Podcasts about m3 insurance

Market trends, industry developments, emerging risks – this is what agribusinesses are focused on every day that their insurance providers are also monitoring. Here to give us a snapshot of what insurance companies are analyzing are Ben DuCharme and Jen Pino-Gallagher of M3 Insurance. Ben is a client executive and Jen is the director of Agriculture, Food and Business. They cover topics around rising insurance prices, property markets, employee compensation, fleet services, cybersecurity, and dairy processing expansion.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Know Your Risk and Insurance Coverage with RiskProNet, we continue our insightful conversation with Matt Cranney from M3 Insurance. Matt leads M3 Elevate, a pioneering small business insurance division that redefines how firms approach this crucial market. He shares how M3 transformed its small business unit into a sustainable, profitable, and high-value operation by leveraging advisory-led, tech-supported strategies.We dive deep into key challenges, including how to balance profitability with excellent service, integrate technology efficiently, streamline workflows, and align producer and carrier incentives. If you're looking to optimize your agency's small business unit, this is an episode packed with practical takeaways. Tune in for part two of our discussion with Matt Cranney and gain valuable insights into the future of small business insurance.Timecodes00:00 Introduction: Welcome Back with Matt Cranney00:47 The Philosophy Behind M3 Elevate's Success02:30 Small Business vs. Large Commercial: Navigating the Challenges05:00 Creating an Agency within an Agency: M3's Unique Structure07:17 Cross-Selling & Internal Workflows for Small Business Insurance10:26 Producer Roles & Expectations in Small Business Units13:39 Touchpoints & Customer Experience: How Often Should You Engage?17:13 The Power of Insurance Technology in Small Business Operations20:21 Why M3 Elevate Took a Cautious Approach to InsurTech Adoption22:45 Specialization & Growth Strategies for Small Business Accounts24:50 Managing Workload & Scaling Small Business Books Effectively27:10 Producer Compensation, Sales Goals, and Performance Tracking30:05 Carrier Consolidation: Strategy for Building Strong Partnerships32:26 Key Lessons: What to Avoid When Building a Small Business Unit35:15 Final Thoughts & Closing RemarksResources:Become a member at RiskProNet.comConnect with Matt Cranney on LinkedinConnect with Chip Arenchild on LinkedIn

Fast Break Takeover is a special student-produced episode of M3 Insurance's podcast, Fast Break. Hosted by Dax Anderson, Greta Euclide, and Orlando Pino, students from Sun Prairie's Business Leadership Academy, this episode dives into the world of small business success through an interview with Brian Euclide, President of TEC Mailing Solutions. Brian shares his journey of building a successful software company in Madison, Wisconsin, offering insights into entrepreneurship, overcoming setbacks, and the importance of workplace culture. The students ask thought-provoking questions about the challenges of starting a business, managing risks, and defining success, while also exploring the role of M3 Insurance in fostering innovation and safety. The episode wraps up with reflections from the students on the valuable lessons they gained from this hands-on project, emphasizing adaptability, leadership, and the power of real-world experiences. Through their engaging conversation with Brian, the students highlight the importance of perseverance, passion, and taking strategic risks in the pursuit of entrepreneurial success.

In this episode of Focus on Outcomes, Matt Thomson, Director of Cyber Liability at M3 Insurance, shares his expertise on managing cyber risks, implementing cybersecurity policies, and navigating the aftermath of cyber incidents. With a background in operational cybersecurity, Matt provides unique insights into the evolving landscape of cyber insurance, including how businesses can optimize their policies and prepare for worst-case scenarios. Learn about incident response best practices, the nuances of cyber insurance, and the critical steps organizations can take to stay protected. Plus, Matt offers advice for business leaders on finding the right broker for their cybersecurity needs.

In this episode of Know Your Risk and Insurance Coverage, we chat with Erik Vandermause from M3 Insurance, who leads the Applied Intelligence team focused on data analytics, digital solutions, and CRM strategies. Erik talks about Broker Pro, a data and insights platform built for brokers, detailing its role in enhancing client outcomes, transforming sales strategies, and optimizing operational efficiencies. He also discusses the impact of generative AI with Gen Pro and how these innovations are reshaping the insurance landscape. Join us to learn about the future of insurance brokerage and the shift toward a data-driven, AI-enhanced approach.Timecodes:00:00 - Introduction to Know Your Risk and Insurance Coverage00:19 - Welcoming Erik Vandermause from M3 Insurance00:45 - Erik's Background: From Accenture to M3 Insurance01:28 - The Development and Purpose of Broker Pro02:35 - Scaling Analytics for Insurance Brokerages03:45 - Transition from Relationship Selling to Data-Driven Strategies06:26 - Implementing AI Tools like Gen Pro in Brokerages09:12 - Overview of Benchmark Pro and Its Use in Client Outcomes12:00 - Ensuring Data Security and Quality in Broker Pro15:00 - Adoption and Training for Broker Pro Users24:20 - Future Roadmap and Additional Data Products for 202534:41 - Closing Thoughts on Broker Pro's Impact and Evolution

Jen Pino-Gallagher, director of food and agribusiness practice at M3 Insurance, has seen cyber attack claims jump in the last six weeks among agribusinesses. She says Google and Amazon were able to recently fight off the largest cyber attacks they've ever seen. She says farmers shouldn't feel that they are overlooked. Cyber criminals see farms as low hanging fruit for easy financial gain. She advises businesses to talk to their insurer about cybercrime coverage, train employees, and make passwords stronger. Sit down with the kids at home to go over safe cyber habits, from passwords to phishing scams to unsafe websites.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode #327: Welcome to the Let's Go Win Podcast, hosted by JM Ryerson. In this exhilarating episode, JM sits down with the incredible guest, Héctor Colón, a 7-time national boxing champion, to explore the essential virtues for life and leadership.Drawing from his extensive experience in the boxing ring, Héctor shares invaluable lessons on courage, humility, temperance, magnanimity, and perseverance. Join us as we delve into the profound significance of these virtues and how they can unlock your true potential in both life and leadership.Join JM Ryerson and Héctor Colón on the Let's Go Win Podcast as they break down the 5 essential virtues for life and leadership. Gain practical insights, actionable strategies, and empowering wisdom that will empower you to embrace these virtues and unlock your full potential.Subscribe now to the Let's Go Win Podcast for an unforgettable journey towards personal and professional growth. Get ready to embrace courage, humility, temperance, magnanimity, and perseverance as the key pillars for living your best life and becoming an exceptional leader.Bio:Héctor Colón is the President and CEO of Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan (LSS). Under his visionary and Servant-Leadership approach, Colón adapted new models and business strategies to increase impact and viability resulting in a multi-million dollar financial turnaround. Héctor is the USA Boxing Board Vice President, serves on the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, and on the Board of Directors for M3 Insurance and Nicolet Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ; NCBS), the holding company for Nicolet National Bank. A seven-time national boxing champion, Colón, authored his first book, "My Journey from Boxing Ring to Boardroom: Five Essential Virtues for Life and Leadership in 20210. Already in 2023, Colón has been named a Titan 100 CEO, Milwaukee Business Journal Power Broker, and will be inducted into the 40 Under 40 Hall of Fame.Contact Héctor:Website: https://champinstitute.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/fromboxingringtoboardroomTwitter: https://twitter.com/HectorColonMKELinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hectorcolonmkeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/hector.colon.mke

Finance veteran Gary Sipiorski has decades of experience in farm finance and ag lending. He also devotes time to the Professional Dairy Producers Financial Literacy program. He stresses the importance of understanding the balance sheet, cashflows, assets, liabilities and projections. The biggest challenge for farmers is finding the time to do it all. But he reminds listeners that any written financial plan is attractive to lenders. Jen Pino-Gallagher of M3 Insurance says agribusinesses are impacted by insurance market trends. Fraudsters are scamming agribusinesses into sending hundreds of thousands of dollars worth products to them -- stealing that product. And food processors are facing uncertainty regarding insurance coverage of ingredients. Congratulations to Kyle and Rachel Zwieg of Ixonia who were named National Outstanding Young Farmers earlier this spring. The family milks 70 cows using robotics. They also operate 1,500 acres of crop land with autonomous technology. Kyle says the adaptation of new technology on the farm in addition to conservation efforts and more, led them to be winners in the National OYF program. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Usually when we give market updates, we're talking about the price of corn, soybeans or commodity inputs or expenses… but there's also some important insurance market updates that producers and agribusiness should know about. Jen Pino-Gallagher is in-studio with us. She's the director of Food & Agribusiness Practice at M3 Insurance. There's two areas in which an agribusiness is impacted by what's happening in the insurance market – your people and your products. Fraudsters are scamming agribusinesses into sending hundreds of thousands of dollars worth products to them -- stealing that product. And food processors are facing uncertainty regarding insurance coverage of ingredients.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chris Gennrich joins the show for a preview of this year's Pulaski Invite! We discuss some of the history of the tournament and then jump into a team synopsis, followed by a preview of every weight class.Do your online apparel order through SportsWorld at http://www.sportsworld1.com or contact them at travis@sportsworld1.comCheck out Fun Company Game Room Store!-https://www.funcompanygamestore.com/Call Ryan Woods of M3 Insurance at 262-402-8204 to get a consultation on your business insurance needs today!

Teague and Steve talk about their experiences at the tournaments they were at this weekend, highlight a MAJOR record being broken, and discuss their favorite matches, moments, and wrestlers from the tournaments this last weekend.Tournaments discussed in order:Riverdale QuadOut-of-State (OPRF, Denver Duals, East Ridge Ruckus, Hutch Varsity Invite, Lueders Invite, 2022-2023 NCASB Wrestling)Sparta InvitationalTKOCraig Belcher Invite-Boys and Girls2023 SCF Girls Wrestling Classic2023 Shell Lake Challenge2023 SCF Wrestling Classic2023 Girls Challenge SeriesCashton Eagle InviteHerb Tyler InvitationalMonroe Invite 2023Raider ChallengeThe Bark Memorial InviteWausau East Lumberjack InviteZelinski Memorial Duals2023 Crazy ClashBurlington Demon InviteHighlander Varsity InviteM&O Conference DualsNortheastern Conference ChampionshipDo your online apparel order through SportsWorld at http://www.sportsworld1.com or contact them at travis@sportsworld1.comCheck out Fun Company Game Room Store!-https://www.funcompanygamestore.com/Call Ryan Woods of M3 Insurance at 262-402-8204 to get a consultation on your business insurance needs today!

Steve and Teague start off the show with Homestead coach Ernie Millard previewing the Highlander Invitational! We discuss the tournament's history and teams that have been historically strong at the tournament. We then talk about the team race and Ernie does a great job previewing kids and matches to watch for at each weight class! We then wrap up the other upcoming tournaments taking place this weekend.Do your online apparel order through SportsWorld at http://www.sportsworld1.com or contact them at travis@sportsworld1.comCheck out Fun Company Game Room Store!-https://www.funcompanygamestore.com/Call Ryan Woods of M3 Insurance at 262-402-8204 to get a consultation on your business insurance needs today!

Description: MRA's Talent Report is an up-to-the-minute review of what is going on in the world of business with an emphasis on talent. This month, MRA's Jim Morgan, VP of Workforce Strategies, and Alicia Kiser, VP of HR of member company M3 Insurance, cover recruiting & retention innovation, talent thinking, HR creativity, and more. Key Takeaways: Work/life balance: Are your people “blenders” – those preferring a work-life blend, or “splitters” – those who prefer work and life to be separated entirely? “Talent Mobility”: Enabling employees to move within the organization is becoming an area of emphasis for many employers With the varying generations in the workplace, HR professionals are spending more time helping with communications including coaching people to avoid statements like “all young people…” or “all old people…” Resources: Become an MRA Member! Talent Report + Webinar Series  Let's Connect: Guest Bio - Alicia Kiser Guest LinkedIn Profile - Alicia Kiser  Guest Bio - Jim Morgan  Guest LinkedIn Profile - Jim Morgan  Host Bio - Sophie Boler  Host LinkedIn Profile - Sophie Boler    Transcript: Transcripts are computer generated -- not 100% accurate word-for-word. 00:00:00:02 - 00:00:23:03 Intro Hello hello, everybody, and welcome to 30 minute THRIVE, your go-to podcast for anything and everything HR, powered by MRA - The Management Association. Looking to stay on top of the ever-changing world of HR? MRA has got you covered. We'll be the first to tell you what's hot and what's not. I'm your host, Sophie Boler, and we are so glad you're here. Now it's time to THRIVE.   00:00:23:14 - 00:00:50:16 Sophie Boler Hello everybody. Thanks for taking the time to spend part of your day with us. I'm excited to introduce our topic and our two guests for today. We're going to be covering how to leverage HR for critical business decisions. So we'll be talking about the current best practices for HR and building strategy. So good thing I have two experts here with me today to really debrief this topic.   00:00:50:23 - 00:01:19:06 Sophie Boler And that is Alicia Kiser, vice president of human resources at member company M3 Insurance, and MRA's Jim Morgan, vice president of workforce strategies. So Jim and Alicia really make a strong duo for today's episode, really based on their expertise and HR background. Alicia  started at M3 insurance as an HR business partner back in 2011 and has climbed the ladder to VP of HR, where she is now.   00:01:19:06 - 00:01:48:05 Sophie Boler And Jim Morgan has an extensive background in business development, HR strategic planning, and he's a keynote speaker on those topics, most recently being on his monthly Talent Report+ webinar. So he'll be sharing some ideas from that as well. So I'm excited to talk to you two today. Thanks for being on the show. I want to really kick off our conversation today with what's happening in the recruiting and retention world.   00:01:48:18 - 00:01:53:05 Sophie Boler So, Jim, do you want to start us off with what innovations you're seeing here?   00:01:53:18 - 00:02:20:14 Jim Morgan Sure. And I'll back it up just a little bit with the Talent Report, because this was something that we started putting together for our 3,000 member companies. One of the values of that and one of the things we can bring back to our members is having the chance to steal some best practices from different organizations. And M3 being one of those leaders who shares what they're doing and some of the ways they're getting around some things to be more effective than the ways they used to do it.   00:02:21:02 - 00:02:44:07 Jim Morgan So we really are, we put the Talent Report webinar together to talk about what's timely, what's happening now, what are the best practices. And so the thoughts and ideas that I'm going to share with you are, you know, this is what we're hearing right now, this is what some of the companies are doing. And Alicia will be able to dig into that a little bit deeper and talk specifically from a company's point of view, some of the things that that they're doing.   00:02:44:07 - 00:03:02:13 Jim Morgan So in the last month, here's a couple of things that we heard in the whole recruiting and retention area. One of the most fascinating things that I found was there was a survey done by Gallup and they were looking at how people manage work-life balance. And they found they really fell into two groups of people that they called splitters and blenders.   00:03:02:22 - 00:03:19:17 Jim Morgan And the splitters were the people that were able to just divide their world, like, “Look, I'm working from 8 until 5 and then I get home and that's it. Now I'm on life balance time,” and others that were more blenders that were like, look, I'm working and I'm, you know, and I'm doing my life at the same time.   00:03:20:03 - 00:03:47:09 Jim Morgan And what was interesting is some of it fell by industry and some of it fell by job type. But the one that was the most interesting to me is when you got into people that were managers of people, it was almost a 50/50 split between blenders and splitters, which I found interesting. But the point in the whole thing was you need to know whether your people are blenders or splitters when you're talking about benefits. You might be giving more hours and that's not what somebody wants.   00:03:47:09 – 00:04:13:06 Jim Morgan Or you might say, “You can leave a little bit early” and they're like, “I don't leave early. I never leave. I'm always working,” and truly understanding how your people are managing. That whole work-life balance really made a difference. The second one that we learned a little bit about was just everybody's focused on learning. And I know Alicia can talk about this and the learning development they do at M3, but companies are really now starting to say, Look, we have to have somebody in charge of this.   00:04:13:06 - 00:04:55:17 Jim Morgan We can't accidentally do our learning and development here. It's got to be more conscientious. It's got to be more specific, and especially with a lot of the younger workers, that career path and development is really a big deal for them. And the last one that we spent some time on was when I called “catch 'em young.” And I think manufacturers have done this for a long time, going back to when the skill sets of skilled technology people, skilled tradespeople, carpentry, masonry, IT, things like that, they weren't finding the people they needed, that they realized that they had to really go back, almost into the middle schools, and start saying, these are jobs that are available.   00:04:55:17 - 00:05:30:07 Jim Morgan So don't rule them out because people have said certain things. And then in high school, getting on the advisory councils for the tech department and making sure people know and at the tech colleges and universities and there we've seen just a huge growth in co-ops, youth apprenticeships and internships that companies are starting to realize that we gotta be the first ones to get in there and find these kids and university students and young adults, and not wait until they're 18, 22, 23, because by then everybody's looking for them.   00:05:30:15 - 00:05:42:10 Jim Morgan So just the strategies that companies are starting to put into place now that say this talent supply chain starts much earlier than the age of 20, and we've got to figure out how to get in there a little bit quicker.   00:05:42:10 - 00:05:58:23 Sophie Boler Absolutely. It's kind of crazy to think that companies are targeting as young as middle school. It just sounds crazy, but that's what's happening. Alicia, Jim mentioned about work-life balance, so I'm curious to know what M3 is doing around work-life balance for your employees.   00:06:00:08 - 00:06:22:07 Alicia Kiser Yeah, absolutely. But first of all, Jim, I need you to send me that report on blenders and splitters. That's fascinating. I'm definitely not a blender. I'm a splitter. If you're a  splitter and you have a team of blenders, I could certainly see how that would bring about some conflict. I think that's really fascinating and a great topic for us to plug into.   00:06:22:07 - 00:06:46:12 Alicia Kiser So kind of in that vein, you know, work-life balance—so we, M3 has chosen to have a hybrid approach to where people work. So what that means for us is that we, and we actually kind of branded this, right, so we could help people understand it with a nice flashy one-pager and did some all-company meetings about it.   00:06:46:12 - 00:07:17:03 Alicia Kiser But what that means to us, what hybrid means to us, is that the office is primary and from there we just ask M3ers to work with their team to figure out when and how often they're in the office versus not in the office. And to us not in the office could mean working from home, but for us, because we are, really revolve around our clients that could also be in the marketplace meeting with prospects and clients in the marketplace.   00:07:17:03 - 00:07:39:17 Alicia Kiser And so and for us, it's really not about butts in seats. I like to talk about that because I think there's a difference in an organization's posture, if you're talking about butts in seats versus being in the office for the right reasons. And we went so far as to define here are some specific instances where we feel like being in the office is a must.   00:07:39:22 - 00:08:15:18 Alicia Kiser So when you're onboarding a new person to your team, when you're having performance issues or communications within your team, you know, during, we are we're in the insurance industry. And so there are certain times of the year where being on the same page and collaborating and connecting is extremely important, maybe more than others. And there are many, many others, but we want to define what are those kind of moments that matter, where being together, physically together is super advantageous and really help   00:08:16:17 - 00:08:18:10 Alicia Kiser M3 stand apart from the rest.   00:08:18:18 - 00:08:36:02 Sophie Boler So I mean, you just mentioned being a hybrid workforce, which is great. So can you dive in a little bit deeper on how you're really handling that to ensure that all your employees, your customers, and M3's needs are being met?   00:08:36:02 - 00:09:10:06 Alicia Kiser Yeah. So: trust. We are not tracking fob swipes or we don't have someone walking around taking attendance every day. We work really hard in whatever we roll out not to manage to the exception. I think it's easy to think about, well, what about, you know, all these people that are going to take advantage of us and, you know, do 2-hour lunches in the middle of the day or do their laundry while they're working from home, and we try to really kind of center around let's not manage to the exception.   00:09:10:23 - 00:09:44:10 Alicia Kiser Let's focus on the majority and deal with the exception as it comes up. And so that's our philosophy around the hybrid work, the hybrid workforce, but just generally most things  at M3. And I think that that bodes well for us from a recruitment and retention perspective. The hybrid, as we've been recruiting, we've had a lot of success in bringing people onto our team whose companies have said, Hey, we aren't going to come into the office until we don't know when.   00:09:44:10 - 00:10:08:23 Alicia Kiser We've also had a lot of success in hiring and bringing people onto the team whose companies have said, like, Hey, we want you to be in the office, butts in seats, every day because of our approach. And I would say as the weeks and the months go on, I am seeing more and more people in the office because I think the kind of excitement or novelty around working from home is wearing off a little bit.   00:10:09:12 - 00:10:16:22 Alicia Kiser But just to have the option and feel like you have the freedom to make a choice, of course, in working with your team, I think goes a long way.   00:10:17:12 - 00:10:39:18 Sophie Boler Oh, absolutely. And I like how you brought up the whole trust aspect because that is so important. I mean, some employees, like we've seen, Jim, they like to work at 9:00, 10:00 at night, and you almost just have to put that trust into them, like they're getting their work done when they feel most productive. And that might mean working at different times depending on the employee.   00:10:40:04 - 00:10:41:12 Alicia Kiser So the blenders, right, Jim?   00:10:41:12 - 00:10:47:01 Jim Morgan Yeah, the I get at 3:00 in the morning are the ones I don't respond to.   00:10:47:12 - 00:10:50:08 Alicia Kiser Yeah. So you're, you're not a blender then.   00:10:50:08 - 00:10:53:06 Jim Morgan I think I am just not between 1 in the morning and 5.   00:10:55:01 – 00:10:55:22 Alicia Kiser There are boundaries.   00:10:56:08 – 00:11:09:18 Sophie Boler I would say I'm a blender, but. Well, moving on, another topic that I'd really like to discuss is what's going on in the talent world. So, Jim, do you want to talk a little bit about what you've been seeing here?   00:11:09:18 – 00:11:39:23 Jim Morgan Yeah, we had three things that we discussed in the Talent Report. The first one was the imposter syndrome, and that was the title that's been given to the 2 years of COVID for employees and college students. And really what it relates to is if you think about those students that lost their junior and senior year in college and what happened in those 2 years, or you think about the people who came out right before the pandemic and their first 2 years of work   00:11:40:09 – 00:11:58:03 Jim Morgan were right in the middle of COVID, that they missed out on a whole bunch of experiences. You know, for the kids in college, that's where you sometimes get your internships. You get to go work for people. You didn't have those opportunities. For those that had started work, you know, how do you figure out the culture? How do you figure out who your mentors are?   00:11:58:04 – 00:12:19:16 Jim Morgan Who do you get to go talk to when you've got questions? Those things got disrupted and companies are now starting to realize things got missed during those couple of years and we may have to back up a little bit and say, you know what, We didn't really get a chance to onboard them the way we like to onboard them or set things up the way we like to because we just couldn't because of the circumstances.   00:12:20:00 – 00:12:42:15 Jim Morgan And so that's been an emphasis for some companies now to say what got missed out on and what blanks do we have to fill in now. Somewhat related to that was one that I called “Got Onboarding?” kind of after the “Got Milk?” campaign. But the whole onboarding process as companies now are moving from the, just the endless search for new employees and recruiting—   00:12:42:16 - 00:13:05:10 Jim Morgan We got to find 10 more and then 10 more and then 10 more—stopping now and saying, well, that's part of it. But once we get 'em, we got to figure out how to keep 'em. And that first week, month, 6 months of the job is just so critical. And so just like in the learning and development area, companies are now looking at onboarding and saying, we really need somebody to look at this strategically.   00:13:05:10 - 00:13:26:12 Jim Morgan Not we got to check these seven boxes, but at the end of it, are people feeling welcome? Do they have a feel for the company and the culture? Is this a place they want to come back to? And I was in M3e just a week ago, and Sean LaBorde, the president, was saying, “You know, we're trying to be a magnet for people,” which I found really interesting, that we want to have spaces   00:13:26:12 - 00:13:56:03 Jim Morgan they want to come to and they want to have conversations they want to be a part of, and then they'll want to be here. And I think that's another part of this whole onboarding and building that culture is creating a spot that's inviting and that that's a place that I do want to be. And then lastly, a discussion on talent  mobility and again, trying to hang on to people and looking at it from, you know, some companies are very passive and they say, Wow, Sophie's a great employee.   00:13:56:09 - 00:14:12:11 Jim Morgan We should figure out how to make her happy and keep her. And they just look at Sophie and say, Wow, we can give her an opportunity here or have her do this and have her do that. And it's a great plan for you to hopefully help you understand your mobility within the organization and your chance to rise in it.   00:14:12:21 - 00:14:31:22 Jim Morgan But it's not really active for the organization. It's not the organization saying, well, not just Sophie, let's find all of our high performers. Let's find everybody and see how do we move them, how do we give them different opportunities, whether it's lateral or up and down. And so then we get into, okay, let's be more active about it.   00:14:31:22 - 00:14:53:14 Jim Morgan Let's put a plan in place that gives people opportunities to figure out what they want to do. And then leading up to ultimately, how do we make this strategic? How is this mobility part of our succession planning of making sure we've always got the next person up so they can get their job done? And talking with companies about where are you with that.   00:14:53:14 - 00:15:13:07 Jim Morgan Because traditionally or historically, I think it's been more of a, well we find a person, let's make sure we hang on to them versus an organization-wide opportunity to say strategically, we've got to look at people and figure out how can we keep moving them up in over 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, and no longer have it be:   00:15:13:13 – 00:15:36:13 Jim Morgan “Well, Alicia, if you stay here for 27 years, here's the opportunity for you to maybe move up a little bit”. So a lot of work on talent, mobility and helping both the employee find their niche and what's going on and the employer making sure that they're not only have the butt in the seat, but that they've got the right people in the right seats so they can be as effective as they possibly can be.   00:15:37:11 – 00:15:48:11 Sophie Boler I love that example, Jim. And just talking about talent mobility, Alicia, is that really a thing at M3? And if it is, what have you really implemented around this?   00:15:49:19 - 00:16:16:01 Alicia Kiser Yeah, so I'm a huge fan of this topic. I actually started my career at a very, very large organization in a role, like a leadership development type program where every 18 months we rotated from one kind of department or discipline to the next, like think operations, HR,, logistics, customer service and while working for a very, very large organization wasn't my cup of tea— 00:16:16:07 - 00:16:51:00 Alicia Kiser I'm certainly happier at a midsized organization—I learned a lot. I would never take that experience back and, you know, the reason why is because I think that it really helps you understand, it helps you build your business acumen. It helps you learn about each of the functions of an organization in that particular industry and in that particular organization and the different levers that can be pulled to produce certain outcomes within that organization or that industry.   00:16:51:09 - 00:17:26:16 Alicia Kiser And without getting the perspective from lots of different disciplines, it's not as easy to do that. And I also think it helps you appreciate what your team, what your peers and coworkers are doing every day. And I think it allows you to have more empathy but just work better together on the softer side of things. And so specific to M3, I would say we are kind of in the early stages of this or working to find more opportunities to infuse talent, mobility, into our development efforts and into our roles.   00:17:27:00 - 00:18:07:17 Alicia Kiser Right now we are absolutely doing it with our internship program, kind of our sales accelerator and sales development program. And, you know, per the reasons that I cited and why I think it's so valuable, we're certainly seeing, you know, those, that work pay off in those particular roles. The other thing that we've done to your comment, Jim, about college students who have lost their junior and senior years potentially entering the workforce: So in our internship program, I mean, we rotate and give them exposure to the different parts of M3.   00:18:07:17 - 00:18:32:03 Alicia Kiser But we also started to partner with our insurance companies that we partner with. M3 is a broker. So we work with hundreds of different insurance companies and you know, those who have offices where we have offices, we've done intern swaps, and that is a fan favorite amongst our interns and interns from our carrier partners, because again, it gives you different perspective.   00:18:32:03 - 00:18:51:21 Alicia Kiser And I think our perspective and our career partners perspective has been, you know, because one could say, well, what if they like that internship program better than this one? It's like, well, we're you know, the rising tide floats all boats, right? We're gaining exposure and excitement and engagement throughout the industry. And, you know, we'll all win in that way.   00:18:51:21 - 00:18:55:14 Sophie Boler Mm. I love that example of intern swapping.   00:18:56:13 - 00:19:02:17 Alicia Kiser It was it's fun. And we're just because it is such a fan favorite looking for more opportunities to do things like that.   00:19:03:04 - 00:19:20:23 Sophie Boler Oh yeah. And even when I was younger or in college, job shadowing companies in their different departments was something I loved to do, to just get exposure of what each department is doing. And then I could find what I like doing and carry on from there.   00:19:20:23 - 00:19:38:08 Alicia Kiser Yeah, as a young person, you kind of know what you want to do, but until you gain those experiences, I don't think you really know and you're secretly building up this business acumen that will for sure to your advantage in the future that you're not even aware of at that time for sure.   00:19:38:11 - 00:19:55:05 Sophie Boler Absolutely. Well, you know, more than ever, we've seen businesses needing to pull together some creative plans when it comes to some of the topics that we've discussed today. So, Jim, I'm curious to know some of the top creative HR strategies that you've been seeing.   00:19:56:08 - 00:20:04:06 Jim Morgan Well, first I have to react to when the host of the show who I think is, you know, in her mid- to early 20 says, “When I was young ...”   00:20:06:05 - 00:20:07:05 Sophie Boler I knew you would say something!   00:20:10:17 - 00:20:36:07 Jim Morgan In the creativity area, a couple of things are happening. We have a lot of companies, especially manufacturers, that English is not the first language for a lot of their workers. And so companies have been spending a lot of time on helping those employees learn English as a second language. But now we're seeing it work the other way, too, and expectations of supervisors and managers to learn the language of the people who are working for them.   00:20:36:07 - 00:20:57:09 Jim Morgan And they're sort of looking at this as if we come at it from both sides, we're going to improve the communications one way or another. And so we've got a lot of people becoming bilingual, both as the worker and as the supervisor, as they try to figure out ways to make sure everybody is communicating as accurately and easily as possible.   00:20:57:09 - 00:21:18:10 Jim Morgan I had an interesting experience in a manufacturing facility where they're always trying to motivate the people that are running their machines, helping them know that, you know, the value they bring to the organization, which is fantastic. And also trying to subtly remind them occasionally that this is a $27 million machine you're running here. So let's make sure, you know, we're taking good care of it.   00:21:19:00 - 00:21:39:02 Jim Morgan And they had actually put the price tag of each machine right on the machine, saying that this lathe is worth this much money or this manufacturing piece is worth this many million dollars. And they said they do it as a way of saying to the people who are operating them, we've put this much trust in you, that we think that this is fantastic.   00:21:39:02 - 00:22:12:02 Jim Morgan You're a skilled operator and that's wonderful. At the same time, you know, saying let's not get sloppy here because there's a lot at stake. And sometimes people sort of take that for granted. Now that I just made fun of you as a young person, generational diversity is one that we're seeing, you know, popping up more in everyone's diversity, equity and inclusion, especially as we have a whole bunch of younger people coming in and a pretty big generation of people still there but on their way out and the HR   00:22:12:02 - 00:22:31:22 Jim Morgan people really having to spend more time with people helping them understand that sentences start with, “Well, you've been here so long, you probably don't know that” or “You just got here. You'll eventually figure it out.” That you know, the harm that's done in a lot of these assumptions of saying, “Well, you've only been here for 2 years, what could you possibly know?”   00:22:32:08 - 00:22:59:21 Jim Morgan And one example here where someone said, Yeah, somebody just said to me, “Well once you've been here longer you'll figure it out.” And your reaction to that is, “Why would you have me figure it out over the next 5 years and keep making the same mistakes? Why don't you just tell me what you know and we can both learn, you know, together,” that there's a lot of things that are kind of taken for granted in the age compartment that, “Oh, that's just a joke” or this “Everybody understands that, you know,”—not so much.   00:23:00:05 - 00:23:25:03 Jim Morgan And so as the generations have very different communication styles, very different ways of communicating, very different life experiences, more time being spent on helping, you know, millennials and Zers understand boomers and Xers and everything in between that we've all done different things. We all bring great assets to the organization. And some of the stereotypes are in the way of that.   00:23:25:03 - 00:23:54:04 Jim Morgan So spending a little bit more time on generational diversity. And then one last one that we had is people have been churning folks like crazy. And an HR department was having a hard time explaining to people that when we get these people in and they stay for 3 weeks and they walk out the door, that's a lot of time and effort wasted, and trying to develop a corporate strategy that says this is HR and the recruiters and the hiring managers and the other people that they work with.   00:23:54:04 - 00:24:14:07 Jim Morgan All of them have to do this together in order for us to hang on to these people. And so they decided to use an all-staff meeting as an example. And they had churned about 30 percent of their people in the past year. So they had talked to 30 people in advance and they got up and said, We're trying to visualize here how much work we're doing, trying to hang on to people.   00:24:14:15 - 00:24:43:17 Jim Morgan And so we're going to give you an example right now of this is how many people walked out the door in the last year and 30 percent of the audience, which was about 100 people, got up and walked out of the all-staff meeting to try to help visualize for people: Do you see how much work this is? And so that was their creative way of saying it is kind of everybody's job and we would really like your help because otherwise we have to go fill those hundred jobs who just walked out the door in the last 35 seconds.   00:24:44:00 - 00:24:48:11 Jim Morgan So I thought that one was a pretty creative way for people to try to get everybody on board.   00:24:48:20 - 00:25:06:07 Sophie Boler Yeah, that is a creative way to show the impact. So Jim talked about generational diversity here. Alicia, how is M3 really handling diversity, equity and inclusions in general and how are you dealing with the whole generational diversity specifically?   00:25:08:01 - 00:25:44:03 Alicia Kiser Yeah, it's certainly ongoing. And I will say we are definitely not an expert in the space, but man, are we grinding. And so I actually co-lead, we have a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, which is a cross-functional group of some leaders, some individual contributors from across the organization, from all of our offices. I work with our CEO to put a strategic plan, if you will, together around diversity, equity, inclusion.   00:25:45:05 - 00:26:38:21 Alicia Kiser And our committee is charged with education and awareness. But we really look for our leadership team to be accountable for and live out within their respective areas, helping M3 move the needle on all things diversity, equity and inclusion. And it's been fun to see how, as we kind of, I recently saw a continuum of an organization's DEI efforts from compliance to committee to leadership owned and then being a truly inclusive organization. I would say we're moving into that leader owned phase of DEI and it's been fun to see our leadership team find their own ways to lean into DEI work.   00:26:38:21 - 00:27:08:15 Alicia Kiser And it's been very different, but it allows them to own it and feel comfortable in leading on it with their respective teams. And so that's been, that's probably been the most notable and most fun thing for me to see. One of the things we moved away from when we were in that committee phase putting the organization's DEI efforts on a committee, a cross-functional committee is a lot and that's a heavy load to carry.   00:27:08:22 - 00:27:36:18 Alicia Kiser And it's tough too because this is this is like not a project, not an initiative. It's a long game, it's a marathon. And it can become discouraging when you're not seeing maybe the immediate results that you want to see. And so when we made that, when we kind of articulated flipping the switch from, Hey, hey, committee, you're actually not, this is, the responsibility for this work isn't on your shoulders, but we'd like you to lead on education and awareness.   00:27:37:01 - 00:28:04:22 Alicia Kiser This, the responsibility and accountability is on the leadership team. That was a big game changer, I think a big moment for us in moving our efforts forward. So maybe that's that's what I would say from a DEI perspective. There's certainly other things. I mean, one thing we're really proud of and I've had an opportunity to talk about with MRA in lots of different forums is our Women's Business Resource Group.   00:28:04:22 - 00:28:30:14 Alicia Kiser So it's essentially an affinity group. We have over half, over 60 percent of our overall population is female. And so that was kind of a natural place for us to start is with women at M3, and especially with all the stats that you've seen kind of within COVID and post-COVID about women exiting the workplace, our focus is keeping M3 women in the workplace.   00:28:31:00 - 00:29:02:03 Alicia Kiser And we started that group in 2018 and just have had a lot of great evolution in terms of providing development opportunities for women at M3 up to giving them opportunities to lead in ways or have more global involvement in work at M3 outside of like the key area that they're focused in from a day-to-day basis, which allows them to get exposure amongst leadership and other people throughout the organization.   00:29:02:18 - 00:29:43:08 Alicia Kiser But it is also a professional development opportunity as well. So those are just a couple of things maybe I would mention. And then as it relates to generational diversity, we're hearing more and more about this in terms of M3's interest in learning about how to navigate through generational diversity—certainly a hot topic. One of the things I'll talk about that we've had a lot of success with and are trying to do more of is finding more natural ways to get different generations to collaborate and build relationships and respect for each other.   00:29:43:17 - 00:30:43:09 Alicia Kiser And so, for example, we've got an overall mentorship program throughout the organization, but we also have mentorship in different pockets. Like, for example, we have a shareholder development program and are really intentional about how we match people up. I think that's one way that we've supported generational diversity, but also going back to your comments, Jim, about onboarding and our development efforts, career planning, career mapping, we as much as possible with so much institutional knowledge with some of the folks that are nearing retirement, we try to lean on those individuals to facilitate our development sessions, training sessions, you know, use their expertise to educate other M3ers and obviously they're not   00:30:44:01 - 00:31:07:09 Alicia Kiser professional speakers or facilitators, or and they don't have that expertise. But our talent development team works to provide the framework for them to share their knowledge, whether that be in-person or on demand, using our learning management system. So really like organize that and deliver it in a way that can be impactful for M3ers of all generations.   00:31:07:09 - 00:31:16:03 Alicia Kiser And so that's maybe a little bit more indirect way of navigating that generational diversity topic.   00:31:17:00 - 00:31:28:06 Sophie Boler I like that, and I like how you brought up mentors. I think mentors are, can, I don't know, lead to huge impacts on the organization and the employee too. But as we really wrap, oops sorry go ahead.   00:31:28:13 - 00:31:52:14 Alicia Kiser Oh no, sorry. I was just going to say I was just on a call this morning with our CEO and he said, “You can't rush wisdom.” And so I think that's very true. And the more that we can get these folks working with each other, I think, you can't rush wisdom. But the more we can help infuse and ensure that that moves from one generation to the next.   00:31:53:04 - 00:32:15:05 Sophie Boler And like you said in a natural way. I like that. But as we do wrap up here, Alicia, Jim has mentioned to me your role at M3 and not only in HR leadership, but just as a leader at the company overall. So what advice would you give to HR professionals trying to move from a tactical position to more of a strategic one?   00:32:15:05 - 00:32:21:06 Sophie Boler And Jim, feel free to offer your thoughts and advice as well.   00:32:21:06 - 00:33:17:18 Alicia Kiser Yeah. So thanks for asking this. I would actually go back to my comments earlier about business acumen. I think, ,and I recently was reflecting on this with my coworker, my colleague, our HR director, and we both agreed that the, our early exposure to an ability to build business acumen was one of the key things that I think helps make that jump from I call it like taking off my department hat on and putting my M3 hat on and I think what that has allowed me to do is, of course, truly understand the business and the different levers that make the business work, but also helps me to be viewed as a more valuable partner   00:33:17:18 - 00:33:45:16 Alicia Kiser to the other leaders throughout the organization, and helps have my opinions and perspectives validated because I'm not necessarily just approaching it through my department's lens, but trying to frame it in a way that considers all lenses. And I certainly so. so I just I would go back to that business acumen. I think that's a really big one.   00:33:47:04 - 00:33:54:10 Sophie Boler Jim, anything to add?    00:33:54:10 - 00:34:13:12 Jim Morgan I would say that's the biggest one. And I think the advantage right now is with the talent issue being what it is, you all of a sudden are one of the most important people in the decision-making process because they can find land, they can find a building, they can get a loan. But at the end of the day, somebody has to say, well, where are we going to find people to do it?   00:34:13:12 - 00:34:36:06 Jim Morgan And that is the HR person. And the second one is with all of the HRISs out there and all the data that's being collected in the HR department now, you also become a data analyst, and you can provide information on an awful lot of things that's very business related. So I think both of those go right back to what Alicia said is that you're not making HR decisions.   00:34:36:06 - 00:34:42:20 Jim Morgan You're making business, strategic business decisions, and that immediately elevate you to a different level.   00:34:42:20 - 00:35:14:06 Alicia Kiser And if I could if I could summarize, I would say I always view myself—and I think this can apply to any department, whether you're marketing, finance, HR, customer service—I consider myself a business person first, and HR just as the discipline or the way that I choose to channel my business skills, and I think if we think more like that, making that jump from tactical to strategic becomes, it becomes easier and fun.   00:35:14:16 - 00:35:37:09 Sophie Boler And that's some good advice. Yeah. Well, I want to thank both of you for being on the 30 minute THRIVE podcast today and sharing your knowledge on the latest of using HR as a strategic partner. So if you liked our chat and topic today, I want to encourage listeners to share this episode, leave a comment or review, and consider joining MRA if you aren't a member already.   00:35:37:14 - 00:36:00:15 Sophie Boler We've got all the resources you need in the show notes below, so take a look at those and we have linked Jim and Alicia's email and LinkedIn profile in the show notes below. So if you'd like to get in touch with them or just chat about whatever, they're available for you. Otherwise, thank you so much for tuning in today and thank you both for the great info and we will see you next week.   00:36:01:01 - 00:36:02:00 Alicia Kiser Thanks for having me.   00:36:02:13 - 00:36:03:07 Jim Morgan Thank you, Sophie.   00:36:04:01 - 00:36:26:08 Outro And that wraps up our content for this episode. Be sure to reference the show notes, where you can sign up to connect for more podcast updates. Check out other MRA episodes on your favorite podcast platform. And as always, make sure to follow MRA's 30 minute THRIVE so you don't miss out. Thanks for tuning in and we'll see you next Wednesday to carry on the HR conversation.'''  

We run through every tournament that took place this past weekend, highlighting our favorite matches, brackets, and team races that took place throughout!Tournaments discussed:Fennimore QuadOut-of-State Tournaments2023 Dave Cohen Classic2023 Freedom Irish Invite2023 Ladysmith Invitational2023 Valders Viking Scramble2023 Warrior's Cup Girl's Invitational52nd Peshtigo Wrestling InvitationalAshland Northland InviteBadger ScrambleChippewa Falls InvitationalCutler Classic InvitationalFVL ScrambleIthaca-Weston InvitationalKen Heine Blackshirt InvitationalNorski InviteRick Lawinger InvitationalRumble by the Lake DualsTiger InviteWestby High School DualsWolverine DualsAquinas QuadHayward Thursday Night FightsLena Multi DualB-W DualsDo your online apparel order through SportsWorld at http://www.sportsworld1.com or contact them at travis@sportsworld1.comCheck out Fun Company Game Room Store!-https://www.funcompanygamestore.com/Call Ryan Woods of M3 Insurance at 262-402-8204 to get a consultation on your business insurance needs today!

After a JAM PACKED weekend, Teague and Steve talk through some out of state tournament action before hopping right into all the tournaments that took place this weekend! From the Duffy to the Cheesehead to the Cadott Invite to the Lancaster Invite (and about twenty more tournaments) there was great action to be discussed in every corner of the state! We talk some of the biggest matches, athletes, and team races from each tournament this weekend.Tournaments discussed in order:Out of State tournaments (XLVII Sycamore Invitational, Escanaba Elks, Johnny Drennan 85 Memorial, Gary Baker Invitational, Cannon Falls Invitational, Polo Invitational)Cheesehead Invitational2023 Bauer Brawl2023 Bluejay Invitational2023 Lancer Girls Invitational2023 Lancer Invitational2023 Lee Griffin Invite2023 Lee Griffin Invite-Women's2023 Sauk Prairie Eagle Invite66th Fred Lehrke InvitationalBradford InvitationalCadott Invitational-Men and Women'sGreen Bay United Scramble 2023Manawa InvitationalNew Richmond InvitationalOmro InvitationalRocket ScrambleSuperior Spartan ClassicThe Clash XXCentral Girls InviteLena QuadShiocton Clausen DualsThe Duffy Do your online apparel order through SportsWorld at http://www.sportsworld1.com or contact them at travis@sportsworld1.comCheck out Fun Company Game Room Store!-https://www.funcompanygamestore.com/Call Ryan Woods of M3 Insurance at 262-402-8204 to get a consultation on your business insurance needs today!

Teague is joined by the Godfather of the Cheesehead himself Scott Kluever for a preview of this year's tournament! Scott fills us in on the new teams joining the tournament this year, we talk about the duals taking place Thursday Night between nationally ranked teams, and then jump right into the weight class-by-weight class preview for this year's tournament! We close the show by talking about how the team battle could shake out, both overall and amongst Wisconsin teams.New Teams/Duals-3:55106-145-22:40152-HWT-51:25Team Talk-1:16:55Do your online apparel order through SportsWorld at http://www.sportsworld1.com or contact them at travis@sportsworld1.comCheck out Fun Company Game Room Store!-https://www.funcompanygamestore.com/Call Ryan Woods of M3 Insurance at 262-402-8204 to get a consultation on your business insurance needs today!

Teague and Steve recap the tournaments from the Holiday weekend! We touch on the out of state tournaments that teams took part in, then hop into the in-state tournaments that took place. For each in-state tournament we run through the top 10 teams, each finals match, and discuss matches, wrestlers, and teams that stood out to us throughout the jam packed couple of days!Tournaments discussed:The FlavinDefiance Tri-State Border BattleHoly Angels TournamentTom Dineen InvitationalSgt. Andrew Wallace Memorial ScrambleEau Claire Holiday DualsNorthern ExposureNorthern Badger Boys/GirlsMid-StatesOn the WaterBi State Women's ShowcaseBi-State ClassicDo your online apparel order through SportsWorld at http://www.sportsworld1.com or contact them at travis@sportsworld1.comCheck out Fun Company Game Room Store!-https://www.funcompanygamestore.com/Call Ryan Woods of M3 Insurance at 262-402-8204 to get a consultation on your business insurance needs today!

Teague and Steve are joined by Josh Raymond of the Al and Josh Show (Minnesota Wrestling Podcast) for a preview of the 2022 Bi-State Classic! We run through each weight class, giving the top 8 auto seeds and discussing guys outside of the top 8 that could make an impact. Josh also does a great job giving his perspective on the Minnesota wrestlers who will be competing in the tournament at each weight as well! Teague and Steve of course make their predictions in each weight class as well, and then we close the show by talking about the team battles in each division and who we think will win the overall team race. 106-145: 9:45152-HWT: 54:40Team Talk: 1:37:10Follow all the Bi-State action and check out all the information regarding the tournament at https://bistateclassic.com/Check out the Al and Josh Show at https://al-and-josh-show.blubrry.net/ Do your online apparel order through SportsWorld at http://www.sportsworld1.com or contact them at travis@sportsworld1.comCheck out Fun Company Game Room Store!-https://www.funcompanygamestore.com/To sign up for the TWO (Takedowns with Olympians) Series New Year's Eve Intensive Camp contact Brian Back at 715-459-4090 or obsessedwrestler36@gmail.com!Call Ryan Woods of M3 Insurance at 262-402-8204 to get a consultation on your business insurance needs today!

Teague and Steve discuss their plans for the upcoming week including a big dual between Holmen and Aquinas on Tuesday along with attending the first ever Girl's Dual taking place between Eau Claire North and Nekoosa/Assumption on Thursday! We then jump into a recap from the weekend, starting with noticeable dual results from Thursday/Friday, then moving to a slew of big out of state tournaments, then get into the Wisconsin tournaments taking place over the weekend, including Teague and Steve's experiences at the Richland Center Invite and Waterloo Friday Night Duals. It was a great weekend of wrestling!Tournaments discussed:Thursday/Friday TidbitsOut of State Tournaments (Minnesota Christmas Tournament, Carnahan, Rex Whitlach Invitational, Dvorak Invitational, Northfield Larry Severson Invite, FCLMC Holiday Tournament)Richland Center Invite2022 E.H. Stech Invitational2022 Menasha Girls Invite2022 Mount Horeb Varsity InviteBadger State InvitationalBadger State Girls InvitationalAuburndale InvitationalFond Du Lac InviteShawano High School Holiday ClassicOostburg InvitationalWickersham Memorial Christmas ClassicWildcat InviteWillard Schmidt InviteWillard Schmidt Girls InviteDemon Holiday InviteWhitehall InvitationalWaterloo Friday Night DualsDo your online apparel order through SportsWorld at http://www.sportsworld1.com or contact them at travis@sportsworld1.comCheck out Fun Company Game Room Store!-https://www.funcompanygamestore.com/To sign up for the TWO (Takedowns with Olympians) Series New Year's Eve Intensive Camp contact Brian Back at 715-459-4090 or obsessedwrestler36@gmail.com!Call Ryan Woods of M3 Insurance at 262-402-8204 to get a consultation on your business insurance needs today!

AWA Co-Owner and Co-Founder (Among many other things) Ben Askren joins Teague and Vision Quest host Brad Crook to discuss some details in his new book, "Funky"! We talk about some big moments from his high school career from generating interest on the Wisconsin Wrestling Online forum, to some of his closer matches throughout his high school career. We then discuss sports psychology, amongst what being great actually means, how one responds to a loss, and how wrestlers can become better teammates for their high school/club teams!Buy Ben's book "Funky" at https://www.amazon.com/Funky-Defiant-Through-Combat-Sports/dp/1637582994/ref=asc_df_1637582994/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=564798395279&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9533515295453120324&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9019276&hvtargid=pla-1646236502292&psc=1Check out the Vision Quest Podcast at https://linktr.ee/visionquestpodcast?fbclid=PAAaYUUv2oP0pOpFkN3juKNQuK6L-SA7rjzdS0ai6eIPojEHuXbkqjls-CDzYDo your online apparel order through SportsWorld at http://www.sportsworld1.com or contact them at travis@sportsworld1.comCheck out Fun Company Game Room Store!-https://www.funcompanygamestore.com/To sign up for the TWO (Takedowns with Olympians) Series New Year's Eve Intensive Camp contact Brian Back at 715-459-4090 or obsessedwrestler36@gmail.com!Call Ryan Woods of M3 Insurance at 262-402-8204 to get a consultation on your business insurance needs today!

Teague and Steve talk about their weekends a little bit, give some info on some Thursday dual results sent their way, discuss the tournaments they attended and their experiences there,  then go into discussing the top teams and matches at every tournament that took place this weekend!Tournaments discussed:Thursday/Friday DualsOut of State TournamentsBattle on the Bay Husky InviteHusky Girls InviteDevils DualsRaider ScrambleTomah ScrambleBarron InvitationalBrillion InvitationalBrillion Girls InvitationalHolidualsLa Crosse Wrestling InvitationalRebel InvitationalSun Prairie Bob Downing ScrambleWaunakee Warrior InviteWhitewater Invitational26th Annual SJNMA Lancer InvitationalNeenah Varsity InviteDo your online apparel order through SportsWorld at http://www.sportsworld1.com or contact them at travis@sportsworld1.comCheck out Fun Company Game Room Store!-https://www.funcompanygamestore.com/To sign up for the TWO (Takedowns with Olympians) Series New Year's Eve Intensive Camp contact Brian Back at 715-459-4090 or obsessedwrestler36@gmail.com!Call Ryan Woods of M3 Insurance at 262-402-8204 to get a consultation on your business insurance needs today!

Battle on the Bay Director Ryan Shefchik joins the show for a preview of this year's tournament in Bay Port! We start by getting a little background from Ryan on his wrestling history, and then we jump right into tournament talk for this weekend! Ryan gives us a brief history on the Battle on the Bay, talks about team champions from the past, and then we discuss the potential team race and give a synopsis on every weight class at this year's loaded tournament! Naturally, we make our picks for the champions as well.Do your online apparel order through SportsWorld at http://www.sportsworld1.com or contact them at travis@sportsworld1.comCheck out Fun Company Game Room Store!-https://www.funcompanygamestore.com/To sign up for the TWO (Takedowns with Olympians) Series New Year's Eve Intensive Camp contact Brian Back at 715-459-4090 or obsessedwrestler36@gmail.com!Call Ryan Woods of M3 Insurance at 262-402-8204 to get a consultation on your business insurance needs today!

Teague and Steve talk about their weekends, the plans for the upcoming week, and then jump right into a recap of the first weekend of action! We discuss every tournament we could find, pointing out notable results, teams, and athletes throughout. The order of the tournaments talked about are listed below:Big Lake Invite (MN)Cliff Keen Independence InvitationalDan Gable DonnybrookGunslinger InviteTom McGarvie Earlybird ScrambleJohn Roberts ScrambleBRF InvitePapermaker InvitationalEllsworth InvitationalNicolet Knight ScrambleGerald Sarge Marking ScrambleCreek ClassicSgt. Nick Mueller Memorial TournamentRoyall InviteHoward Manley DualsLC Spartan DualsBlackshirt Invite-Boys and GirlsWarbird InvitationalReedsburg DualsCatbird DualsJohn Timm DualsKiel Multi-DualCramer Brown Varsity InviteLomira DualsCumberland Island City DualsOconto InvitePieper DualsDo your online apparel order through SportsWorld at http://www.sportsworld1.com or contact them at travis@sportsworld1.comCheck out Fun Company Game Room Store!-https://www.funcompanygamestore.com/To sign up for the TWO (Takedowns with Olympians) Series New Year's Eve Intensive Camp contact Brian Back at 715-459-4090 or obsessedwrestler36@gmail.com!Call Ryan Woods of M3 Insurance at 262-402-8204 to get a consultation on your business insurance needs today!

Ryan McGuire joins the podcast for our third annual discussion on officiating! We start the show off by talking about some of the duals that took place early last week. We ask Ryan what his favorite match was to officiate last year, discuss any changes in the circumstances of the official shortage, and then touch on rule changes and new points of emphasis for the current wrestling season!Sign up to be an official at https://wiaawi.orgDo your online apparel order through SportsWorld at http://www.sportsworld1.com or contact them at travis@sportsworld1.comCheck out Fun Company Game Room Store!-https://www.funcompanygamestore.com/To sign up for the TWO (Takedowns with Olympians) Series New Year's Eve Intensive Camp contact Brian Back at 715-459-4090 or obsessedwrestler36@gmail.com!Call Ryan Woods of M3 Insurance at 262-402-8204 to get a consultation on your business insurance needs today!

Steve is back on the show and him and Teague close out preview season with a preview of the top returning girl's in the state! They take a look at the returning placewinners from each weight class, talk about which wrestlers impressed them the most last year, and talk potential big matchups we could see happening before the State tournament. We then recap the top ten scoring teams at the tournament from last year, predict which teams could crack into the top 10 this year, and close out with our picks for the top two team finishers at State!Do your online apparel order through SportsWorld at http://www.sportsworld1.com or contact them at travis@sportsworld1.comCheck out Fun Company Game Room Store!-https://www.funcompanygamestore.com/To sign up for the TWO (Takedowns with Olympians) Series Turkey Burn Camp contact Brian Back at 715-459-4090 or obsessedwrestler36@gmail.com!Call Ryan Woods of M3 Insurance at 262-402-8204 to get a consultation on your business insurance needs today!

Protecting your business from the growing threat of cyberattacks involves proactively strengthening your business' cybersecurity and protecting it financially with cyber insurance. Beyond suffering a financial loss, businesses hit with cyberattacks also run the risk of reputational damage. Cybersecurity and insurance expert Derek Laczniak, Sr. Executive, Partner and Director at M3 Insurance, and Frank Stephens, President and CEO at Computing Technology Solutions, join us on this episode of the First Business Bank podcast. They will be answering your questions about cybersecurity insurance and how to protect your business from cyberattacks.   #Businessloans #Financing #Businessplan #InterestRate    

Two risk management specialists join us this morning. Just in time for Cybersecurity Month, Jen Pino-Gallagher with M3 Insurance says instances of cyber crimes continue to rise -- and farms are at risk. Last year, the FBI had a record number of complaints with potential losses reaching nearly $7 billion. Dairy analyst and broker Owen Feenstra with ever.ag encourages producers to put their money where it counts in preparation for next year. 2023 may bring even tighter margins. Division of Extension Conservation and Nutrient Management Specialist Kevin Erb says manure application is back on track after being behind due to a late start to the corn silage harvest.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wisconsin State FFA Honors Band Director Monte Dunnum is celebrating 25 years of supporting those young musicians. He works with 65 students each year. Students can be in the band for up to five years or until they turn 21 -- but he says the relationships last forever. "Come by!" "Lie down!" "That'll do!" are some of the phrases you'll hear during a stock dog trial. These border collies start training at around nine months and are ready to compete at around age two or three -- but it's handlers that need the most training, says trainer and sheep farmer John Wentz. Instances of cyber-attacks, ID theft and cyber crimes continue to rise. Last year, the FBI had a record number of complaints with potential losses reaching nearly $7 billion, explains Jen Pino-Gallagher of M3 Insurance. The good news is that more people are becoming aware of their risk, including the ag sector. "I'm too young." "I'm healthy." "I don't want to pay that every month." These are common thoughts people have about life insurance, says Carl Ivey, life advisor with American Family Insurance. He walks us through scenarios where life insurance can help in farm transitions, retirement and taking care of your family if the unthinkable happens.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Instances of cyber-attacks, ID theft and cyber crimes continue to rise. Last year, the FBI had a record number of complaints with potential losses reaching nearly $7 billion, explains Jen Pino-Gallagher of M3 Insurance. The good news is that more people are becoming aware of their risk, including the agriculture sector.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Active shooting has been a sensitive topic. Mass school shootings as well as other threats of violence have spiked dramatically lately in the country. How can we prepare to manage this risk both corporately as a business and as an Individual? In today's episode, Chip is joined by Ted Hayes, the senior risk manager at M3 Insurance. For the past 29 years, Hayes has served as a safety and security consultant to school districts and municipalities in Wisconsin and throughout the United States. He specializes in active shooter training and he has worked extensively with both public and private schools. Additionally, Hayes authors monthly violence prevention articles for various school-related magazines.Whether shooting at an organization lasts two minutes, four minutes, or 12 minutes, you have about three seconds to make the right decision to save your own life. And that starts with creating Mental Action scripts. That you should always have a plan, thought out, not something you have to write down but just thought out. This is just but a preview of the incredible wisdom Ted has in stored for you in the show today. Tune in as Ted dives into pragmatic strategies to change your mindset around shooter situations such as: Having an understanding and adapting the Mental action script, 3 things an active shooter seeks, and the ABCs of weapon control ( A for avoiding the weapon, B for blanketing the weapon with your body and C for controlling it to minimize it from injuring people).In the episode, he also recommends something to chew on immediately after listening to the show: Having an immediate mass notification system, locking up your doors, and developing room security controls.Ted has life-saving knowledge that he can't keep to himself, information that you should definitely grasp.  Tune in as he shares these golden nuggets on active shooter training. Do you get overwhelmed with insurance policies? Are you interested in learning about the different types of insurance and also getting an in-depth look at insurance and risk assessment?   Visit our website at www.riskpronet.com Resources:Follow Chip on LinkedInFollow Ted Hayes on LinkedIn  Learn More About M3Check Out Ted's Book:   If it's Predictable, it's Preventable; More than 2000 Ways To Improve The Safety & Security In Your School. Have Questions You Want Answered? Fill Out This Form 

Kacie Conroy, director of IT at M3 Insurance, has played a major role in the development of BrokerTech Ventures and the broker focused agenda at the major insurtech conference, InsureTech Connect (ITC). She shares her thoughts on tech development in the industry, how to reach future female talent at the start of their professional journey, and offers some sneak peeks from the upcoming BrokerTech Connect agenda at ITC.

                                            Héctor Colón is a Servant-CEO and shares his lessons about how "Humility is at the core of serving others", why "Perseverance is about not giving up" and "Listening is more important than providing feedback" along with other great lessons. Hosted by Siebe Van Der Zee.  About Héctor Colón Servant-CEO, Héctor Colón is the President and CEO of Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan (LSS). Under his visionary and Servant-Leadership approach, Colón has positioned LSS for greatness - adapting new models and business strategies to increase impact and viability for staff, clients and the organization. Before the start of Colón's tenure in 2017, the organization had not met its budget for four consecutive years. During Colón's first three years, LSS grew from over $4 million in losses to $8 million in gains resulting in a $17.6 million financial turnaround. No stranger to financial turnarounds, Colón worked with his team to turn multi-million dollar deficits into multi-million dollar surpluses while serving as Executive Director of the Milwaukee County Department of Health and Human Services. In addition, he led several countywide initiatives, including efforts to reform the juvenile justice system, end chronic homelessness, transform mental health care, and end a 30-year waitlist for disabilities services. Héctor will say that his own personal and professional turnaround began in boxing. As a member and champion of the national USA Boxing team, he won seven national titles and competed in the 1992 Olympic trials. At the height of his boxing career, Colón stepped away from a lucrative boxing career to serve God. Today, he is the USA Boxing Board Vice President where he and the organization focus on inspiring athletes to discover their own path towards personal and professional greatness. He also serves on the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, and the Board of Directors for M3 Insurance, as well as Nicolet Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ; NCBS), the holding company for Nicolet National Bank. Colón's life experiences and success prepared him to answer the call of Servant-CEO. He is working to inspire a Servant-CEO collective to revolutionize the social services sector as we know it today in the following ways: • Position the nonprofit industry as the employer of choice • Fully commit to the growth and development of all clients and their potential for greatness • Reimagine a Servant-Led sector that will thrive well beyond the next century Colón was named a 2021 Notable Minority Leader and the 2019 Nonprofit Executive of the Year by BizTimes Media. He also was chosen as Hispanic Man of the year by United Migrant Opportunity Services (UMOS). His first book, “From Boxing Ring to Boardroom: Five Virtues For Life and Leadership” is available for purchase on amazon.com. He launched LSS' first podcast, "In the Ring with Héctor Colón" on March 16th. Episode Notes Lesson 1. Courage is about facing your fears 04:47 Lesson 2. Humility at its core is about serving others 07:21 Lesson 3. Temperance is about self-control and restraint 11:19 Lesson 4. Magnanimity is about striving for excellence 14:18 Lesson 5. Perseverance is about not giving up 16:56 Lesson 6. Listening is more important than providing feedback 20:51 Lesson 7. Empathy is about your willingness to walk in some else's shoes 26:06 Lesson 8. Stewardship is about paying it forward 30:59 Lesson 9. Commitment to growth of people is a great way to give back 35:01 Lesson 10. Building community is about equity diversity and inclusion. 39:06

Jill Welke talks with economist Dan Basse, who says the world is facing a commodity super cycle. That means we've produced a record grain crop, but are consuming more than we've produced. He predicts a bullish market into 2023 and 2024. Brazil and surrounding countries are seeing record heat and dryness, recording an average of 107 degrees for one week. Stephanie Hoff and Jen Pino-Gallagher of M3 Insurance go over why food processors are a target for hackers. She says cybercrimes of all types are on the rise, increasing 600 percent as a result of the pandemic due to people working remotely. 2022 is expected to be another record-breaking year for cyberattacks. She says companies of all sizes are at risk of cyberattacks. Highly publicized attacks of large food systems include an Iowa grain cooperative, Colonial Pipeline and JBS. Dairy economist Mark Stephenson breaks down key issues in the dairy industry and how that will impact markets through the rest of the year. This includes the Southwest seeing dairy farms come offline, new dairy processing facilities, spring flush predictions and FMMO reform. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Legislation and laws that are in place in other states can become starters for policy in places like Wisconsin too.  Sometimes that's good - sometimes it's not.  Stephanie Hoff discusses how Prop 12 in California is changing the way not only pork producers look at their marketplace, but also how consumers pocketbooks are impacted.  Dr. Brenda Boetel, UW-River Falls professor provides perspective. Cyber security isn't something normally associated with agriculture, but Aaron Zimmerman talks with Emily Selck from M3 Insurance about how cyber hacking has changed and begun to focus on agriculture and food processors. John Hineberg with Total Farm Marketing says choppiness in the markets is what should be expected.  Traders keep looking at South American weather, and China is back in the marketplace. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Since specializing in construction and real estate, M3 Insurance Agency has seen massive company and culture growth. This new direction in the construction industry means learning the ins and outs of general liability contracts for their clients. For Scott Faris, a senior member of the Real Estate and Construction Risk Practice Group at M3 Insurance, specializing has provided opportunity for learning with other experts in the field. Listen to Chip and Scott discuss why specialization can elevate your agency.  ResourcesConnect on LinkedIn with Chip Arenchild and Scott Faris Check out InterWest Insurance Services and M3 Insurance Learn more about RiskProNet check out our website. Follow us on Twitter.

Wisconsin is a food processing powerhouse. And that critical infrastructure makes the Badger State vulnerable to cyberattacks, according to Jen Pino-Gallagher of M3 Insurance. Pino-Gallagher is the director of agriculture, food and business at M3. She says any operations with internet, email or software, then essentially those businesses are at risk. Hackers target food processors to steal data, company information or even shut down the operation in order to get money, she explains. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, we talk with Jason Nordby, who is a senior account executive and partner at M3 Insurance, specializing in employee benefits and coordinating ongoing service for clients to ensure that their coverage meets their needs. Jason is also M3's director of employee benefits captive practice. In this role, he serves as a subject matter expert, strategist, and thought leader on health captives agency-wide.Jason explains how the healthcare system and the insurance world around it were “broken” as he started his career 27 years ago. He describes what benefits captives are and how they came into their own during the early days of Obamacare.He says the introduction of employee benefits captives was the biggest twist he's seen in his career. With this innovation, forward-thinking, data-driven employers could pool together with like-minded organizations to create stability for themselves as purchasers of healthcare insurance. Jason explains how captives allow organizations “to exit a dirty risk pool and enter into a cleaner pool” with other groups that are doing similar things to manage and mitigate risk. This affords employers the benefits of being self-funded while gaining access to more data so they can be more strategic. Lastly, we invite you to weigh in on the heated debate about who asked the better questions: Jennifer or Mike.Connect with Jason on LinkedInConnect on LinkedIn with our hosts, Jennifer Jones and Mike PattengaleHave feedback, questions, or suggestions for show ideas? Send them to us at podcast@springbuk.com.Please rate and review us on your favorite podcast platform, and share it with your friends and colleagues. We appreciate you and thank you for listening!Produced by David PittmanTheme music: "Overboard" by Stay Outside

Have you ever wondered what goes on inside the mind of a CEO? My interview with Mike Victorson dives into the ins and outs of one of the most interesting career paths a person could take! "Vic" is the CEO of M3, but he started in the mailroom! Tune in to hear his excellent advice in leadership, storytelling, and question formation, and hear how he has shaped the organic growth at M3 Insurance! If you don't know, M3 Insurance is Wisconsin's largest independent insurance broker. They help their clients buy insurance, manage risk, and keep people safe! I had the opportunity to intern here this summer!

Even though Direct Contracting has been around for decades, employers are finding creative ways to tailor their employees' health care needs. On this episode of Side Affects, we have invited our partner at M3 Insurance, Vice-President of Employee Benefits Sales, Ryan Barbieri, to present how Direct Contracting has adapted beyond the single provider relationship for employers. Kenzie McEvily and guest host Anne Marie Singleton ask Ryan to dig deeper into Direct Contracting and share how those employers willing to tackle the non-traditional methods of health care could reap benefits beyond the ROI. Find out if you have what it takes as an employer to put direct contracting into motion for a long-term solution.

In a time when every company is grappling to define the feel of their new virtual workplace, we talk to two extremely accomplished CEOs to find out how they are building and maintaining culture, overcoming obstacles and still growing their organizations during COVID.We talk to Hector Colon, CEO of Lutheran Social Services and Michael Victorson, CEO of M3 Insurance. They have great insight into how to manage remote teams, how to keep morale up, what job searchers should be doing right now, how to build a great team, and their path to leadership.

As the insurance market hardens, pricing on average is up approximately 15-25% higher than it was this time last year. In addition, the insurance market isn't expected to get any better over the next two years. We asked insurance specialists from M3 Insurance to join us to talk about what multifamily housing developers and owners can do to control their rates and get the best terms and pricing from insurance companies. Brad Winchester and Isaac Bechen offer advice on how to align with your insurance provider and initiatives to think about as you strategically plan for the future.