West Central Region10800 E. Geddes Ave., Ste. 300Englewood, CO 80112 Your good hands at work.

Q2 • 2015 • West Central Region

APRILMonica Witherspoon, MO

MAYPaul Bannister, MO

Debra Gonzales, CO

Florin Dan Stamatoiu, CO

Mitch Wettstein, CO

JUNEJoseph Rutledge, KS

Nate Kinnetz, IA

Justin Caruso, CO

Marcy Smith, CO

Sydney Strausheim, CO

WelcomeNewAgents

Your good hands at work.

there were any non-profits with previous research on the deadly disease that they could support. They found the Head for the Cure organization and have since taken part in the annual 5k event in the Kansas City area and encouraged other Kansas City Allstaters to attend.

Clint says, “When they talked about Head for the Cure it was all just an idea. With the support of the region and home office the idea blew up a lot more than we thought it would. This has really been a team effort.”

So far claims adjustors, agents and the West Central region office have committed to more than $20,000. Clint says “This money is going to make a difference. Allstate has a real chance to bring awareness to this disease through Head for the Cure. The organization has very few corporate sponsors so this chunk

of money will really help a lot. For starting last October and having so many people get involved and support this cause means so much to all of us.”

This year’s 5k event takes place August 23 in Overland Park, KS. Clint says the Allstate agents and employees who plan to participate will be part of the “Jessica and

Renee’s Warriors” team. He said other agents and employees will be handing out water and helping out with the race any way they can. Funds raised for the Head for the Cure Foundation are given to medical centers and hospitals that research new treatments for malignant brain tumors.

“To think it all started with an idea,” Clint says. “Sitting on the couch last October I had no idea it would have gone from what we were thinking to what it is now. It’s pretty neat.”

Clint Woods, Missouri Exclusive Agent, was first impacted by Glioblastoma Multiforme when his sister, Renee, was diagnosed with the deadly disease in September 2004. His

sister became fully bedridden and incoherent the day after Christmas. She later fell into a coma and passed away in February 2005. “That’s really when I understood how deadly and aggressive the disease is,” Clint says.

A few years later Jessica Miley, an Allstate claims adjustor in Kansas City, was diagnosed with the disease in 2013. After experiencing severe headaches, Jessica was told she had Glioblastoma Multiforme while she was pregnant. Katie Corder, who worked in the same claims office at the time, says when the doctors told Jessica she had a cancerous brain tumor “she kept so positive and was ready to take this next journey and beat it. “ Jessica had a baby girl in March 2014 and has since made “an amazing recovery and is a poster child for the disease.”

Clint says after working with Allstate for several years, everyone knows each other. After he heard Jessica had been diagnosed with the same disease as his sister, he wanted to do something to help. In October of last year, Clint teamed up with Katie to see if

Parker, Colorado agency owner Tom Wohrley is passionate about helping others. For more than eight years, Tom has been volunteering with the Parker Task Force/Food

Bank as a food collector. He

says he first started volunteering at the food bank when his sons, Rob and Neil, were in high school because it was something they could do together, and it was a good way to make a difference

in the community. Although his sons have since graduated college, Tom says he still enjoys standing at local

stores and encouraging people to donate food. “Helping people live a joyful life can be as simple as them having food on the table. This is something I can do to help out in the community.”Since 2013, Tom has also been traveling to Haiti annually with his wife, Marta, and other members of the Parker community to build schools. Tom says until he

first travelled there, he never realized how much help the Haitians needed to rebuild what was lost in the 2010 earthquake. Tom explains, “People become real when you help them. It was very rewarding to work side by side with Haitians to build a school for their children and their children’s children.”

AgentApplause is the West Central Region’s quarterly

newsletter showcasing events and agents in the community. If

you know someone who deserves to be featured in an upcoming

AgentApplause newsletter, please contact Corporate

Relations or your FSL.

Helping Hands Don’t Stop Here

Your good hands at work.

Tom plans to return to Haiti this fall to help build a school with earthquake resistant materials. Tom considers volunteering an integral part of being a small business owner, “It’s my mission to build excellence with others and to help others build a joyful life. I try to do it in my life, community and world around me.”

Strang Teams Up with Iowa Wild to XtheText

Agents in Great Falls, MT Give Back to Schools with “Cash for Your Class” Campaign

Iowa agency owner Tony Strang became a Proud Partner for the Iowa Wild hockey

team shortly after opening his agency in 2013. The Iowa Wild is a young team that’s bringing tremendous attention to the sport in Iowa. “The Iowa Wild is a tremendous group with some truly talented

people both on the team and working for the organization that represent the community well. My relationship with the Wild has allowed me to be a part of their growth and share in their core values of putting fans first,” said Tony. As a partner, Tony has supported the team as they’ve grown in both size and popularity. Promoting the team proudly on his Allstate branded vehicle, attending

games and sponsoring goals and penalty kills has allowed for the relationship between his agency and the organization to grow quickly over the last several years. Throughout this time, Tony and the team have hosted several XtheTXT/Wild nights at games to raise awareness for teen & adult safe driving in the community.

“Teen safe driving is something I’ve been passionate about for a long time. I consistently talk to my customers who are adding a young driver to their policy about this program, and know that hosting pledge events is creating awareness for people to consider their distracted actions behind the wheel. So many times we see people on their phones while they are driving but take the reality of what that outcome may be for granted, if they were involved in an accident”

Early in Tony’s career he experienced the death of a customer due to an accident involving distracted driving. Since then, Tony has committed to partnering with other organizations in the community to increase awareness efforts and hold people accountable for their actions while driving. “In the future, I definitely see more elaborate campaigns in the community with the Iowa Wild and additional community partners. I’m certain that the more attention we bring to this issue, the more we can proactively hold each other accountable and decrease unnecessary loss of life that may come from distracted

driving for both teens and adults.”

Your Marketing Dollar Ideas Join your Local Chamber!

We want to hear from you! Submit your Blueprint Agency Success Story

Do you have an agency success story as a result of utilizing a Marketing Blueprint program? If so, we want to hear from you! Share your Blueprint best practices and how you’ve integrated the programs you’re enrolled in into your agency’s processes. For example, have you seen increased numbers in your insurance reviews due to Extra Hands Appointment Setting Calls, or results from leveraging leads from SalesGenie or Cole? Sharing your stories will help other agencies better understand how to take advantage of these great programs and resources and how to best spend their Executive Advantage Plus dollars to drive results in their agency.

To submit your best practices, contact Regional Marketing Consultant Jessica Heuback at jessica.heuback@allstate.com or 303-779-3961.

For Michelle Colaizzi, an Allstate agency owner in Highlands Ranch, CO, sponsoring the Highlands Ranch Chamber of Commerce has provided the opportunity to connect with other business owners in her community and maintain a local presence. “I started my agency from scratch in 2000. I was eager to be visible in the community and brand my agency.” Michelle is currently a Chairman Circle Sponsor for the Highlands Ranch Chamber of Commerce and serves as an ambassador. In this role, she has the opportunity to attend events like ribbon cuttings and connect with new business owners. Michelle says she has found it’s important to attend every Chamber of Commerce event because it gives her facetime in the community and a chance to meet a lot of people on the ground level. “Being involved with the Chamber of Commerce has really helped me grow my agency. I believe I have a civic duty to volunteer and be involved and this has been a great way to do that.”

Your good hands at work.

Leslie North is Making a Difference in her Community One AHIC Grant at a Time

Since opening her agency in Wildwood, MO in 2003, Allstate Agency owner Leslie North has been committed to volunteering and helping her community in any way possible. Leslie says this is why she takes advantage of the Allstate Foundation’s Agency Hands in the Community grants each year.

The AHIC grant offers agents around the country a chance to be awarded up to five annual $1,000 grants for five non-profits of their choice.

“It’s a good feeling to know that each grant really inspires hope for people and empowers lives. You really see where the money is going and see a difference,” Leslie said.

Though she is extremely passionate about each organization she is involved with, the Cancer Support Community of Greater St. Louis is especially important

to her because her father, Robert, passed away from lung cancer in 1994. “I wish I would have known organizations like this existed when my dad was diagnosed with cancer. This organization provides hands on support for people with cancer and it really makes a difference in their lives. Not only can patients attend support groups, but they can also attend various classes like cooking classes or breathing classes to help them relax.”

Leslie encourages every Agent and Financial Specialists takes advantage of these grants. “I’ve always had the attitude ‘If it can help, let’s do it’ and it’s such a great feeling to know your involvement is making a difference within the community. You can’t buy this feeling.”

In order to apply for the grants, agents have to be involved with charitable, social, or humanitarian organizations.

There are still AHIC Grants Available!Invite your eligible organization to apply at www.allstatefoundation.org/aahic. Grants are awarded on a first come, first serve basis until all funds have been allocated

As an Allstate Agency Owner in Great Falls, MT, Tammy Quintrell-Stubbs has always been involved with her community and supported local schools. This year she and Allstate Agent Dave Copp hosted a competition between area schools called the “Cash for Your Class” competition. They chose the area’s biggest rivals, Great Falls High School and C. M. Russell High School, to participate. The competition kicked off April 1, 2015 and ended May 21, 2015. It was simple, the school with the most votes would win $5,000 and the runner-up would win $1,000. Tammy said “the competition was a fun way for the community to rally around and support two local schools. It was also the perfect opportunity to highlight Allstate and give back to the community.”

The competition held near and dear to Tammy’s heart because she was raised in a low income family and relied on people in the community and afterschool programs to keep her busy. She said there have been a lot of financial cutbacks at many of the Great Falls local schools. “This was a great campaign because I knew the money each school would receive from the Cash for Your Class competition would really help the schools continue to set students up for success, and hopefully keep some of the afterschool programs that were in jeopardy of going away because of the lack

of finances,” Tammy explained. Great Falls High School ended up winning the $5,000 and C.M. Russell High School was given $1,000. Tammy said the Great Falls High School principal was “beyond excited” about winning the competition. Tammy also said she could feel the energy and excitement from all of the students when she presented the school with a large check during an end of the year pep rally.

Agents in Helena, MT and Des Moines, IA have launched a similar campaign called “Cash for Your Community,” where local consumers can vote for their favorite non-profit organization to win $5,000. The competition began June 1, 2015 and will run through July 31, 2015. To learn more visit CashforYourCommunity.org.