What have you accomplished in your professional life/career since your 40 Under 40 selection?
Well, I have been pretty busy! After being selected for the class of 2015, I made company history at Cottingham & Butler by breaking the 125-year-old Wisconsin rookie sales record. I followed up the following year by setting the Wisconsin general sales record and began growing and expanding my network by joining the board of directors for the Greater Madison Area SHRM Chapter (GMA-SHRM). The following year, I joined my fellow professionals who were passionate about bringing top performers to Wisconsin by serving on the advisory board for Wisconsin Recruiters. I then began to grow in my career further by accepting a position at Hausmann-Johnson Insurance as the employee benefits practice leader, where I quickly began contributing to the strategic vision of the company. I have most recently been promoted to senior employee benefits practice leader, where I continue educate, encourage, and lead the benefits team at Hausmann-Johnson.
What accomplishments, milestones, or endeavors have you attained in your personal life since your 40 Under 40 selection?
At the time I was selected for 40 Under 40, I had just become a dad. I have been able to watch my son, Cade, grow up into an adventurous and curious boy who loves fishing just as much as his dad. In 2016, my daughter, Atalie, came into the world and I have enjoyed being a father to my kids more than I could have ever guessed. This year I celebrate my 10-year anniversary with my wife, Shannon. I am grateful that even though my professional life keeps me extremely busy, that I get to come home to a thriving family that continues to leave an invaluable impression on me.
If you were to “do it all over again,” what (if anything) would you do differently throughout your career?
I notice when I look back on my career that I often worried about things I couldn’t control. Now I have learned the hard lesson that no matter what circumstances, you must remain true to yourself. What you care about, what you are passionate about, and what makes you get up and work toward your goals are the things you should value, not uncontrollable variables. When I think back on all the time I used dwelling on the things I couldn’t control, I now see an opportunity for me to bet on myself and not waste time worrying.
How did your 40 Under 40 selection help your career?
The sheer amount of success the 40 Under 40’s draw has on Madison professionals speaks for itself in terms of how it grew my network and, by proxy, my career. So many people reached out not only to congratulate me but also to build a professional relationship, as this award reflected to my peers that I was ready to stand out from the crowd. I have enjoying the alumni networking events, as well, where I get to bounce ideas of some of Madison’s top minds from other industries and I always walk away with more knowledge and expertise than when I came in.
What is something that you have a new passion for since the time of your induction — either professionally or personally?
With taking on a new leadership role at Hausmann-Johnson, I have recently developed a huge passion for team development. I have changed my outlook from that of an individual succeeding in the workforce to a team outlook. I get excited about helping my sales team navigate a brutal and difficult job, and I notice that my impact and leadership matters to help encourage and foster their growth. Our team continues to grow at Hausmann-Johnson and that’s not an easy thing to do. People are attracted to working here, myself included among the recent wave of new hires who are ready to hit the ground running. Taking new teams and elevating others — whether that be five people around you in the office or 50 — is what makes me the most passionate today. Every day I get to answer to the community and not some private equity firm or Wall Street. Wisconsin is my backyard, from the rivers to the woods to downtown Madison and the work I get to do that supports my neighbors, friends, and colleagues.
Based on your experience, do you have any advice for today’s young professionals (under 40)?
I can summarize it in three words: bet on yourself. Don’t assume anyone will do anything for you, and don’t expect others to advocate for what you are passionate about. Take your passion and run with it because taking those chances and opportunities is something only you can do. The other piece of advice I would give is be curious. Most of the breakthrough discoveries, business ideas, and remarkable inventions have one thing in common — they are the result of curiosity.
Click here to sign up for the free IB ezine — your twice-weekly resource for local business news, analysis, voices, and the names you need to know. If you are not already a subscriber to In Business magazine, be sure to sign up for our monthly print edition here.
