A 21ST CENTURY CAREER

Rough Notes, May 2006 by Tolen, Elaine

Jeff's role in managing the relationship between Wells Fargo and Acordia involves training Wells Fargo's bankers about how insurance works and how to recognize a good Acordia opportunity. "One thing about being an insurance agency is that we have access to unbelievable amounts of information," he says. "We filter through that information, make it interesting to the bankers and get them interested. The easiest sale to make is to a referral from an excited referral source. I've seen how successful the external cross-sell program can be. It's a win-win for everyone."

Jeff joined the state association, Insurance Brokers & Agents of the West (IBA West), in 2000, and already has served in a variety of positions, including president of the L.A. Chapter and chairman of the Young Brokers & Agents Committee (YBAC). After recently rotating off the YBAC, he began serving on the board of Insurance Skills Center, the official trainers for IBA West.

Ever since he received IBA West's Harlan Miller scholarship in 2000, which pays for one young agent's expenses to attend the Big "I" National Legislative Conference in Washington, B.C., Jeff says he has been "in love" with politics. "It has become my hobby," Jeff says. "You talk to legislators about what you need and what you're trying to accomplish to help local business owners, and you feel like you're having an effect on the legislative process." In the last six years, Jeff has traveled to Washington five times to lobby on behalf of local business owners and the insurance industry.

During one of these trips, in 2002, Jeff had an appointment with United States Senator Dianne Feinstein (California) to talk about insurancerelated issues. "This was at the time that the Terrorism Risk and Insurance Act (TRIA) was first being debated," Jeff explains. " 'Do you sell this stuff?' she asked. I said, Ι try to.' She said to meet her the next day at a certain room," Jeff remembers. "When I got to the room that next day, there was a sign on the outside that read: 'Appropriations.' Before I knew it, I was sitting in front of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Senator Feinstein introduced me and said, 'Tell them your experience in selling insurance.' You really feel like you're having an impact on the future of the industry when you get involved."

Since then, Jeff has met with Senator Feinstein and California Senator Barbara Boxer to lobby for insurance-related issues. He has also formed relationships with U.S. Representatives Henry Waxman (Calif.) and Brad Sherman (Calif.) and their staffs. "Compared to other lobbies, the independent insurance industry is one of the smaller ones," Jeff notes. "But we have one of the most unified voices."

While much of Jeffs time out of the office is spent on business trips and meetings, he enjoys spending time away from the office with his wife, Shadi, whom he married last August. Not all work-related conversation stops at the front door, however, since Shadi is a senior underwriter for Zenith Insurance Company in Woodland Hills, California.