Few people have worked harder on behalf of agents and brokers in the state of Illinois than Gary Semmer, ex-president of the Independent Insurance Agents of Illinois (IIAI) and recipient of the coveted Cartwright Award in 2007 for services to agents and brokers in the state.
He’s a familiar face among insurance agents in the Midwest, but Semmer didn’t always work in the intermediary business. After majoring in Finance & Marketing at the University of Minnesota, Carlson School of Business, young Semmer interviewed with a few banks, stock brokerages and insurance companies. His college roommate suggested he interview with the St. Paul Insurance Company (now known as Travelers), where he landed a job as a commercial underwriter and moved to Chicago.
After a two-year stint with Travelers, Semmer took a new job as an account executive at Spillman & Wotyla – the predecessor to Esser Hayes – where he worked his way up to become vice president and partner in 1985. Today, Semmer serves as executive vice president and partner at Esser Hayes Insurance Group, a large regional insurance agency headquartered in Naperville, IL.
“The best part of my job at Esser Hayes is working with clients to structure complex insurance and risk management programs. I also enjoy solving coverage issues when they arise,” Semmer told Insurance Business. “One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned throughout my career is that teamwork is critical to handling a large client base. You need a solid account management, risk management and claims management team to work together to provide best-in-class services and resources. I believe we do that well at Esser Hayes.”
Alongside a successful career at Esser Hayes, Semmer has been giving back to the insurance industry in many ways. He was president of the IIAI from 1997 to 1998 and also served on the board of governors of the Society of Certified Insurance Counselors [CIC] for the National Alliance of Insurance and Education & Research from 1993 to 1999. In addition, he has conducted seminars for the Society of CIC and Illinois State University’s Katie School of Insurance.
Helping the next generation get a foothold in insurance clearly means a lot to Semmer. He advises all new entrants to “learn the business.”
“Insurance and risk management is a very complex field and our clients rely on us for our expertise,” he said. “In commercial insurance, I would advise people to pick a niche or a major and choose a few minors to become proficient in. Clients can really tell the difference between someone who knows their stuff and someone who doesn’t.”
Like many successful businessmen, success for Semmer has come with the correct balance of work and home life. Outside of work, he enjoys boating, fishing, traveling and a spot of wine tasting. In fact, if he wasn’t working in insurance, Semmer says one of his dream jobs would be to own a winery in the Napa Valley. We’ll say “cheers” to that!
