John and Sheila Auer
This past weekend I made a memory with a 70 year-old pal. We celebrated John Auer’s birthday with a small gathering of those who know personally and professionally the man that so many of us call a friend.
For those who are readers and don’t know John, he had an idea to start an insurance company in 1998 and retired in 2018, building ASI into an incredible and successful organization. Many this weekend described how he traveled around the world to ask investors in the early days for financial backing, dressed in an Ohio State T-shirt and jeans versus a suit and tie. One said he wore white tennis shoes to a posh event and he didn’t hear (or care about) the gasps.
I know John as the guy who flew his plane over 40 times back and forth to the Bahamas post-Hurricane Dorian, traveling with him on a couple trips to help unload supplies. Immediately after the storm hit the islands, when he wasn’t supposed to be in the airspace and was being threatened with arrest, he landed his plane in defiance of authorities and emptied his water bottle cargo to dehydrated Bahamas residents.
I know John as the guy who hired me over a glass of tea in Tallahassee and for 10 years we had a ball. I am so fortunate to have several insurance executives in my world currently who are still running successful and incredible organizations. I celebrate all of them and stand beside them…as they do me. Whether you are an agent, adjuster, contractor, Realtor, policyholder, or policymaker, these executives are our partners. Their loyalty and support of my team’s work and commitment to their policyholders is what keeps me going. This newsletter is backed by their spirit and interest in making sure what is right is always communicated. Hats off to all of you – and Happy Birthday John!
LMA Newsletter of 4-8-24
