Message From the President (June 01, 2009)

I was forewarned the year would fly by, but I never expected just how quickly it truly would go.

Since my last President’s Message, I have done a considerable amount of travelling on behalf of CIAA and the membership.

I was pleased to attend a Pacific Region executive meeting, followed by the CIAA/CICMA annual joint luncheon and a seminar jointly sponsored by CIAA and the Insurance Institute of B. C. on Apr. 22. The seminar explored not only the mechanics of mediation, but also the pros and cons of mediation in different claim or business scenarios. Discussion included common sense ways to avoid, manage and transform conflict. Congratulations to Jim Eso, CIAA Pacific Region president, for his role in providing the B. C. insurance community with an excellent networking and educational opportunity.

Next stop was the Insurance Brokers Association of Alberta convention in Jasper, May 3 to 6. I was delighted to assist Bea Boutcher, CIAA Western Region president and Greg Merrithew, immediate past president of Western Region in manning the CIAA exhibit booth, which was very well received. CIAA Western Region is a proud supporter of this conference and I was honoured to be a part of it this year.

The National Association of Independent Insurance Adjusters (NAIIA) annual conference was held in Tucson, Ariz., May 11to 14, where we were warmly received. The CIAA booth at the trade show was well attended and many of our associate members advised they are receiving claim assignments from having their firm listing in the CIAA Claims Manual. We recruited a few new CIAA associate members and several others expressed an interest, which we continue to pursue. Quite a few insurance company representatives were also in attendance and appreciate receiving copies of our Claims Manual as well. The conference agenda included interesting and topical education seminars and was an extremely well attended event. I was over- whelmed by the tremendous goodwill between our two associations, which we continue to foster.

I look forward to attending CIAA Ontario Region’s annual meeting, AESIQ’s golf tournament and the Atlantic joint conference and I hope to see many of you at our annual conference in Montreal in August. The convention committee has done a superb job in putting together an excellent program sure to be enjoyed by all.

Until next time — have a safe and enjoyable summer!