July Meeting. Calendar of Events. In this Issue: page 1. page 2. page 3. page 4. page 5

Transcription

1 Professional Excellence Through Education July 2008 A Word From Your President page 1 A Word From Your President page 2 Member Corner page 3 Vendor Spotlight Menu Guadalupe Grijalva In this Issue: page 4 Reminder page 5 Treasurer s Talk It s July and we are in for one HOT SUM- MER! So many events to prepare for so let me tell you all about them. Scholarship applications are on-line and must be submitted by July 11 th. Eligibility requirements are listed on the back of the application. At our July 8 th meeting I will propose how much Scholarship money should be awarded this year and you as a Membership will vote on it. So be sure to attend and let your voice be heard. We are also gearing up for our Vegas Night which will be held August 1, 2008 at the St. George Maronite Center. We will offer plenty of Prizes, Food, Fun and Laughter. The Linda Pedraza Scholarship Fund is dear to all of us because Linda was such a vital part of the San Antonio Claims Association. Please make plans to attend so we can raise plenty of money so her legacy can live on through Educational Opportunities. I am sure she would want that for everyone. I look forward to seeing you at our July luncheon. Happy Independence Day! July Meeting The meeting will be held Tuesday July 8th, 2008 at 11:30am at Fort Sam Houston Golf Club 1050 Harry Wurzbach Road Topic: Slip and Falls Speaker: Johnna Krawietz, Investigator, Jerry FitzSimmons, P.E. Calendar of Events Independence Day July 4th Scholarship Deadline - July 11th Vegas Night - August 1st San Antonio claims Association PO Box San Antonio, TX

2 Member Spotlight Steven Isenberg Casualty Claims Manager USAA I have been employed with USAA since November I had just married my college sweetheart and returned from my honeymoon in July of that year when I found out that I was declined from the SAPD Officer Cadet program due to knee surgery I had while in high school. With no other career plans as a backup, I drove an ice cream truck off Ellison drive (I lasted three weeks) and then landed a nice paying job with the Southland Corporation (also known as 7-11). When I started at USAA as a telephone adjuster handling auto claims, I enjoyed the investigative nature of the job and soon started to excel at it, working my up to a BI adjuster. Around 1992 I obtained a new position as a Casualty Field Adjuster. Now I found out what real adjusting was and I loved it. This was also the time that I joined SACA and have been a member every since then. I did not become active within the claims association until around 1998 when I was hired by Corky Cotrell and the board to build our first website. I have been doing the website every since then. Eventually they asked me to be an advisory board member and after a year or so I found out I was actually suppose to go to the board meetings. Since that time I have held the office of 2 nd Vice- President for two years, President for a very long three years and this year as Treasurer. I have benefited from being a member in many ways. My son Patrick, now a junior at Texas Tech, has received a SACA scholarship award for the past two years and will be applying again this year. Although the awards might seem insignificant compared to the total cost of a year in school, the money he receives allows him to pay for a lot of expenses himself throughout the school year. As a student, the money is very significant and very much appreciated. My 17 year old daughter Emily is also involved with the association. She prepares our Newsletter each month for a small stipend, saving an already busy board a lot of work or the added cost of having a third party do it. She was recently recognized for her efforts at our June Membership meeting. Although she has not selected the college she will attend after she completes her senior year, she has every intention of availing herself of the generous support of the Association s scholarship. My years spent on the board have taught me leadership and planning skills as well as helped me (some) with public speaking. Mostly though, it has provided me a wealth of friendship and camaraderie that I will always be thankful for.

3 Vendor Spotlight Michelle Villarreal, President I began my claims career over 18 years ago, with Cigna Companies while attending St. Mary s University. After 5 years, I left Cigna Companies to gain additional experience as a claims adjuster with a local Third Party Administrator (TPA). I worked for Willis-Rollinson later known as Ward North America, handling the San Antonio Independent School District Account for 5 years. I left Willis Rollinson and began employment with a local San Antonio TPA, for the next 7 years. We had incredible success, and I learned from that experience the true desire of the client, to have a successful program that meets the individual needs of the employer and provides benefits that satisfy the needs of their employees. I have been an adjuster and know what it takes to positively impact a program. I have always been active in the and served on the board in 2001 as the Member at Large and 2002 as the 1 st Vice President. I think the San Antonio Chapter is one of the most active associations I have seen. In January 2007 I decided that my true interest was in providing quality benefit programs and TPA services and ventured out to open Claims Inc. The company is based on the concept that TPA services are a small part of a larger puzzle. The ability to blend TPA services with insurance products and policy coverage is essential in providing a complete benefits program Claims understands insurance products, policy coverage, subrogation, self insurance, and all lines of specialty risk. This allows us to bring new ideas to the traditional concept of Workers Compensation. We are a woman owned business and with deep roots in the Texas Claims industry. We are over 70% bilingual and offer the staffing necessary to do business in South Texas. $1.00 $1.00 Sponsored by Rimkus Consulting Group, Inc. Redeemable at the July SACA Luncheon For One Cash Prize Ticket With Purchase $1.00 $ Dorothy Rose July Menu Burger Buffet Garden Salad Potato Salad Potato Chips Cole Slaw Ice Tea

4 Important Reminders 2008 Scholarships Applications for the 2008 Linda Pedraza Educational Scholarships are now available online in the Library section of our membership website at Scholarships are open to all current 2007/2008 members and their dependents. Awards will be presented during our August Membership Meeting All Applications must by postmarked by July 11th. We will approve the amount of scholarships during our July 8th Membership Meeting. All rules, eligibility requirements and deadlines can be found on the back (2nd page) of the application. Good Luck!

5 TREASURER S TALK - Steven Isenberg Previous Balance $16, Deposits/Credits $1, Checks/Debits $ Current Balance $16, SACA OFFICERS President: Guadalupe Grijalva University Health Systems 1st Vice President: Robert Danels Unitrin Direct 2nd Vice President: Estela Perez CMI Baron Secretary: Debra T. Ozuna The Littleton Group Treasurer: Steven Isenberg USAA Member-At-Large: Sandra Ramirez USAA SACA ADVISORY BOARD Insurance Donna Reyes, CPS Energy Kevin Esparza Jeff White, Hochheim Prairie Farm Mutual Industry Rob Anderson, Rimkus Consulting Sylvia Rios, Argus Services Corp. Dorothy Rose, San Antonio Claims services