWORKING AND ENGAGEMENT:
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KAIAConnects: Traveled the state meeting with
members and sharing industry insights along with
association updates. It was also an excellent
opportunity to connect agents with Industry Partners.
Rural and Small Conference: The most significant
insurance networking event in Kansas with almost
500 insurance professionals in attendance and 27
CE hours available.
Leadership and Development: Provided inspiring
content to help agents and industry partners stay
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motivated and installed KAIA’s Executive Committee.
Industry Awards: We recognized the leaders of
our industry including Kevin O’Brien, Agent of the
Year; Rick Elliott, Distinguished Service Award;
Company Rep of the Year, Eric Schwarz; Joan Sutton,
Outstanding Young Agent; Will Larson, Advocate of the
Year; 1752 Club Agent of Merit, Bob Heilman.
Kansas Agents Legislative Day: Hosted our annual
grassroots political event connecting members with
legislators to discuss issues relevant to our industry.
Hosted the Young Agents Virtual Summer Series
sponsored by KAIA Industry sponsors. It featured
five webinars with topics on building a better agency
culture and learning new ways to market and grow
your agency.
Over 500 attendees attended KAIA’s Free Friday
Ethics leadership webinar sponsored by our Industry
Partners.
Held a virtual interview with the Kansas Insurance
Commissioner Vicki Schmidt that was attended
by over 80 member agents to update them on the
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