So you’re an Iowa native?

I was actually born in Sioux City, but for the most part grew up around the Des Moines area. I was in Des Moines until about sixth grade, and spent most of my high school career at Southeast Warren High School. I attended Northwestern College before starting at ARAG, and then got my M.B.A. at Drake University.

How did you choose insurance as a career?

I don’t know that I would say that I chose insurance for my career. My dad had owned his own business as an accountant, so I got real interested in how to run a business. When I was in sixth grade, I actually had the opportunity to open a concession stand. I had to figure out how much pop I would purchase, how much ice to put in the glass, how to make a profit. I had the opportunity to begin working at ARAG in 1991.

What was your career progression at ARAG?

I started out on the financial side; I think it was a good way to really get a good idea of how the company was run. From there I went on to operations, and got into a little bit of IT, claims, our attorney network, and then ran a little bit with sales, and then finally moved from operations and finance to the CEO role.

How do you see your role as president and CEO?

I think it will be a lot of fun. My job will be to develop future opportunities for ARAG, and to really promote organizational change and to create a culture where it’s a great place to work.

Tell me about ARAG.

Last year was our 75th anniversary; the company began in Dusseldorf, Germany. They came to the United States in 1989, and at that time, there was a company called Midwest Legal (Services Inc.), which was started by Chad Hensley, the former president and CEO of Preferred Risk (Financial Inc.), which is now GuideOne (Mutual Insurance Co.). ARAG bought Midwest Legal in 1989. The premise started with employees going to their legal counsel at work; Chad came up with the idea of providing an attorney network as an employee benefit.

What kind of growth has ARAG seen in the United States?

In 1989, we started out very small; we probably had 15 or 20 employees. We’ve probably grown sevenfold over those last 20 years. Really, I think it’s a testament to the vision they had 20 years ago. Now we have some major names like Procter & Gamble (Co.), Kraft (Foods Inc.) and even Hy-Vee (Inc.) here in Iowa. It’s a benefit that hopefully every American will have someday.

What’s your role with the Iowa Private Enterprise CFO Foundation?

It started approximately two years ago with CFOs from different industries. We really got together to try to figure out how do we solve problems that all of us are facing. It’s a great group, and everything that goes on inside there stays there, so you can really share experiences and information that you have.

Other volunteer roles?

I’m part of the angler advisory board of the Iowa Organization of Walleye Anglers; it’s an organization that puts on walleye tournaments, primarily in Iowa. It’s really for the weekend angler that enjoys fishing.

Any favorite business books?

One that I’ve used is “The Situational Leader” (by Paul Hersey). Our former CEO really used that a lot; it’s worked well for me.