President

Amber Townsend, CISR

amber.townsend@hullco.com

President-Elect

Courtney Donato

Vice President

Chad Harrington

Treasurer

Karen Crouch

Secretary

Liz LaGrange

Immediate Past President

Brittany Davis-Stoudt

Officers

Volume 13 Number 5

February 2018

Meeting-at-a-Glance by Amber Townsend amber.townsend@hullco.com February is our Public Relations meeting at

Impastato’s in Metairie—we will present a

check from the proceeds from our golf

tournament to Children’s Hospital.

Get your reservations to Marie Meyers.

Special points of inter-

est:

Contact Amber Townsend if

you are not receiving or

are having trouble opening

emails.

If you have any pictures

from any events, please

forward them to Angela

Falcone

(afalcone@gillis.com) or

Heidi Thrash

(hthrash@gillis.com) for the

President’s scrapbook.

February Board Meeting

2/19/18 @ 5:30 pm

IUL

2610 Edenborn Ave.

Metairie, LA

The Insurance Professionals of

Greater New Orleans

TIWOGNO Tattler

President’s Message by Amber Townsend amber.townsend@hullco.com “The most wasted of all days is one without laughter”

~ E.E. Cummings

Hope everyone enjoyed their Mardi Gras! We had a great January meeting at Augie’s in Harahan; it was great to reconnect with our members after the busy holiday season. Our Public Relations meeting will be at Impastato’s Restaurant in Metairie, LA. We are going to present our proceeds from the Golf Tournament to Children’s Hospital. This charity really means a lot to our community and to me personally, so I am definitely looking forward to presenting them with a check. The Save the Date for the Region VI Conference is attached to this Tattler. The conference will be held from March 8th through March 10, 2018, and will be held in Lafayette, Louisiana. The theme for this year’s convention is: “Going All In Cajun Style.” Hope to see everyone there in March! If you plan on going, please let me know. Reserve your room and send in your registration today! Due to the Regional Conference, we will not hold a formal March meeting, howev-er we will have our New Member Social on Thursday, March 29th, 2018 at Knuck-leheads Bar & Eatery in Metairie starting at 5:30 pm. The flyer is included in the bulletin. Please contact Chad Harrington with any questions. Please also note that we are still looking for alternates for this year’s Nominating Committee. This is a great way to see how the organization interviews candidates for office. In addition, if you are interested in serving on the 2018-2019 Board of Directors, we will need all qualifications by: Monday, March 12. Qualifications for both the Nominating and Board of Directors are attached to this Tattler. Please

contact Brittany Stoudt at bdavis@eri-cleanup.com with any questions.

We will be voting for the International Secretary for IAIP soon. Please look for a

candidate brochure inside this Tattler on Betty Curry who is running for Interna-

tional Secretary. Since voting is “one member one vote” each of you will have the

opportunity to vote in the beginning of April.

We will be selling 50/50 tickets at our February meeting. 3 tickets for $1

February birthday will be drawn at the February meeting.

January Winners:

50/50—Baylie Babin

Birthday—January—Kathy Miller

TIWOGNO Bucks—Heidi Thrash & Pam Geraci

THANKS to our birthday sponsors: January—Mercury Underwriters

February—Burns & Wilcox

If your company would like to sponsor a birthday gift, please contact Niki Landry (nlandry@riskout.com) or Tammy

Caro. We always mention the gift sponsor, so feel free to include a short “blurb” promoting your company that can be

read during the birthday drawing!

International Association of Insurance Professionals

General Mail:

3525 Piedmont Rd., Building 5, Suite 300

Atlanta, GA 30305

Phone: 800-766-6249

Local Phone: (404) 789-3153

Fax: (404) 240-0998

Website: www.internationalinsuranceprofessionals.org

NAIW (International) Staff

Beth Chitnis, CAE Executive Director bchitnis@iaip-ins.org

Rebecca Clusserath Director of Education education@iaip-ins.org

Amanda Hammerli Director of Member Services membership@iaip-ins.org

Betsey Blimline Director of Marketing marketing@iaip-ins.org

Winners/Finance By Lorelei Augustine & Kristy Battistella

If you know of anyone who needs

TIPOGNO’s support – someone battling an

illness or grieving a recent death – please

reach out to Niki Landry

(nlandry@riskout.com) or Tammy Caro

(tammy@martin-agency.com) so that a Get

Well or Sympathy card can be sent on behalf

of

TIPOGNO.

If you know of someone celebrating a joyous

occasion – a job promotion, a new marriage, a

new baby, etc. – please reach out to

Niki Landry or Tammy Caro so that

TIPOGNO can send its congratulations.

Personnel by Sheral Robinson Sheral@rodcoworldwide.com sheral1014@yahoo.com

Please let me know if you have an opening in your office as we do have several people looking. Also please let me know if you

looking for a job.

Personal Lines Rep – Mid City and Mandeville

Marine CSR - CBD

You may call or email me. Please note that all inquires will be held in strict confidence.

Mark your calendars for these upcoming events: February Meeting – Public Relations - Thursday, February 22, 2018 Regional VI Conference - Thursday, March 8 – Saturday, March 10, 2018 New Member Social - Thursday, March 29, 2018 April Meeting – Nominating - Thursday, April 19, 2018 May Meeting – Elections / Annual Reports - Thursday, May 24, 2018 National Convention – St. Louis, Missouri - Thursday, June 7 – Saturday, June 9, 2018

Call for Nominating Committee Members for 2018-2019 Elections

In need of 4 positions, including 1 Past President

Qualifications:

1) Must be a member for at least two (2) fiscal years.

2) May not have served on this committee more than (2) consecutive years

If you are interested in serving on this committee, please notify:

Brittany Davis Stoudt, CPIA

Nominating Committee Chairperson

Email: Bdavis@eri-cleanup.com

504-813-8817

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at anytime to discuss.

Yours in fellowship,

Brittany Davis Stoudt, CPIA

2017-2018 Nominating Committee Chairman

The Insurance Professional of Greater New Orleans

January 2018 General Meeting Minutes The January General Meeting of the Insurance Professionals of Greater New Orleans came to order at 6:11 P.M. The meeting was held at Augie’s in Harahan, LA. Attendance was 43 members of our 88 membership for which a quorum was present and 1 guest. All Officers were present. All Board Members were present except Lisa Walters, Liz Barker and Karen Cottone. Lorelei Augustine led the Collect and Pledge of Allegiance.

Officers Reports

The minutes of the November general meeting were emailed to everyone. Are there any corrections to the minutes? Hearing none, the minutes were approved as published. Correspondence: Liz LaGrange read a letter from Renee Glidewell from Insurance Professionals of Houston thanking TIPOGNO for the gift card we donated to her following Hurricane Harvey. Treasurer: Not scheduled on agenda – Karen will read reports at February meeting. President: Amber Townsend – 1. Acknowledged past presidents in attendance. 2. Cancelled Day of CE due to license renewal changes; hoping to reschedule for next year. 3. Thanked Debbie Harrington and Debbie Lee for a successful Christmas Giving event. 4. Reminder about Regional conference in March in Lafayette, LA. 5. Reminder about National convention in June in St. Louis, MO. 6. Discussed Act 65 of 2003 Louisiana Legislative Session which grants four (4) hours of CE to licensed LA producers who are also active members of a national insurance organization like IAIP. President-Elect: Courtney Donato – Currently looking to fill board of directors and committees for next year. Vice-President: Chad Harrington –as of 1/25/18 we have 88 members total. Membership goal for the year is 100. The New Member Social will be in March at the Bulldog Mid-City – will confirm date ASAP. Continuing to hand out member-ship gifts. Remember to invite your friends to join. Immediate Past President: Brittany Davis Stoudt –Still looking for 2 alternates for the Nominating Committee; If you are interested in serving as Secretary or as a member of the Board of Directors for the 2018-2019 term, please forward your letter of intent and qualifications to Brittany Davis Stoudt, CPIA, Nominating Committee Chairperson. All potential nomi-nees for the Board of Directors shall have been a member for at least one (1) year and served on at least one (1) com-mittee. A candidate for an Officer position shall have served on the Board of Directors and must have a letter from their employer. Secretary: Liz LaGrange – The updated Bylaws and Standing Rules were updated on our website.

Standing Committee Reports Audit Committee (Chairpersons – Shelly Power & Debbie Harrington): Shelly & Debbie performed the first quarter audit right before Christmas. Everything was found to be in good order. They will begin the 2

nd quarter audit soon.

Education Committee (Chairperson – Lynn Labus): Chad spoke about educational opportunities offered to our mem-bers, including IAIP e-Learning monthly webinars, the ICAN series, new online CWC class starting in February, and the Selling Essentials classes (on sale for February).

Other Committee Reports

Arrangements Committee (Chairpersons - Marie Meyers and Baylie Babin): Looking at Impastato’s for February meet-ing Bulletin Committee (Chairperson – Monique O’Neill): Reports for February bulletin are due on 1/29/18.

Finance/Fund Raising Committee (Chairpersons – Lorelei Augustine and Kristy Battistella): Lorelei advised that since we did a Saints/Falcons pool for the December Christmas Tailgate party, we likely will not do one for the Superbowl un-less we are pretty sure it can be filled. Historian/Publicity Committee (Chairpersons – Angela Falcone & Heidi Thrash): N/A Host/Courtesy Committee (Chairpersons – Niki Landry & Tammi Caro): N/A Legislative Committee (Chairperson – Leslie Sallean): State Legislative Session will be March 12 - June 4, 2018 Personnel Committee (Chairperson – Sheral Robinson): 2 personal lines openings, 1 on the Northshore Public Relations

Charitable Giving (Chairpersons – Debbie Lee & Debbie Harrington): In 2017 for Christmas Giving, we sponsored St. Anthony Nursing Home in Metairie, LA. This was our second time sponsoring this home. At the December board meeting, we filled 89 Christmas bags with a throw blanket, Christmas cup w/ straw, Christmas candy and a Little Debbie Christmas cake (special thanks to Vicki Palmer’s husband for sponsoring those for us). We met at the home on Saturday, 12/16, at 2:30 and held a party for them. We had punch, finger sandwiches, chips, dip and banana pudding for the residents to enjoy. Debbie Lee was our Santa Clause and she was wonderful. We took pictures of all residents that attended with Santa Claus and even went to almost all of the residents’ rooms that could attend so Santa could visit and give them their present. On December 23, Debbie Lee and I framed up all their pictures and Debbie Lee dropped them off to the home so each resident that took a picture with Santa would have it for Christ-mas. To see the look on some of their faces with Santa Claus was priceless! One resident wanted Chad for Christ-mas too! It was truly a wonderful experience and I was so proud of our group for sponsoring and doing this for Christmas. Golf Tournament (Chairpersons – Debbie Lee & Marie Meyers): We will be inviting Children’s Hospital to our Feb-ruary meeting to accept a check, and we will be sending $500 to IAIP of Puerto Rico. Cameron Perschall was in at-tendance and thanked everything for the support he received since his accident. Community Rebuilding Day (Chairpersons – Cheryl Caillouet): N/A

Safety Committee (Chairperson – Angela Hochberger): N/A Technology Committee (Chairpersons – Pam Geraci & Courtney Donato): Let Pam know if you are not receiving the blast messages or Tattler. Please like our Facebook posts and share/like our page. BREAK FOR DINNER: 6:30 // RESUME: 6:55

Liaison Reports

National Alliance Amber Townsend – None CPCU Cindy Paulin – None IIAGNO (Big I) Lynn Labus – Big I Golf Tournament on March 9

th at Audubon

PIA Jessica Clayton – CISR – Personal Lines class – Kenner – February 8th

LSLA Leslie Sallean, CPIW – Annual Convention - March 21-23, 2018 at Bourbon Orleans YIPS Jessica Clayton – Membership meeting on February 6

th

Unfinished Business: N/A New Business: N/A 50/50: Winner of $38.50 was Baylie Babie Birthdays: January Birthday – Kathy Miller – sponsored by Mercury Underwriters TIWOGNO Bucks: Heidi Thrash & Pam Geraci If there is no further business and hearing no objection, the January general meeting is adjourned at 7:04 P.M. Thank you for attending.

Membership/Organization by Chad Harrington chad.harrington@hullco.com

As of January 10th we have 88 Members total. My goal for the year is 100 members.

Our New Member Social will be March 29, 2018 at Knuckleheads Sports Bar in Metairie—

see the enclosed flyer and bring a new recruit.

Membership gifts are in and anyone who has not received their gift please see me.

Please remember to reach out to insurance friends and colleagues. If you know of any pro-

spective members, please forward their contact information so that we can reach out to them

and see if they are interested in becoming a member of our organization. We cannot meet our

membership goals without your help, so thank you for all of your support in our organization.

Liaisons

PIA— New Orleans Chapter meeting 1/3/18. Contact piaofno@gmail.com for information.

LSLA— the Louisiana Surplus Line Association will hold its Annual Convention March 21, 22, 23,

LOUISIANA HAS ALL THE RIGHT INGREDIENTS, at the Bourbon Orleans Hotel in downtown New

Orleans. Check out the web site www.lasurpluslines.com for program and events which can be attended daily.

Any questions please email me leslies@mercuryundr.com or 1-504-834-1666.

Big I— Contact Francine Berendson 225-819-8007

National Alliance— www.scic.com

CPCU— Contact Cindy Paulin, 504-836-9620 or paulinc@eaganins.com.

YIPs— Annual Conference 1/18-19/2018. Contact Laurie@piaoflouisiana.com for info.

7 proven ways to keep your heart healty:

Since February is American Heart Month, it’s officially a very good time to check in on your heart health. The Heart Association offers the following guidelines of Life’s Simple 7: 7 ways to keep your heart healthy. 1. Get active Physical activity every day can greatly improve your overall health and make you feel better. It can reduce the risk for heart disease, stroke and diabetes. Physical activity can come in many forms and can be inexpensive. Brisk walking, for example, is extremely beneficial to your cardio-vascular health and costs nothing. Physical activity also can include strength and resistance training. Doctors suggest at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity per day five times a week for adults. Children need 60 minutes a day, every day. 2. Control cholesterol Controlling cholesterol can help arteries remain free of blockages. When you have too much “bad cholesterol,” known as LDL, it can lead to plaque forming in veins and arteries. That can result in heart disease and stroke. Try to control cholesterol by exercising and by avoiding or reducing consumption of animal products high in saturated fat, such as beef, pork, cream and butter. Certain foods may help lower cholesterol: whole- and multi-grain products such as bran and oats; fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel and albacore tuna; and fruits, vegetables and certain nuts such as walnuts and almonds.

3. Eat better A healthy eating plan keeps you energized and helps your body fight diseases. Fruits and vegetables are part of a nutritious food plan, as are low-fat and fat-free dairy items, whole grains, nuts, beans and leg-umes, fish, and lean meats. Try to reduce the consumption of sodium, saturated fats and added sugars. It may help to keep a food diary to keep track of the times and foods you eat and approximate portion size. Planning your dining each week also can help you eat healthier. 4. Manage blood pressure High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, can strain the heart, arteries and kidneys, and can increase the risk of heart dis-ease, stroke and other major health problems. The ideal blood pressure reading is no more than 120 for the top, or systolic, number and no more than 80 for the diastolic, or bot-tom, number. Some grocery stores and drug stores offer blood pressure reader machines, allowing for free regular checks. Blood pressure can also be measured at home, which you may want to consider if you have continually elevated blood pressure. The AHA offers advice on what type of home device to buy and how to measure blood pressure, but be sure to discuss this with your health care provider. If you’d rather not spend the money and if it’s convenient, consider dropping by a pharmacy or store that offers free blood pressure readings instead. You can help control your blood pressure by eating a heart-healthy diet, reducing sodium, exercising and maintaining a healthy weight. Managing stress, limiting alcohol and avoiding tobacco smoke can help, too. Medication can assist in managing blood pressure if a doctor determines it’s needed. 5. Lose weight Reducing weight can reduce the risk for heart disease. Too much fat, especially at the waist, increases the risk for high blood pres-sure, high blood cholesterol and diabetes. Calculating your BMI, or body mass index, helps determine if you should lose weight. It’s recommended that your BMI remain below 25. Even losing five to 10 pounds can reduce blood pressure. If you do embark on an eating plan to lose weight, the AHA and other health organizations support the DASH diet, which stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. DASH emphasizes foods low in saturated fat, total fat, cholesterol and salt. It calls for eat-ing fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy foods, whole grains, poultry, fish and nuts. 6. Reduce blood sugar Glucose, or blood sugar, is generated by food and used for the body’s energy. But a high blood sugar level could mean diabetes or prediabetes. Diabetes can increase the risk for heart disease and stroke.

To be in the healthy range, your fasting blood sugar level should be below 100. To reduce blood sugar, decrease consumption of added sugars, which can be found in sugar-sweetened beverages, candy and desserts. Regular physical activity can also help reduce blood sugar levels. If prescribed by your doctor, taking medication or insulin may be necessary. 7. Don’t smoke If you’re going to start with only one of Life’s Simple 7, it’s a good idea to make it this one. Quitting smoking can result in immediate benefits. Smoking causes damage throughout the circulatory system. It can lead to hardened arteries; reduce “good cholesterol,” known as HDL; and diminish lung capacity, making it more difficult to engage in physical activity. Stopping smoking lowers the risk of blood clots, heart attacks and strokes. It can also mean less lung damage and lower risk of can-cer. The AHA offers resources to help you stop on its Quit Smoking website. Whether quitting smoking or taking other steps in “Life’s Simple 7,” what’s most important is to do something, Lloyd-Jones said.

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