Member: Risk Management & Claims Committee

Member: IAM Ethics Council

If there is anyone out there who has even considered getting involved with IAM as a volunteer, then hesitate no further. I can’t even begin to express my gratitude to IAM for the opportunity to get in there and make a real difference, and to my bosses for encouraging my participation. When I joined National Forwarding in 1987, I had zero experience in the moving industry. I just knew that so far, I liked my job, especially learning about claims law and how it interacts with government regulations. Pat Johnson, my boss at the time, encouraged my participation early on in military/industry meetings, and shortly thereafter encouraged my participation on various claims committees. Attending the joint military/industry and association meetings—such as the massive and international IAM Annual Meeting (then HHGFAA)—was crucial in rounding out my own knowledge outside my own niche area of claims. 

I learned other aspects of the moving industry, as well as how we as an industry interacted with the military. Thus, I greatly benefited in gaining perspective—seeing how what I did fit in with the big picture—and later on how I might be able to help contribute to the industry as a whole. Even if all I had gained was knowledge about non-claims related aspects of moving, and more insight into how industry worked with government, it would have been totally worth my time and my employer’s money. But I gained so much more.

Over the years, I was able to develop close professional relationships with my claims counterparts on the government side, and as part of the claims committee had the opportunity on numerous occasions to help convey the position of industry and to be an advocate for movers that do business with the government. IAM’s claims committee had input to the claims business rules from the ground up, and maintains a constant channel of communication between military claims offices and industry. We sought to be part of the solution, seeking win-win scenarios. While we were not always successful in getting what we wanted, we were able to achieve a large amount of mutual trust and cooperation. To say that this was satisfying to be a part of would be understating things—and as government officials change positions so often, this was and still is a constant need. 

Of course, this is just my story—the same principles apply to IAM volunteering in general. First, you come to learn, which helps you gain confidence. Then you will reach a point where if you like, you can start participating more often and with more impact. Even if you choose not to be the one leading the charge, however, there is so much to gain from IAM volunteering. It has indeed been an honor to serve the industry and the association over the years, and my induction into IAM’s Hall of Honor was the ultimate honor.

Last but not least, I think of the many people I now count as friends, not just colleagues or business partners. This is a great industry with great people. So please—whether it’s to share what you already know or to just learn—go ahead and ask to join that committee, or to serve IAM in some other capacity. You’ll get back tenfold what you pay for in time and money.