For Dean Germain, serving Main Street USA isn’t just a job—it’s a calling.

After growing up in Michigan and Illinois, Germain found his way to Nashville, Tennessee, in 1989. He was a network engineer for about ten years, but his work required him to travel often, and he wanted to spend more time with his family. That’s when a friend suggested that he work with her husband at Allied Home Mortgage. Germain signed up on October 31, 2002, and began his journey into the mortgage industry.

Jack Mander, of NAIFA-AK, protects Alaskan families with insurance, financial planning, and a heart for service.

Getting Started

Mander grew up in Nassau County, New York, but found himself on the opposite side of the country for a summer job during college: commercial fishing in Alaska. A life-long nature lover, Mander fell in love with Alaska’s beauty and decided to make his home in Anchorage. After earning a bachelor’s degree in Russian Language and Economics from the University of Alaska Anchorage, Mander began his career in insurance and financial services.

Chadd Watson, LUTCF, RICP, is an unabashed people person with a passion for helping others achieve their goals.

Watson was born and raised in Utah. He spent his early career as a high school football coach and photography and multimedia teacher. After he started a family, however, he began looking for other opportunities and found one through a close friend who was a claims manager with State Farm. Watson wasn’t sure if insurance was a good fit for him at first. However, after he started talking to agents, he was impressed to find them genuine and caring, so he decided to give it a try. He became a State Farm agent in 2007. After five years, State Farm asked him to lead a team of agents in Northern Nevada, where he and his family have stayed since.

Belle Ives is a financial advisor and high school field hockey coach with a passion for supporting women and serving the LGBTQ+ community.

Ives entered the financial services industry by way of serendipity. Her father was a member of a gym in the same building as Northwestern Mutual’s Boston office. Knowing that athletes tend to be well-suited for financial services, her father’s gym acquaintances suggested Ives apply to work with Northwestern Mutual. It turned out to be a perfect fit.

Angie Hughes, LTCP, is a 22-year insurance veteran and long-term care insurance expert with Producers XL in Salina, Kansas.

Hughes began her insurance career selling property and casualty insurance, but found her true calling in educating agents, advisors, and consumers about long-term care (LTC) planning. “No day is ever the same,” she says, and she thrives on sorting through the complexities of the LTC world to find solutions for her clients.

For Scott Johnson and Tim Johnson, insurance runs in the family. The brothers followed in the footsteps of their father and grandfather and now work together at American National in Bountiful, Utah.

A Shared Mission

Scott and Tim share a passion for building relationships with their clients and their community. Being able to maintain relationships with clients is what keeps them motivated. “We're not a one-and-done community,” says Scott. “You don't go work with somebody and never see him again here.” This connection is what makes a good agent, the brothers agree. Tim adds that persistence, knowledge, discipline, and enthusiasm also play a critical role in an agent’s success.

When Bailey Baker was recruited to work at State Farm by a family friend, she had no idea what she was getting into. So, she did her research. Looking for a career she could retire from, she interviewed State Farm agents and others in the industry, to see if insurance was a good fit. What she found was her calling: helping people protect their lives and livelihoods.

Baker and her team offer a wide array of products, from home and auto insurance to life insurance to pet insurance, and her clients are just as varied. "We have a pretty big range: all generations, all areas. Texas is our client, basically,” she says.

For Michael (Mike) Emmert, serving clients means learning everything there is to know about the products and services he provides.

Emmert has been in the insurance and financial services industry for four and a half years, but he previously had a long career in pharmaceutical sales. He has always strived to learn the intricacies of his industry and develop extensive product knowledge, and he brought that passion and attention to detail to his career in insurance and financial services.

Robert Quinlan, MBA, LUTCF, LACP, has been in the insurance and financial services industry for over 35 years and plans to stay for many, many more.

A Family Tradition

Quinlan is the second in a three-generation tradition of military service. After college, he followed in the footsteps of his mother, who served as a U.S. Army Captain in World War II. Quinlan served three years as an active-duty Field Artillery Officer. His daughter, NAIFA-CO Past President and West Point graduate Kathleen Owings, also served as a U.S. Army Captain, earning the Bronze Star Medal for her service in Iraq.

Frank Seneco has been a member of NAIFA since 1990 and today works with affluent clients addressing a variety of financial concerns from creating family dynasties to eliminating taxes on their investment portfolios. His office is based in Connecticut; however, he assists clients from around the world, helping them reach their financial goals.