Ask Questions…Then Ask More Questions

By Lexie Anderson | Posted: 8/27/2020

If you have read our newsletter before, you know NetVU is volunteer driven by industry influencers and leaders from organizations just like yours from across the country. Nowhere else in the industry will you find more committed volunteers working for the greater good of the insurance industry.

In July you met Jessica Jeffress, chairman of the NetVU board of directors, and during the next year, we are going to give you an inside look at NetVU’s volunteer board of directors.

Dean Giem is no stranger to NetVU and Vertafore products. Dean began his engagement with NetVU by joining The Rocky Mountain VU chapter and attending those meetings regularly. From there, he went to his first Accelerate in Washington, D.C., and is now chairman-elect on our board of directors.

If you’re looking for an interesting and intriguing fact about Dean, well, he is a Colorado native who has never been skiing! However, a recent move has him residing in Montana where he is the president and CEO of Paradox Insurance Agency. Prior to his insurance career, Dean had a background in Retail Management and engineering and he also had a very short stint as a stay-at-home dad, while raising his four boys. He now also has two grand-daughters, two dogs, and a horse.

Dean may not have started his career in insurance, but he has certainly made a name for himself in the industry and especially in the NetVU and Vertafore worlds. When asked what he enjoys most about NetVU and the insurance industry, he first and foremost mentions the people; “Our industry has a number of great people in it.  The ability to learn, collaborate, and share with each other often develops a mutual respect and even friendships outside of the business itself.” This holds true within NetVU; our board members all work closely together and have created strong, lasting friendships through business.

One of Dean’s major projects while assisting NetVU on the board has been in developing a long-term strategic plan for NetVU that includes serving our members through industry advocacy and fostering a strong relationship with the team at Vertafore. Dean is fluent in quite a few of the products that Vertafore offers and currently uses many, such as AMS360, PL Rating, InsureLink, Sircon Agency Edge and My Agency Home.

He has strong words of wisdom when it comes to utilizing these Vertafore products, “You have to find what is right for your agency when selecting your technology stack,” he explains. “Ask questions, determine your use, review your findings and ask more questions.” 

Dean shared a valuable piece of advice with us that he encourages everyone to consider, and that is to find a mentor in your field and to hold on to that person. And remember that you will never know everything! What we do know here at NetVU is that we are so lucky to have Dean Giem on our team in his role with the board of directors. We hope you have enjoyed getting to know a little bit more about him.

You can find Dean and say hello on the NetVU Community.