March 23, 2017
RMI Spring Break Trip to Atlanta
Members of the East Carolina University Gamma Iota Sigma (GIS) Beta Theta Chapter spent their 2017 spring break learning all about the world of risk insurance! Twenty students and two faculty from the program traveled to Atlanta in March to tour three organizations.
IBHS
The first stop was the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety’s (IBHS) laboratory in Richburg, SC. Funded by members of the insurance industry, IBHS conducts cutting edge research that builds stronger buildings and communities. More about the Richburg research facility can be found at http://disastersafety.org/ibhs-research-center/research-center-main/. Said IBHS CEO Julie Rochman, “IBHS was thrilled to host these future insurance industry executives at our Research Center, to help give them a full appreciation for the many ways in which our industry helps protect homes, businesses, and communities across the nation.”
The following morning, the group visited RSUI Insurance (http://www.rsui.com/) in Atlanta. The group was treated to a personal tour conducted by Mr. Dave Leonard, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of RSUI. Mr. Leonard is also a proud ECU College of Business alumnus. Many of the RSUI senior executives visited with the group and shared details about their expertise. During the trip the group was also privileged to enjoy a private dinner generously hosted by Mr. Leonard and his wife, Mrs. Pamela Leonard.
RSUI with Mr. Dave Leonard
RPS
Risk Placement Services (RPS) also hosted the students for a visit. Mr. Wayne Leshynski, Senior Vice President of RPS, arranged the visit. There the students were engaged with several top managers who described in great detail the intricacies of the insurance business. Said Prof. Kurt Fickling, a faculty advisor to GIS who went on the trip, “The knowledge the students gained from the RPS team was invaluable and we even lined up an internship for one student who was on the trip.”
Coca-Cola
The group enjoyed a visit to the World of Coca-Cola, which provides an in-depth look at the history, strategy, and manufacturing capabilities of Coca-Cola. Dr. Brenda Wells, the Director of the ECU Risk Management Program and the other faculty advisor on the trip, “While a visit to Coke may not seem like it’s related to risk management, it definitely is. The students get to see high-tech manufacturing equipment in action, as well as interact with exhibits that wonderfully-depict the capabilities of corporate risk management.”
GIS members were treated to this trip through the generous sponsorship of Independent Insurance Agents of North Carolina (IIANC) and Mr. David and Mrs. Pamela Leonard. “We could not provide this wonderful opportunity to our students without the benevolence of IIANC and the Leonards. We appreciate their generosity in ways that words cannot express.”
For more information about the ECU Risk Management and Insurance Program, feel free to contact Dr. Wells at wellsbr@ecu.edu.