Welcome Dave Hulcher , new KAIA Executive Director
by jennifer mcdaniel
A fter hours behind the wheel , the yellow lines on the pavement begin to blur , and each passing road sign looks like the previous one .
But Dave Hulcher keeps pressing on .
The 16-hour , 1,200-mile trip from his home outside Richmond , Va ., has given him time to think about his new life in Kansas , and the possibilities ahead in his role as executive director of the Kansas Association of Insurance Agents .
In July , Hulcher kissed his wife , Laura , and daughters , Reese , 11 , Sydney , 9 1 / 2 , and twins , Beau and Taylor , 5 1 / 2 , goodbye and embarked on a solo trip to Topeka .
In mid-June , the KAIA Board of Directors announced Hulcher was its choice to fill the executive director position .
As he steps into the role , Hulcher already has goals in mind . For him , the new job is an opportunity to bring KAIA members together . It also reminds him of one of his favorite quotes from Benjamin Franklin : “ We must , indeed , all hang together or , most assuredly , we shall all hang separately .”
“ It ’ s so much better when we can work on things together ,” Hulcher says . He believes that by members staying connected and involved in the association we can have a much more powerful voice and leverage our scale in all areas including legislatively , with carriers , and with other product providers . “ Through strong communication of membership benefits I would like to be a unifier for our members . I want to make sure our members know what resources are available to them . They need to get value from their memberships , and I want us to be a resource to every member , large and small , and provide them with the resources to better serve their clients .”
As a young boy , Hulcher grew up in the shadows of the
nation ’ s capital , in the Washington , D . C ., suburb of Fairfax , Va . His father worked for the U . S . Department of Agriculture and his mother was an instructional aide in the Fairfax County school system . “ I was very fortunate to have parents that supported me in every way ,” says Hulcher .
Like his great-uncle , father and older brother , Hulcher also attended Virginia Tech . He later graduated with a bachelor ’ s degree in Finance and a passion for his alma mater . If you ask , he ’ ll tell you he ’ s proud to say he ’ s a diehard Hokie . He ’ s already heard from members about the Hokies 2008 Orange Bowl loss to KU .
During his time in college , Hulcher had the opportunity to participate in a co-op intern program in Financial Management through the U . S . Department of Defense . Although he spent multiple semesters and summers gaining job experience with the Defense Logistics Agency , he ultimately felt his approach to business would be a better fit for the private sector .
After earning his degree , Hulcher , like other college grads , began looking for a job . It wasn ’ t long before he began working as a sales executive in the commercial lines department of the CIMA Companies Inc ., one of the largest independently-owned insurance agencies in the Washington D . C . -metro area at the time . During this time , Hulcher received his property and casualty licensing and participated in a rigorous training program .
Although he was in the role a short time , Hulcher said he learned a producer job was extremely challenging , especially for someone so young and right out of college . “ There ’ s an incredible amount to learn in assessing customer risk and applying coverage ,” he said . “ And the more experience and knowledge you have , the better off you are in being able to add value to your customers . Looking back , I think finding a good mentor as a young agent is very important . Getting involved in the association
| JULY - AUGUST 2016 | KANSAS INSURANCE AGENT & BROKER
17
Welcome Dave Hulcher, new
KAIA Executive Director
by jennifer mcdaniel
A
fter hours behind the wheel, the yellow lines on
the pavement begin to blur, and each passing
road sign looks like the previous one.
But Dave Hulcher keeps pressing on.
The 16-hour, 1,200-mile trip from his home outside
Richmond, Va., has given him time to think about his new
life in Kansas, and the possibilities ahead in his role as
executive director of the Kansas Association of Insurance
Agents.
In July, Hulcher kissed his wife, Laura, and daughters,
Reese, 11, Sydney, 9 1/2, and twins, Beau and Taylor, 5 1/2,
goodbye and embarked on a solo trip to Topeka.
In mid-June, the KAIA
Board of Directors
announced Hulcher
was its choice to fill
the executive director
position.
As he steps into the role,
Hulcher already has goals
in mind. For him, the
new job is an opportunity
to bring KAIA members
together. It also reminds
him of one of his favorite
quotes from Benjamin
Franklin: “We must,
indeed, all hang together
or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately.”
“It’s so much better when we can work on things together,”
Hulcher says. He believes that by members staying
connected and involved in the association we can have a
much more powerful voice and leverage our scale in all
areas including legislatively, with carriers, and with other
product providers. “Through strong communication of
membership benefits I would like to be a unifier for our
members. I want to make sure our members know what
resources are available to them. They need to get value
from their memberships, and I want us to be a resource to
every member, large and small, and provide them with the
resources to better serve their clients.”
As a young boy, Hulcher grew up in the shadows of the
nation’s capital, in the Washington, D.C., suburb of
Fairfax, Va. His father worked for the U.S. Department of
Agriculture and his mother was an instructional aide in the
Fairfax County school system. “I was very fortunate to have
parents that supported me in every way,” says Hulcher.
Like his great-uncle, father and older brother, Hulcher
also attended Virginia Tech. He later graduated with a
bachelor’s degree in Finance and a passion for his alma
mater. If you ask, he’ll tell you he’s proud to say he’s a
diehard Hokie. He’s already heard from members about
the Hokies 2008 Orange Bowl loss to KU.
During his time in college, Hulcher had the opportunity
to participate in a co-op intern program in Financial
Management through
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