.floatimg-left-hort { float:left; } .floatimg-left-caption-hort { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:300px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-vert { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right:15px; width:200px;} .floatimg-left-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; font-size: 12px; width:200px;} .floatimg-right-hort { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px;} .floatimg-right-caption-hort { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px; font-size: 12px; } .floatimg-right-vert { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px;} .floatimg-right-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; font-size: 12px; } .floatimgright-sidebar { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; border-top-style: double; border-top-color: black; border-bottom-style: double; border-bottom-color: black;} .floatimgright-sidebar p { line-height: 115%; text-indent: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar h4 { font-variant:small-caps; } .pullquote { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 150px; background: url(http://www.dmbusinessdaily.com/DAILY/editorial/extras/closequote.gif) no-repeat bottom right !important ; line-height: 150%; font-size: 125%; border-top: 1px solid; border-bottom: 1px solid;} .floatvidleft { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatvidright { float:right; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} Where are you from originally?

I was born and raised in Atlanta and lived there for my first 41 years. From there I moved to Connecticut and lived outside Hartford when I got into the corporate world. I spent almost nine years there. I was recruited to a firm in Greensboro, N.C., and that’s where we’re moving from to the Midwest.

How did you get started in the insurance industry?

I’m second-generation; my father was an independent insurance agent in Atlanta. He started the firm in 1933. Unfortunately, he passed away while I was in college, but I inherited that business in 1976, so that’s how I got in. I had planned to be in insurance or financial services; I had no desire at the ripe old age of 20 to jump into the agency business, but I did.

Explain your new role with Principal.

I think the major role is the expansion of the independent distribution initiatives in the company specific to the life insurance business. But ultimately, I think we’ll touch all the capabilities of the products we have to offer. The independent distribution is described as brokerage, general agents, personal producing agents, financial institutions and broker-dealers.

What area are you responsible for?

I’m responsible for nine wholesalers who live out in their respective territories (covering the entire United States). Their objective is to open doors and motivate people once they get in of the value proposition of the Principal. These external wholesalers are supported by 12 internal wholesalers, and interface with all other units of the company.

What are some of the biggest changes you’ve seen in the individual life market?

You see it from a couple of sides. In product, there used to be a 12- to 18-month time horizon from concept to product delivery. Today that has been compressed to three to six months from dream to reality. From a distribution perspective, we’re seeing a lot of pressures for objectivity. We’re really seeing a lot of transition to the independent brokerage space for objectivity, product choice and compensation.

Were there connections you already had at Principal?

Well, the former chairman and CEO, Barry Griswell, and I have known each other for a number of years. We’re in a couple of the same trade associations and see each other a couple of times a year. So it’s nice to be in the same town. Barry and I are members of Pedlars, which is an organization of individuals who have actually sold insurance and gone on to sit in a C-suite.

Tell me about your family.

My wife, Margaret, is from outside Nashville; we’ve been married for 28 years. She is heavily involved in hospice, and was actually one of the founders of KidsPath, which is a hospice for children. When we got married, she was professionally involved in hospital administration. She’s always had that affinity; she does a lot of volunteer work with various hospital organizations. Our oldest graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill last May and is at Stanford University at the Canary Foundation, a nonprofit cancer research organization there. Our youngest is a rising senior at Davidson College in North Carolina. He’s currently in Russia doing study abroad and learning his fourth language. This move is really about Margaret and me relocating, but we hope the kids will come visit. I love golf, and I love to watch sports and hike and jog.

Volunteer activities you’re passionate about?

I have engaged in most every stop in some form of the arts. I was involved in the Arts Council of Hartford. I’ve also done a fair amount of work with various United Way functions in Greensboro, and I was involved in the symphony in Hartford and Greensboro. So I’m a firm believer in getting involved, and I will get involved.