2022 All Manager Meeting Recap
By Katie Taylor, Reinsurance Support Specialist
Forty-one current and successor managers and their guests gathered on Tuesday, August 2 in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, to kick off the ninth annual WRC All Manager Meeting. Overlooking the beautiful sunset on Lake Geneva, the group enjoyed a delicious meal at the historical Baker House. They took advantage of the opportunity to network as well as try on some interesting hats that were on display!
In the Lighthouse Ballroom at Harbor Shores on Lake Geneva, President and CEO of The WRC Group Jason Fogg opened the meeting on Wednesday, August 3 by greeting attendees and reminding everyone covid is not over. Two keynote speakers had come down with the illness and were no longer able to attend. He encouraged attendees to enjoy the twists and turns of the revised agenda.
Jason also shared how WRC needed to focus on profitability in 2022 and have a more critical eye toward what, how and why WRC does business. He ended his opening remarks by saying WRC needs our clients’ help. If we don’t identify problems we face and act, we will never fix them.
WRC Vice President of Reinsurance Brett Daniels and Vice President of Mutual Assistance Greg Gonnering continued the morning with a presentation on ways to become a successful mutual in today’s insurance industry. The Board Challenges Panel then presented a light-hearted skit about board challenges we often hear about from clients. Greg Gonnering moderated the meeting of the “Cheese Curd Mutual Board.” Heather Wagner, General Manager of Ralls County Mutual Insurance Company, played the role of mutual manager and Peggy McDaniel, WRC Reinsurance Manager – Missouri, acted as board chair. Acting as directors were Reinsurance Client Manager Tyler Vancura, Reinsurance Client Representative Brandon Hollis, Manager – Reinsurance Administration Katie Bula, and Commercial Underwriting Consultant Linda Ziegler.
As we broke for lunch, it looked like a gloomy day outside, but with fajitas, chips and plenty of dip, we enjoyed a fiesta inside!
After lunch, Senior Vice President of Insurance Ellie Walsh gave an update on 1st Auto and the company’s future plans. Underwriting Consultant Melissa Stream and Property Loss Consultant Steve Carroll finished out the day with a presentation on policy endorsements and the importance of roof exclusions.
After the session concluded for the day, the sun finally peeked through the clouds. Attendees were able to walk along the lake path and explore the shops of downtown Lake Geneva. Everyone then met at the Riviera Pier and boarded the Grand Belle from the Lake Geneva Cruise Line. A delicious buffet from Gino’s East was provided while attendees and their guests enjoyed the gorgeous views of the city’s elite homes, historical commentary by the boat’s captain and the colorful sunset. We could not have asked for better weather that evening.
Thursday morning the attendees gathered one last time in the Lighthouse Ballroom for a presentation from our Keynote Speaker Steve Asmus, Salvage Buyer at All States Ag Parts LLC. Steve presented on the current trends relating to farm equipment and made several points on how those trends are affecting the current insurance industry.
Jason Fogg and Brett Daniels concluded the meeting by presenting information provided by Holborn Senior Vice President Paul Wojahn about the Implication of Global Reinsurance Market Firming. They also thanked all attendees for making the drive to the new location and for sharing their thoughts and ideas.
Please review the handouts and presentation slides, which can be found by logging in to the secure WRC website and going to Documents > Operational Assistance > All Manager Meeting Materials > 2022 All Manager Meeting.
Also, check out our gallery of snapshots from the evening activities at the All Manager Meeting.
We thank everyone who made the event a success and look forward to seeing you again at the 2023 WRC All Manager Meeting. If you were unable to attend, we encourage you to reach out to fellow managers about their event experience and plan to join us next year!