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Our clubs last meeting of February was brought to order by President Jack Davis. We all arose from our seats for the invocation given by Steve Roznowski, Steve noted he is not allowed to sing the invocation, must be a rule in our new by-laws against singing the invocation. The club sang God Bless America to the piano accompaniment of John Dale Smith.
Justin Sheehan moved about the room for introduction of guests and visiting Rotarians. Dick Ammons gave our remembrance report noting that Joe Wald's mother passed away, details will be posted by the club.
Courtney Millbrook presented a big check for $5,000.00 to Casey Thompson from the YMCA. Casey thanked the club for this grant. Casey noted that our club’s grant will be used for teaching children water safety, which is not swim lesson. This was the last of our current grants and applications are being accepted for a new round of grants with a submission deadline of March 31st .
Dena Vatalaro present the February birthdays report noting that there has been 84% participation and $950 was raised so far. Dena’s question for the February Aquarians and Pisces was “What was your favorite water experience?” Answers ranged from child birth, drunken high dives, coy ponds and Lake Michigan. We sang happy birthday to our February Rotarians and all of them in attendance enjoyed some chocolate cake.
Our special music was introduced by Ken Beachler. Kelly Sandula-Gruner accompanied by John Dale Smith sang two songs “Someone Else’s Story” and “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered”.
President Davis introduced our chair of the month Todd Gute, who in turn introduced our speaker Eileen Fhaner, Senior Vice-President, Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer of Auto Owners Insurance. Eileen was raised and resides in Vermontville, Michigan and started her career with Auto Owners in an entry level position at the company.
Eileen started her presentation with describing how Krazy George Henderson started the first stadium wave on October 15, 1981at an Oakland Athletics playoff game. Not what we expected a CFO to start off with in her presentation.
Eileen noted that Auto Owners just celebrated their 100th anniversary and gave us brief history from the company’s origins to where they are at today. Auto Owners started with humble beginnings in 1916 in Mt. Pleasant by Vern V. Moulton as a mutual insurance company as it remains today. After one year Mr. Moulton moved the company to Lansing, which at that time consisted of one policy holder and $174 in assets. Eileen is proud of Auto Owners tradition of paying claims, even in the 1930s when a bank holiday was declared and the company continued to operate and paid all claims in cash for three weeks. Today Auto Owners has $22 billion in assets, posts $6 billion dollars in annual revenue and over 4 million policyholders. Auto Owners operates in 26 states with their headquarters located here in Lansing.
As part of their centennial celebration the company gave away $1,000,000 to charities throughout the states they operate within. $500,000 of these funds were earmarked for the Lansing area, 31 charities in our area received amounts from $1,000 to $60,000 after a vote by the company’s associates. In addition each office was tasked with collecting 100 items of clothing, food or school supplies to be donated to each offices local charities.
Eileen mentioned that Auto Owners has always believed in promoting from within the organization and all of the current corporate officers started out in entry level positions with the company. Another long standing tradition is top management weekly lunches where they focus on all aspects of the company.
Eileen mentioned that in her view insurance really is about relationships with policyholders and the company’s independent agents. Auto Owners has committed to its agents in writing that it will not compete by offering its policies through other means as other insurance companies do regularly. She noted that insurance is the only product that buyers purchase hoping to never have to use it and the sellers sell it with hope it never gets used.
Eileen is proud of the company keeping its core value intact by “putting people’s lives back together”
After a number of questions and a failed attempt at the wave by Steve Roznowski, our meeting was adjourned by President Davis.
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La Forice Nealy joined the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago in 1989. Throughout his career with the American Red Cross, he has worked in various lines of business. However, he found his niche in Disaster Services excelling in multiple positions, climbing the ranks from Disaster Services Specialist to Managing Director of Disaster Services..jpg)
Last year the TCOA Nutrition program served over 500,000 meals to older adults in their homes and at senior dining sites throughout the tri-county area. Not only does Meals on Wheels provide nutritious meals for individuals at high nutritional risk, for some clients it is the only social interaction they have each day. This program acts as a support network helping to look out for those in need in the community.