COVERED
hard, I still might have a shot at the Champions Tour when
I turn 50!
K: How old were you when you had your first paying job?
ZR: I was 12 when I started my career in janitorial services
- my brother and I cleaned my dad’s law office on the
weekends.
K: What would the closest person in your life say if we
asked them, ‘What is the one characteristic that they
totally dig about you, and what drives them insane?’
ZR: My OCD level of organization; it’s a double-edged
sword.
K: What current trends are you
seeing in your profession?
ZR: InsurTech companies seem
to be popping up all over, and
it’s astonishing to see bigname
carriers backing them or
underwriting the coverages they
provide.
K: What new things have you tried recently?
ZR: Umm, homeownership. Does that count?
K: What’s the last thing you really geeked out about?
ZR: Something insurance-related or Chiefs football.
K: Do you consider yourself lucky?
ZR: No, not in general, but I do feel lucky that I found my
way into the insurance industry.
“Insurance has so many layers
that I really do learn something
every day. One of the best - and
worst - things about insurance
is that there is always
something new to learn.”
K: Tell us about the last time that you encountered a rule
in an organization that you thought made no sense. What
was the rule? What did you do and what was the result?
ZR: My friends and I seem to frequently discuss the NCAA
rules against collegiate athletes having the right to profit
from their own likeness. Over the last few years, we have
debated the potential idea but never came up with a
specific solution. However, the NCAA is currently in the
process of making changes, so I think it’s possible our
karmic energy might have willed this to happen. Ha!
K: If we’re sitting here a year from now celebrating what
a great 12 months it’s been for you in this role, what did
were the achievements?
ZR: First, our office achieved an extremely low loss history
and improved the level of risk management for all our
customers. Second, we added a few new staff members.
Our office has made a lot of positive changes over the last
six months, so we’ve set ourselves up to be able to grow
significantly over the next few years. Third, exceeded our
sales goals by building a lot of great relationships within
the community.
K: Tell us something true that almost
nobody agrees with you on.
ZR: Uh, this seems like a trap.
K: Can you tell us about a time when
you almost gave up, how you felt
about that, and what you did instead
of giving up?
ZR: I consider myself a serial optimist, so I have a
hard time giving up, especially when it comes to a new
business opportunity or potential sale. Since I do a lot of
cold calling to new business prospects, I’m used to a low
response rate, but I realize that it’s a numbers game, so
you just have to keep trying and find new ways to get your
foot in the door.
K: On your very best day at work —the day you come
home and think you have the best job in the world —
what did you do that day?
ZR: Helped a small business operate more efficiently, find
better coverage, or save money.
K: What’s your favorite part of your current job?
ZR: Meeting and networking with good people in a
community that I enjoy.
K What have you learned in the last year?
ZR: Insurance has so many layers that I really do learn
something every day. One of the best - and worst - things
about insurance is that there is always something new to
learn.
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