THOMAS PRESENTED INSURPAC YOUNG AGENT AWARD
North Carolinian Leads the Way as State Raises Impressive InsurPac Funding in 2003
WASHINGTON, D.C., April 23—Ernest Jeffrey Thomas of LaGrange, N.C., was honored today with the InsurPac Young Agent Recognition Award bestowed annually upon the young agent or broker making the most significant impact on fundraising efforts for InsurPac—the political action committee (PAC) of the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (IIABA).
Thomas, vice president and area supervisor for LaGrange-based Evans and Associates, exhibited outstanding dedication as Young Agent InsurPac chairman for the Independent Insurance Agents of North Carolina (IIANC). Of the state’s $33,845 total in InsurPac contributions, nearly $10,000 came from 121 young agents.
“Jeff displayed outstanding leadership by significantly increasing the number of young agents participating in InsurPac in 2003,” says William F. Hofmann III, CPCU, CLU, AAI, CIC, LIA, chairman of the InsurPac Board of Trustees. “He spent a great deal of time speaking to young agents all over North Carolina about the importance of participating in InsurPac, by making the case that today’s legislative issues will affect young agents for years to come.”
Thomas began his insurance career when he joined Evans and Associates in 1998. Prior to that, he worked seven years for Lenox China in Kinston, N.C. after a six-year stint in the U.S. Air Force. Since becoming an independent insurance agent, he has been actively involved in the industry. Currently, he is IIANC Young Agents Committee vice-chairman, and he also serves on the IIANC PAC Committee and the IIANC Eastern Agents Committee, and previously serving as an IIANC committee member. For his efforts and involvement, he was named the 2003 IIANC Young Agent of the Year.
Additionally, Thomas has been active in his hometown, currently serving as LaGrange town commissioner and a member of the LaGrange Recreation Association Board of Directors. He previously served as a member of the LaGrange Chamber of Commerce.
“Jeff’s hard work in the industry and in his community exemplifies the meaning of grassroots involvement,” Hofmann says. “His hard work, energy and dedication are impressive, and his untiring advocacy of InsurPac has paid great dividends in North Carolina and will help InsurPac support candidates for the U.S. Congress who share the views and support independent insurance agents as small-business owners.”
InsurPac raised the bar nationwide in 2003, breaking the previous year’s all-time record high for money raised in a single year. Independent agents and brokers throughout the country voluntarily contributed a record $617,497.05, a 36 percent increase over the 2002 record of $453,996.78. InsurPac is on pace to break its two-year contribution record of $882,210.67 set in the 2001 and 2002 election cycle, a total which represented an increase of more than $200,000 over the previous election cycle.
InsurPac was established in 1975 to complement IIABA’s legislative programs. The largest PAC in the property-casualty insurance industry, InsurPac serves an important function for IIABA’s government affairs program by providing a cohesive voice for independent insurance agents and brokers in the nation’s capital.
Founded in 1896, IIABA (the Big “I”) is the nation’s oldest and largest national association of independent insurance agents and brokers, representing a network of more than 300,000 agents, brokers and their employees nationally. Its members are businesses that offer customers a choice of policies from a variety of insurance companies. Independent agents and brokers offer all lines of insurance—property, casualty, life and health—as well as employee benefit plans and retirement products. Web address: www.independentagent.com.