Value of CPCU Testimonial

Name:  Michael Smith, CPCU, ARM, AIAF, ALCM, DTM

Position:  Retired Director of Safety and Insurance, Growmark

                Executive in Residence, Katie School of Insurance and Financial Services

CPCU Designation Year:  1982

Reason for Pursuing CPCU Designation:

By the time I entered the insurance field I had given the U. S. Navy six years after high school and university and graduate school eight years after the Navy.  Thus, I felt way behind in my career and wanted to learn as much about it as quickly as I could.  CPCU offered the opportunity to get a firm grounding on which to build my insurance career.

Path to CPCU:

Entered the work force in 1975, earned the designation in 1982.  Successes and failures during the CPCU quest....  I passed each part the first time I took it, and I took two at a time a few times.  I stopped taking CPCU courses for awhile when I went to work for a broker.

Benefits to Me Personally:

The CPCU designation gave me credibility and confidence and helped me realize how complex the insurance and risk management fields really are.  It served as a stepping stone for further study, which I continued till my retirement.  Teaching CPCU classes further enhanced my knowledge of the industry.  Belonging to the Society provided tremendous networking opportunities and a number of lasting friendships within the industry.  Those good business friends helped my career whether I was an underwriter, producer or risk manager.

Value of CPCU to Employer: 

An employer looking for employees who take their profession seriously will want them to be well on their way to the CPCU designation.  It is a commitment to knowledge, ethical behavior and professionalism that is demonstrated by the years of work required to earn the designation.  The networking opportunities and educational benefits of belonging to the Society cannot be overemphasized.  When I was hiring insurance or risk management personnel I only interviewed those with the CPCU designation or those close to acquiring it.

CPCU”s Value to Customers:

Clients can at least be assured that a broker or agent with a CPCU designation has gone beyond the minimal requirements to secure a license.  It is no guarantee of professionalism, skill or knowledge, but it certainly suggests a higher level of dedication to the profession than not having such a designation.