Ruble Graduate Seminar - Classroom

Educational Consultant:
Gloria Thompson, CIC

Gloria Thompson began her career in the insurance industry over 40 years ago and obtained her insurance agent's license in 1984. She earned her CIC designation in 2000.  Gloria is currently employed by North Risk Partners as a Risk Advisor and enjoys the opportunities she has to mentor and collaborate with her fellow agents.  Gloria's passion for education and public speaking aligned her with the opportunity to instruct insurance courses. She has taught courses for several organizations, including the National Alliance's CISR program and Kaplan Professional Schools, as well as specific specialty topics written by her and presented at the MIIAB conventions. Gloria is a past board member for the National Alliance's CISR Board of Governors.  Through her service on the Board of Governors she gained in depth knowledge of the CISR program, and watched the program evolve over her six years of service.Currently, Gloria serves as the Education Chair for the Minnesota Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers, which serves as the oversight committee for the National Alliance's continuing education programs in Minnesota. Gloria appreciates the opportunities for mentoring, networking, and involvement in the insurance industry that these organizations provide.  She is also a member of the Twin Cities Insurance Club and has been a guest speaker for various insurance topics for the organization over the years.  She was named Agent of the Year by the Minnesota Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers in 2014.  Dan Riley, CEO of the association said, "Her professional experiences and her vast knowledge of the business have helped thousands of Minnesota agents become the best insurance professionals in the country."  Gloria completed her Educational Consultant training with the National Alliance in May of 2017, and now serves in that role on behalf of the MIIAB for Minnesota CIC and Rubles educational programs

Speaker Day 1:

Ted Kinney
CIC, CPCU, ARM, AU, AAM, AAI, AINS, CRIS

BIO:

Ted Kinney is the owner/President of Kinney Training and Consulting, LLC, which specializes in providing quality insurance training programs to agencies and companies throughout the United States.

Ted also serves as the Director of Education and Technical Affairs for the Alabama Independent Insurance Agents in Birmingham, Alabama.  In this position he is responsible for developing agent education programs and providing technical assistance to association members.

Ted has been in the insurance business since his graduation from the Ohio State University in 1973.  During his career, he has worked as an underwriter, field sales manager, department supervisor, marketing specialist, trainer, and insurance agent.  From 1994 to 2003, Ted was the Director of Curriculum and Faculty Development for PIA of Ohio & Indiana.

He is a member of the national faculty for the Risk & Insurance Education Alliance and the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America’s “ask the expert” service.

Speaker Day 2:

Robert Shomo
MBA, CIC

BIO:

Bobby Shomo is President of Shomo-Madsen Insurance which is headquartered in central Iowa. Shomo-Madsen Insurance is a Best Practices Agency recipient for nine years running and represents approximately 16 Insurance Companies with an agency mix of roughly 45% Personal Lines, 25% Commercial Lines, 20% Municipalities and 10% Life and Health.  The agency has six locations and 25 employees with their main office in Marshalltown, Iowa.  They continue to pursue both acquisition and organic growth. Bobby is involved in the agency on a full-time basis as a managing partner, as well as a producer specializing in schools and municipalities and the Human Resources manager. Prior to purchasing his first agency, Bobby spent six years on the company side primarily in casualty claims with rotations in underwriting and loss control. His MBA was earned with concentrations in Finance and Accounting, and he earned his CIC designation in 2012.

Bobby has a passion for education as both a teacher and a student.  His background brings a perspective from both the company and agency sides. In addition, his agency experience has developed from a relatively small, single-owner shop with three employees and a handful of contracts to his current structure with a 50/50 partner, multiple locations and staff of twenty-five. Bobby also brings a fresh perspective to writing insurance coverages with a catastrophic loss perspective having personally experienced three catastrophic weather-related events in a 25-month period.  Starting with an EF-3 (150 mph winds) tornado in July of 2018 that hit main street with his single largest claim being $44,000,000; a major hail event in May of 2019 and a Derecho (106 mph straight-line winds) in August of 2020.