Patience, an Open Mind, and a Willingness to Learn Will Lead to Your Lifetime Career

By Lexie Anderson | Posted: 9/30/2020

So far, we have introduced you to two of NetVU’s board members and industry influencers, Jessica Jeffress and Dean Giem. We are happy to introduce you to the next committed volunteer on NetVU’s board of directors, Michelle Hoffert, Board Member at Large.

Michelle is the IT Project Manager at Baldwin Risk Partners, a large agency in Lakeland, Florida. She calls Lakeland home, with her husband and two kids, as well as her current co-worker, the family dog - Miss Lana. When Michelle is not busy teaching and mentoring in the office and throughout the industry, she loves coaching her kid’s sports teams, and cooking, reading and running.

Insurance was not Michelle’s initial end goal, something that seems common amongst a lot of us that end up here. She decided to work in the insurance world while putting some other plans on hold. During that time, she got acquainted with NetVU. She realized that insurance is a real career path that offers so much growth and endless potential. She chose to stick around a bit longer, and here she is 15 years later.

Her initial introduction to NetVU was courtesy of her boss at the time who took her to Accelerate. She quickly learned to introduce herself to as many people as she could because these people would soon become mentors and lifelong friends. These mentors along with NetVU’s resources helped Michelle become very familiar with the Vertafore systems she uses today such as WorkSmart, Sagitta, AMS360, RiskMatch, and ReferenceConnect. Michelle urges everyone to fully utilize their Vertafore products, “Don’t be afraid to talk to anyone. Everyone at all levels is truly willing to contribute and help you succeed. The NetVU community is THE most collaborative industry organization I have been a part of.”

Michelle believes a major part of NetVU’s collaborative environment is the NetVU Community (NCOM). The community is an invaluable way to network and collaborate with colleagues, mentors, and friends, about systems and structures in your everyday work environment. Michelle uses the community as an everyday resource to see what is up and coming in the industry, with Vertafore, and at NetVU. Michelle loves finding advantages and hidden caveats that will help your team succeed. “The groups and organizations that use NetVU Community are so diverse; you will get so many perspectives and different experiences on the practicality of solutions.”

Michelle has a strong piece of advice to newcomers into the insurance world, “Insurance is huge, diverse and nuanced. Patience, an open mind and a willingness to learn will give you a wide and varied lifetime career”. So, if you are new to the industry, or just new to NetVU, don’t be afraid to ask questions and seek answers. The NetVU Community is a great place to get started. Michelle and the NetVU staff are here to help!

You can connect with Michelle and say hello on the NetVU Community.

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4/1/2024Accelerate, Powered By NetVU 2024New OrleansLANC2024
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4/17/2024AMS360 & Sagitta: Making Download Work For You, Part 1Virtual WIEDU2404