Sales Convention 2012

Keynote Speaker: Sam Richter

Biography:
Sam Richter is an internationally recognized expert on sales, marketing, reputation management, and leadership. His award-winning experience includes building innovative technology, sales, and marketing programs for start-up companies and some of the world's most famous brands.

Sam has been featured in thousands of television and radio programs and national and online publications. He presents his customized Know More! keynote and training programs to audiences around the globe. He is the author of the best-selling and award-winning book, Take the Cold Out of Cold Calling, considered the preeminent publication on finding information online and using it for sales success.
Sam is founder and CEO of SBR Worldwide/Know More! and SVP/Chief Marketing Officer at ActiFi, a software and solutions firm serving the financial services industry. He was named by InsideView as one of the Top 25 Most Influential People in Sales, and he was also named as one of the Top Chief Marketing Officers on Twitter.

Sam received his B.A. from the University of Minnesota School of Journalism and Mass Communication and was twice named Scholastic All-American while also a four-year player and a letter winner on the University of Minnesota varsity football team. He lives in Minnetonka, Minnesota with his wife and two children, serves on the board of a number of for-profit companies, and volunteers his time to numerous non-profit organizations.

Speaker: April Todd-Malmlov

Topic:Minnesota Health Insurance Exchange Status

Biography:
April Todd-Malmlov is the Exchange Director at the Minnesota Department of Commerce. She is responsible for leading the design and development of Minnesota’s Health Insurance Exchange. Prior to this role, Ms. Todd-Malmlov served as Minnesota’s State Health Economist and was responsible for monitoring the health care market and informing state health policy related to health care access, cost, and quality. Ms. Todd-Malmlov has also served as the Director of Competitive Intelligence for UnitedHealthcare and the Vice President of Strategic Analysis and Communications for Government Affairs at UnitedHealth Group. Ms. Todd-Malmlov holds a masters degree in public health from the University of Minnesota and a bachelors degree from Beloit College. She was named one of the top business leaders to watch in 2012 by the Business Journal and the Star Tribune.

Speaker: Tim Wilkin

Topic:Minnesota Legislative Review

Biography:
Tim brings a mix of extensive business and government experience to his government affairs and public policy practice. He spent eight years in the Minnesota House of Representatives, serving in leadership positions including Assistant Majority Leader and Chair of the Commerce and Financial Institutions Committee.

Tim then served in an executive leadership role as Assistant Commissioner at the Minnesota Department of Human Services under Governor Tim Pawlenty. In this role he worked as a regulator, Chief Operating Officer, and also directed the legislative efforts of the agency. Tim worked directly with the Governor’s Office, the Department of Health, the Department of Commerce, the Department of Labor and Industry, and the Department of Employment and Economic Development, as well as with the legislature, on a wide range of issues.

Tim is a licensed producer, and has over 15 years of private sector experience in insurance, banking, and related industries.

Tim currently provides Legislative Representation for the Minnesota Association of Health Underwriters, advising MAHU on strategy development; message development; public relations; bill drafting; and lobbying legislators, staff, or agency decision makers.

Tim has a BBA in Finance from The University of Iowa.

Speaker: Dudley Ryan, CPA, JD

Topic: Tax Hot Topics

Biography:
Dudley specializes in providing tax and business advisory services to closely-held businesses and their owners, advising them on entity selection, transactional, personal and succession-planning issues, as well as on-going business operations. He has worked in public accounting since 1978 and joined Larson Allen in 1985. From 1985-2000 Dudley served as the Principal in charge of firm-wide tax.

Dudley is experienced with large S-Corporations and Multi-State compliance related to the Construction and Real Estate Industry. Dudley is a nationally recognized expert in tax planning for closely-held businesses. He instructs courses for Minnesota Continuing Legal Education and the Minnesota Society of Certified Public Accountants (MNCPA) and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). He is a frequent instructor for continuing legal education. He has also made numerous radio and television appearances concerning tax and estate planning. He is an adjunct faculty member at the William Mitchell College of Law.

Dudley is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the Minnesota Society of Certified Public Accountants (MNCPA), the Ramsey County Bar Association, the Minnesota Bar Association and the American Bar Association.

Dudley graduated with a B.S. degree in business administration from Drake University in 1977 and received a J.D. (law) degree from William Mitchell College of Law in 1983. Dudley serves on several boards of non-profit entities.

Speaker: Dean M. Hoffman

Topic: Self Funding

Biography:
Mr. Hoffman, owner of Dean M. Hoffman, LLC consulting firm has been in the employee benefit industry for more than 30 years with an emphasis in large group employee benefit plans, insured, alternate and self funded. Mr. Hoffman has expertise in a broad range of employee benefits including prescription plan analysis and all funding arrangements for large group plans including insured, minimum premium, retrospective, experience refund, stop loss and self-funding. Included in his long term benefit model is the use of integrated lifestyle/wellness programs. Mr. Hoffman’s knowledge on self-funded arrangements has made him a favorite at many employee benefit and health care conferences around the country.

Professional affiliations include the National Association of Health Underwriters www.nahu.org and a former member of the NAHU Board of Trustees, as well as the Wisconsin Association of Health Underwriters (WAHU), Past President (2004) www.eWAHU.org. He has been a long-time advocate on legislative issues affecting employee benefit industry; actively participating in NAHU’s lobbying efforts and hosting Congressional briefings for members of Congress as well as the Wisconsin legislature about the health insurance marketplace and its delivery system. In addition to having served on the NAHU board of trustees, he has volunteered for a number of the organization’s task forces and committees. He is currently the 2011-2012 Chair of NAHU’s Professional Development Committee and Chaired NAHU Membership Committee in 2009-2010. He is a 2004 recipient of the NAHU Distinguished Service Award and was the recipient of the WAHU Robert C. Gilray Distinguished Service Award in 2007. Prior to forming his own consulting firm, he was a Vice President & Practice Leader - Benefits for T.E. Brennan Company and he managed a Wisconsin regional office for a national insurance carrier marketing self funded and insured employee benefit products to a five (5) state region. Dean’s leadership of strategic planning process is centered on providing solutions to employers seeking to maximize their healthcare benefits, enhancing employee satisfaction while managing their healthcare expenditure. His consulting process will utilize his technical skills, advanced knowledge of ERISA plans and data analysis to meet the needs of the employer and employee. Attendees at a recent Welfare Plan Management Conference in Chicago gave the following comments regarding his advanced self-funded presentation..…”Best in my book”…”Good explanations of difficult concepts”, “this is what we need”…“Best presentation so far! Awesome information and explanation”…”bring him back!”

Speaker: Ian Stark

Topic: Wellness

Biography:
Ian is a senior actuary and benefits consultant in Aon Hewitt’s health and benefits practice in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Ian has over fourteen years experience in strategic design, bid analysis, cost projection, implementation, vendor management and benefit program maintenance. Ian’s consulting experience includes health, life, disability and time off programs, as well as pricing and claims analysis.

In December 1996, Ian received a B.A. in mathematics/statistics from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. He is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries and a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries.

Clients Ian has worked with include: 3M, Carestream Health, Inc., Ceridian Corporation, Deluxe Corporation, Gavilon LLC, Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health System, Sterling Commerce, SUPERVALU, Target Corporation, The Travelers Companies, University of California, Voith AG, Inc., and Wells Fargo & Company.

Speaker: Darcy Hitesman

Topic: Defined Contribution Health Plans: New “Twists” on Familiar Concept

Biography:
Darcy L. Hitesman (J.D., with honors, University of Minnesota) practices employee benefits with the firm of Hitesman & Wold, P.A. She advises clients regarding the Internal Revenue Code, ERISA, HIPAA, FMLA, and state insurance laws. She represents employers and employee benefit plans of all sizes and types (for-profit, non-profit, governmental entity, single employer, multiple employer and MEWAs), including third party service providers, health care providers, plan sponsors, employers, and benefits consultants. Ms. Hitesman is a frequent speaker to both legal and non-legal audiences on various employee benefits topics, including Health Care Reform, Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs), HIPAA, COBRA and FMLA topics, and co-authors ERISA Compliance for Health & Welfare Plans, published by the Employee Benefits Institute of America (EBIA). Ms. Hitesman has been named a Super Lawyer by the Journal of Law and Politics since the year 2000.

Speaker: George Davidson

Topic: The Race to Zero, Why Winning This Race May Cost You Your Business!

Biography:
George is a nationally recognized expert on disability income and long-term care insurance and has been a frequent speaker at regional and national trade meetings. He has also authored articles and been referenced in magazines such as Broker World and National Underwriter. George has previously presented at the LIMRA LOMA Milliman DI & LTC Insurers Forum, the JHA Dynamics of Disability Strategic Management Seminar, the SFSP National Forum, presented multiple AHIA National Edu-Calls and has served as the Meeting Chair for the International DI Society conference.

George is the founder of the Twin Cities DI Day which is in its tenth year. George also recently presented at the 2010 International Million Dollar Round Table Conference in Vancouver, BC.

George entered the financial services industry with The Equitable in 1982 and joined Provident Life & Accident in 1984. George’s career with Provident included his working as a Brokerage Consultant, District Manager and finally the Branch Manager of one of Provident’s largest DI brokerage offices in Minneapolis, MN. George’s role at Provident was to manage and grow the block of business in the upper Midwest and this included responsibility for claims management oversight.

In April of 1995, George left Provident to start an independent brokerage agency focused on helping financial professionals find the best answers to client’s income and asset protection needs. SecuraDI Consultants is now recognized as one of the nation’s leading disability insurance brokerage organizations.

George is a founding partner and current board member of the only national organization of independent disability and long-term care brokerage specialists, The Plus Group. He is also a founding member of International Disability Insurance Society. George is a member of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors, National Association of Health Underwriters, Association of Health Insurance Advisors and the Society of Financial Services Professionals, having served the Minneapolis/St. Paul chapter as President.

Speaker: Karin Khuhro

Topic: Using Social Media to Enhance Customer Relationships & Increase Sales

Biography:
Working in the online marketing industry for 17 years has provided Karin with extensive knowledge and skills with a variety of online marketing strategies including: Social Media, Search Engine Optimization, Email Marketing and Website Design.

In addition to working for several agencies, Karin spent 8 years with a global corporation where she served as Director of Online Marketing. In 2008, she left to follow her entrepreneurial roots with Strategy E-ssentials.

Strategy E-ssentials works with businesses in all stages of the Social Media engagement cycle and through a wide variety of Online Marketing strategies. From consultation and ideation, to project leadership and implementation, Strategy E-ssentials helps companies, leaders and teams develop the knowledge, skills and strategies needed to maximize the business potential of the internet.

Website
Twitter (@Listen2You)
Facebook)

Speaker: Doug Seaton

Topic: Managing the Risk of Employment-Related Claims, Charges, Audits and Lawsuits for Your Agency and Your Insured Customers

Biography:
Mr. Seaton has taught numerous employment and labor law legal education and employer training sessions, has published a book and numerous articles in legal and trade periodicals, and has spoken on labor and employment law topics to legislative committees, gubernatorial task forces, trade association meetings and legal education seminars in several states, and has chaired the Minnesota State Bar Labor and Employment Law Section.  Mr. Seaton has been designated one of Minnesota’s “Leading American Attorneys” in a poll of lawyers conducted by American Research Corporation and as a “Super Lawyer” by Law and Politics and Twin Cities Business magazines.

Mr. Seaton graduated from Princeton University in 1969 and earned M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Rutgers University in 1970 and 1975, concentrating on labor relations history.  He attended the University of Minnesota Law School and William Mitchell College of Law, graduating from the latter in 1981.  Mr. Seaton is admitted to the Minnesota Bar and the Federal District Court, Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals and U.S. Supreme Court Bars.

Speaker: Gregory Peters

Topic: Managing the Risk of Employment-Related Claims, Charges, Audits and Lawsuits for Your Agency and Your Insured Customers

Biography:
Gregory Peters is a shareholder in the Minneapolis law firm of Seaton, Peters & Revnew, P.A.  Mr. Peters’ practice focuses on labor and employment litigation where he represents employers before various state and federal courts, the National Labor Relations Board, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Department of Labor and parallel state agencies.  Mr. Peters has represented employers before federal and state courts and agencies throughout the United States in disputes involving virtually all areas of labor and employment law.  He also successfully represented employers before the United States Seventh, Eighth and Eleventh Circuit Courts of Appeal, and the Minnesota and Wisconsin Court of Appeals.  Mr. Peters also has extensive arbitration, collective bargaining, union organizing and strike management experience.  He also provides advice or training to employers in all areas of labor and employment law and employee relations. 

Mr. Peters frequently presents to employer groups and trade associations on a variety of labor and employment topics.  He also published numerous articles for various trade publications.  Mr. Peters is a graduate of the Marquette University Law School and holds a Bachelors of Science in Labor Relations and Personnel Administration from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside.  He is licensed in Minnesota, Wisconsin, several federal district and appellate courts, and the United States Supreme Court.  Mr. Peters is a member of the Minnesota and Wisconsin Bar Associations.

Speaker: Dave Dickey

Topic: Selling Your Healthcare Story

Biography:
David is an experienced leader of health and healthcare services. He began his career with Aetna in various sales, account management, sales training, and sales management roles across small, mid-sized and national accounts including clients like HCA, Yum Brands, and Lincoln Financial. David was also one of the early employees of Definity Health, the inventors of Health Reimbursement Account (HRA) and the pioneer of Consumer Driven Healthcare Plans (CDHPs) where he was responsible for regional employer sales, consumer sales, and account management growth.  In four years, sales for the company grew to $100M and David lead the sales efforts on companies like ConAgra, Charter Communications, Coors Brewing, and Sara Lee.  Upon the company's sale to United Health Group, he became President of the Healthcare Transformation Group within United's National Accounts Division and grew net new fee revenues for United by $50M in two years. David then co-founded RedBrick Health, a health and wellness company dedicated to changing the financing to reward consumer healthy lifestyles and was responsible for forging relationships with companies like Target Corporation and Ridgeview Medical Center. And in 2009, David co-founded The Second Story Sales Company and currently serves as its CEO.  Second Story Sales helps young and established health service organizations through practical leadership of two Fortune 500 organizations and two start-ups to drive fresh thinking and results.  Second Story Sales provides strategic sales coaching.  Clients include health plans, hospitals, benefit consultants, health improvement firms, employer coalitions, consumer advice companies, health related social networks, and defined contribution solutions.

Dave holds a Bachelor of Arts from Ohio Wesleyan University and is enrolled in the Certified Employee Benefits Specialist (CEBS) program through the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. He is on the faculty for Kaplan’s continuing education department lecturing on “Group Health Insurance Innovations,” and contributes regularly to seminars and conferences on innovations in health, health care, and financing.

Speaker: Tom Devine

Topic: Long Term Care

Biography:
Tom is Executive Vice President of The David Agency in Edina Minnesota. He is the fourth generation of his family to be in the insurance business in Minnesota and he just completed his 35th year in Employee Benefits, health insurance and his 18th year in Long Term Care Insurance. Tom was a pioneer in the delivery of LTCi as a part of employee benefit packages and it is currently his professional focus. He has worked hand in hand with carriers to craft products, underwriting criteria, materials and employer/employee presentations for both wholesale and retail markets. Actively engaged legislatively in all aspects of LTCi, both at the state and federal level, he has presented issues in all media formats to thousands of individuals and hundreds of businesses.

Tom is a dedicated Past President of MAHU.

Speaker: Deb Holmgren

Topic: Public Programs in Minnesota- What’s Happening Now?

Biography:
Debra has over 30 years of experience with health care delivery systems in Minnesota. With a background in strategic planning, she created one of the first prepaid Medical Assistance programs in Minnesota and directed the turnaround of another during the Hennepin County Demonstration Project, initiated by the Minnesota Department of Human Services. Debra also worked on health-related start-up programs for the Minnesota Hospital Association and Northwest National Life Insurance.

She has spent the last nineteen years in nonprofit leadership, as the founding executive at Portico Healthnet, a health access and alternative coverage program.

Debra received a bachelor’s degree from Hamline University, a master’s degree in sociology with an emphasis in medical sociology from the University of Missouri, Columbia, and a master’s degree in public affairs from the Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota.

Speaker: Alicia Howes

Topic: Public Programs in Minnesota- What’s Happening Now?

Biography:
Alicia Howes has worked directly with uninsured populations, particularly within the Latino community, in her various roles at Portico Healthnet during the past three years. Alicia has become an expert on the Minnesota Health Care Programs and currently serves as Portico’s Outreach Program Manager. She oversees Portico’s community-based outreach to people in need of affordable coverage, Portico’s statewide Health Access Line, and Portico’s comprehensive application and enrollment assistance. Fluent in Spanish, as well as proficient in conversational French and Portuguese, Alicia is passionate about using her language skills to connect those in need to heath care resources. Prior to joining Portico, she worked with the Latino community in social service and educational settings. Alicia received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.

Speaker: Bob Ruff

Topic: Voluntary Worksite Benefits

Biography:
Bob Ruff is Director of Market Analysis for Colonial Life & Accident Insurance Company, where he is responsible for driving the analysis needed to support marketing strategies, including customer segmentation, customer retention, evaluation of new business opportunities and partnerships, and market entry for new products and services. He also leads efforts to identify, analyze, and prioritize new market development through competitive research and local market sales activities. Bob joined Colonial Life in 2008 and previously served as manager of Colonial Life’s supplemental health product portfolio. He has been in the financial services industry for more than eight years, with previous industry experience as a financial representative for Northwestern Mutual. Bob holds a master’s degree in business administration from Clemson University and a bachelor’s degree in family financial management from Virginia Tech.