David LeClair Award
Established 1996
Call for Nominations
The MAHU Board of Directors are pleased to announce the 13th Annual David LeClair MAHU Memorial Award for all active members of MAHU.
This award was established to recognize and encourage newer MAHU members to follow the leadership of David LeClair in MAHU, the health insurance industry, and various community activities.
The award consists of a cash grant and a recognition plaque and will be presented to an individual who has demonstrated dedication to the health care industry. The recipient will be a "newcomer" interested in furthering their career in the insurance industry. The award is presented at the MAHU Sales Congress on January 31, 2008. The deadline for Nominations is January 11, 2008.
Download a pdf flyer with all the information you need to make a nomination.
This award was established to recognize and encourage newer MAHU members to follow the leadership of David LeClair in MAHU, the health insurance industry, and various community activities. The award consists of a cash grant and a recognition plaque and will be presented to an individual who has demonstrated dedication to the health care industry. The recipient will be a "newcomer" interested in furthering their career in the insurance industry. The award is presented at the MAHU Sales Congress. David LeClair was a graduate of St. Cloud State University, with an M.A. from the University of St. Thomas. He began his career in the insurance industry in 1980. David was President of MAHU 1984-85, and a member of Continental General Insurance Company's President Council in 1987-90. David was an active community citizen.
NOMINATION QUALIFICATIONS
- Be an active member of the Minnesota Association of Health Underwriters with a maximum of five years in the health insurance industry.
- Demonstrate a high standard of personal and professional qualities in their daily activities.
- Actively participate in the community.
- Be active in MAHU by regularly attending meetings or other association activities and either giving dedicated service to the health insurance industry or currently pursuing an industry designation.
For more information about this award, please visit http://www.leclairinsurance.com/news_events/awards.php
The Eleventh Annual
David LeClair Award for Industry Newcomers
2006 Recipient
Melanie M. Scharf
Prior to embarking on a career in the insurance business, there were those part-time jobs, while working attending college. Not only was this year’s recipient going to school and working, but evidently was doing a lot of row, row, row your boat as part of the university’s NCAA Division One Rowing Crew Team. In between these activities, there was still time to volunteer as a tutor at a middle school and doing community service through the university’s Alumni Association.
Considering those part-time jobs were as a Customer Service Rep at a large utility company, then as a marketing assistant for a heating/vent air conditioning company, insurance was the farthest thing from this new college graduate’s mind. Does anyone ever really graduate saying, "I want to go into the field of insurance", neither did our winner.
Graduating from the University of Dayton in Ohio, our award winner was recruited by one on the most recognized insurance companies in the world, MetLife. Snoopy had met his match. After training, she obtained her Securities Licenses 6 and 63 and the Health and Life licenses. Two years ago her large blended family in Ohio helped her pack and she was now on her way to Minnesota as the new rookie sales rep. Besides her Twin Cities territory, Melanie also traveled to the hinter land in out-state Minnesota and the Dakotas-------every new reps dream come true. She nurtured relationships and started building her territory. She is no longer the "rookie" of the Twin Cities office and her sales now focus on brokers in the Twin Cities. Melanie’s sales manager is very excited about 2006 being Melanie’s year to meet all of her goals. She has already met 50% of her sales goal for 2006.
Winning the LeClair Award is not just about being a new comer to the industry, but also about dedication, professionalism, and integrity. Our winner this year encompasses all of those attributes and we are proud to announce Melanie Scharf of Met Life as the 2006 LeClair Award winner.
The Tenth Annual
David LeClair Award for Industry Newcomers
2005 Recipient
Adam T. Roemer graduated from the University of Wisconsin,
Eau Claire with a major in Economics and World Political
Science. Once again proving, that no one ever really starts
out saying they WANT a job in the insurance industry.
His mother had been in the benefits business since 1972, so he had
heard the jargon his entire life. While in college he would work at
Medica part-time during holiday vacations and summer break stuffing
enrollment packets. He did that for four years and made a lot of friends
at Medica. When he graduated from UW, he asked his mother if he
could work for her agency and initially she said “no, no, no, I don’t
have the time or the patience to train you into the business.” Being
persistent with pursuing the insurance industry for a career, he applied
to Medica and became part of their Member Services team - a great
place to learn benefits, contracts, the lingo, problem solving - all the
things Mom was unwilling to do.
After fourteen months at Medica, Adam asked his mother and her
partner for a job at HRTotal Benefits and the timing was right. Adam
plunged into his new duties and, almost two years later, has
accomplished much while wearing many different hats. He services
benefit and HRTotal clients on a daily basis, and he assists with
internal sales and outside sales on specialty products. He follows new
clients through the submission and underwriting process and
continues to take on added responsibility as the agency grows. He
eventually hopes to get into full-time sales. Clients often state how
much they enjoy working with Adam and his attention to detail and
quick responsiveness in solving their problems. Besides that, he has a
great sense of humor and keeps his office co-workers always
laughing.
Adam became a member of MAHU in 2003 and wishes to carry on a
family tradition of involvement in this great organization.
The Ninth Annual
David LeClair Award for Industry Newcomers
2004 Recipient
Tom Mayer is an energetic and resourceful professional with more than 20 years’ business experience, predominantly with entrepreneurial, growth firms.
He has founded five companies including a “Kid for Rent” lawn service he started at age 11. His second endeavor was “White Wolf Maintenance,” a cleaning restoration company. In 1991, after graduating from Hamline University, Tom sold the business to his brother, Pat.
Tom then co-founded and grew “Five Star Gourmet Meat Company” into a $4 million home delivery business with 90 employees. Five Star was featured in publications including Forbes, Success, and Twin Cities Business Monthly.
In 1995, Tom sold his interest in Five Star so that he could attend the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management and earn his MBA in Marketing and Strategy in 1997. During graduate school, Tom started Superior Foods, Inc. and happily sold frozen foods door to door until he entered the employee benefits field in 1999.
Tom worked for Capital Benefits Group for two and half years and founded Direct Benefits, Inc. in June of 2001. He is known by other agents, employees, and peers as a dynamic marketer and salesperson who is effective in working with diverse groups to get the job done.
Tom currently serves as the membership chair for the Minnesota Association of Health Underwriters. He also actively contributes to the Beta Kappa Theta Chi Alumni Advisory Board and the St. Joan of Arc Spirit in the Workplace Committee. His hobbies include backpacking, cooking, dog-sledding, kayaking, mountaineering, rabbit hunting, reading, scuba-diving, traveling, trout-fishing, and tubing. His favorite foods are Nueske’s bacon and oatmeal-raisin cookies.
