November/December, 2011
Dr. Michael Tidwell, Dean
www.bloomu.edu/cob
(570) 389-4745
Alums Have Maximum Impact in Insurance Industry
The goal of a college education is
to place students on stable footing
as they take the first steps on their
career paths. Five alumni who lead
successful insurance companies say
Bloomsburg University met that goal
for them and provided the skills they
needed for advancement.
“The best thing about my education was that my instructors offered
Chris Shipe
CEO, Loudoun Mutual Insurance
a great deal of practical insight, rather than just theoretical knowledge,”
says Chris Shipe ’83, president and
CEO of Loudoun Mutual Insurance in
Waterford, Va. A business management and marketing major specializing in public administration, Shipe
says he had not planned on entering
the insurance industry, but grasped
Millville Mutual’s “incredible opportunity” in his hometown as a starting
point in his career.
Robert Lyon, a 1985 finance graduate, also had different career plans.
Lyon worked as a public accountant
before networking led him to Miller
Mutual Group, based in Harrisburg,
where he worked his way up to
president and CEO. “My Bloomsburg
experience prepared me for my
initial career as a public accountant,”
he says, “then the foundation my
education gave me let me expand
and move forward.”
Before college, Scott Ridge ’84
was unsure if he wanted to enter his
family’s firm, but after trying BU’s
finance program, the business “really clicked.” As managing partner of
the Malibu Creek Group in Swarthmore, Pa., Ridge launched a program
that reduces the cost of liability
insurance to physicians by 30 to 40
percent. Seeking to eliminate the
burden of a health care provider’s
largest expense, he hopes to take
the program nationwide.
“My partner in designing the
program, Dave Morgan, is also a BU
grad,” Ridge says. “After working
with us, a Philadelphia-based CPA
reviewing the program for his physician clients said he would definitely
look into hiring more people from
Bloomsburg.”
The College of Business dean’s
recommendation secured a position at locally based Millville Mutual
Insurance for business education
graduate M. Paige Raski ’75. Raski,
now president of the firm, thanks
his education for teaching him the
basics to expand upon.
“The workforce isn’t only knowledge, you also need the skills to
work with other people,” Raski
advises current students. “The business world today isn’t the corner
office, bean-counter sort of environ-
ment anymore.”
“You have to keep up and stay
ahead of the technology curve,”
Shipe adds. “You’ve got to keep
learning—don’t think that once you
leave BU you’re done. You have to
remain a lifelong learner to stay
current, stay ahead and meet the
customer’s wants and needs.”
For those who can meet these
demands, jobs exist regardless of
the current economic downturn,
says Michael Boguski ’85, president and CEO of Eastern Insurance
Holdings Inc. (EIHI) in Lancaster. He
parlayed his management degree
into a career in the insurance indus-
Robert Lyon
CEO, Miller Mutual Group
try, joining EIHI in 1997 to launch a
specialty insurance company. Today,
he and the company have turned
$4.2 million in capital into a $140
million company trading on NASDAQ, and have added six regional offices across the country. He says the
industry remains vital for ambitious
2011 Year in Review
Dr. Larry Kleiman
completed a book entitled:
Employee Selection: A Procedural and
Legal Guide (Release in 2012)
David Williams
CEO of Make-a-Wish Foundation
Zeigler Institute for Professional
Development Speaker
Maria Cannon
VP of Operations, Cisco Systems
Voted to the Power 100: The Most
Powerful Women Of The Channel
Brenda I. Nichols
CFO of Larson Design Group
Nominated to College of Business
Executive Advisory Board
Nobel ‘Bud’ Quandel
CEO of Quandel Construction
Named “Businessman of the Year” by
Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce
Michael Gillespie
CAO of Hersha Hospitality Trust
Won CFO of the Year
Growth Specialist Category
Insurance Industry continued...
new graduates entering the field as
the workforce reaches retirement.
“Historically, the industry is very
stable and secure,” says Shipe. “Even
now, throughout the economic hard
times, insurance was not impaired. A
lot of companies are getting hit with
storms now and, as they weather
their issues, it’s a chance for our
industry to prove itself—when bad
things happen to good people, we
respond.”
All five leaders remained positive
about the future of the insurance
industry, emphasizing success lies in
a broad business skill set, a willing-
ness to strive for constant improvement, and the vital technology and
communication skills.
“We’re the tortoise, not the
hare,” says Shipe. “Insurance may
not be glamorous, but we are slow
and steady and it works.”