What are the most challenging and rewarding aspects of your job and why?
I love seeing clients and co-workers succeed, and I prioritize helping them in whatever way I can. Time management can be challenging from that perspective. The most rewarding part of my job is the ability to work in a fast-paced atmosphere with co-workers, clients, and carrier partners who we’ve developed close relationships with. Every day is different and the people that I get the opportunity to work with keep it exciting.
Who do you look up to or admire in business and why?
My father-in-law, Fred Runde. He started a scrap business almost 35 years ago from the ground up. Now, he has yards throughout Wisconsin and Iowa, including All Metals Recycling in Madison. He’s never settled in life and is always looking for the next opportunity in the scrap business or another industry. His work ethic, ability to see the good in people, and forward-thinking vision is something my wife has, and, hopefully, something our kids pick up from their grandpa.
What has been the high point of your career so far?
It had to be the first sales incentive trip that I qualified for at M3. I’d been in the industry for years but I was new to this company, and that trip validated my decision to choose M3. It was a chance for my wife and I to spend a week with co-workers and understand how great the people and their spouses are at M3.
Thinking back on your career, what advice would you give your 21-year-old self?
I was still going to school at UW–Platteville at the time and I thought I had already figured life out. I would say: Be patient and treat everyone with respect. When you are young, you want to prove to everyone you have what it takes. The insurance industry and Dane County are a small community. Many of the people you were interacting with then are still around today. No deal or situation is worth burning long-term relationships.
What would you say are the best things about living and working in Dane County?
Dane County is a great place to raise a family. My wife and I have two young kids, Vivianne (3) and Emmett (1), and between the activities at Nakoma Golf Club, shows at the Overture, the farmers market, going for bike rides or sledding at Tyrol, there’s always something to do for active families.
Do you have any secret talents or abilities that people would be surprised to discover?
I always tell people my secret talent is my lack of handiness. When I was dating my wife, she taught me how to change a flat tire when I thought we should just call AAA. The timing couldn’t have been worse, as a group of fellow coaches drove by to see me watching my wife change the tire.
What are your guilty pleasures?
My guilty pleasure is watching Ole Miss and SEC football. The SEC part started 20-plus years ago and I wanted to pick a team but not be a bandwagon fan, so I settled on Ole Miss. At the time, my wife, Lindsey, was pregnant with our first child, and, as a gift, I brought her to the Sugar Bowl to watch Ole Miss vs. Oklahoma State.
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