Highlights - Acuity

4SERVICE THAT’Sin VALUABLEMany thanks and congratulations to thefollowing individuals recently celebratingemployment anniversaries:(l to r): Bob Prochaska, Joyce Morgan,Kevin Raeder, Ann Slife, Fran Fabian25 years:Ruth Berger - Commercial Underwriter15 years:Kevin Raeder - Senior CommercialUnderwriter10 years:Jill Belonger - Customer Service Rep -Endorsement Processing5 years:Kevin Beasley - Senior Claims Rep - OHFran Fabian - Customer Service Rep 2Bob Prochaska - Programmer AnalystAnn Slife - Staff Accountant2 years:Joyce Morgan - Policy AssemblerDennis Parish - Senior CommercialUnderwriterLona Platner - Customer Service Rep - ClaimsPeter Wilhelm - Senior CommercialUnderwriter - WI(l to r): Ruth Berger, Lona Platner,Jill Belonger, Dennis ParishSTAFFin TRANSITDue to internal reorganization, many staffmembers received new job titles.These include:CommercialServiceRepresentative 4Kim HoitinkRoxanne LensmireDeb TenHaken-EhrenCommercialServiceRepresentative 3Deb ChvarakLinda JetzerMelissa HammerLisa KuehlSue MinnehanKatie NitschSara SchobertKari SteffenShirley BastMary LewandoskeAngie JacquartPeggy LauersdorfJane LydolphNancy VogelLynn BrunnbauerMargaret FreeJane ThomasCommercialServiceRepresentative 2Donna SchmitzDeb CarlJessicaLewandoskeAmy MeissnerSharon PetersonMissy ReinekingDana DasslerSkye SobergGeriAnn VandeVissePhyllis HendrikseFran FabianJen KawczynskiTeresa LettJoan McMurrayBarb RogersCommercialServiceRepresentative 1Alice LaChapelleShelly FischerLori GierkeBarb KelmJoyce McCoyKristine SchwochMichelle StangelConnie TrempeCommercialServicesRepresentativeCoordinatorJane BehrendtBarb LahtiDocument/TranscriptionProcessorRuth GreenSarah AndersonRosa MartinezKaren QuickerTracy StauberTerri NischikThe followingstaff membersalso receivednew titles:Mary Jane Dassler- Imaging OperatorAdam Norlander- AccountingManagerAnn Slife- Senior StaffAccountant -ReportingMichelleMolkenthine- Senior StaffAccountantTrisha Propson- Senior InsideClaims RepSam McClone- Senior InsideClaimsRepresentativeFinally, thefollowing staffmembers weretransferred tonew positions:Kim Zimmerman -from Marketing toSecretary IV inExecutive/AdministrativeDepartmentLinda Engel - fromCommercial LinesQuote/ApplicationOperator to MarketingClerk IICorporate Lawyer BringsDual Perspective to ACUITYIf you’re looking for Weldon Zufelt,you best first try his office at 630Riverfront Drive in Sheboygan. He readilyadmits that the demands of his law practice,which he founded in 1988, have kept hisdaily calendar full for the past 14 years.“Those years have gone by very quickly!” helaughs.Zufelt, a member of ACUITY’s Board ofDirectors since 2001, has spent his entirelegal career in corporate law. However, heactually came to specialize in this area inpart due to his service in the armed forces.After earning his law degree from theUniversity of Utah, Zufelt was drafted into theArmy and spent his tour of duty in Germany.Returning home, he found a position as legal counsel for the DefenseSupply Center in Cleveland, Ohio.The experience he gained there in dealing with government contractseventually led him to the Kohler Company in Kohler,Wisconsin, where he served as General Counsel for several years. In1983, he left Kohler to join the legal staff of another area manufacturer,the Vollrath Company, where he was General Counsel andSecretary.A few years later, however, Vollrath began to decentralize itsoperations and sell off various subsidiary companies, eliminatingtheir need for a centralized legal staff. Rather than seeing careermisfortune, Zufelt recognized opportunity.“I realized that Vollrath would have as much, if not more, needfor legal counsel as a decentralized company as they had before,”he explains. He quickly networked with the new heads of the variouscompanies and secured work with them as anindependent counsel. As a result, in 1988 he openedthe doors to his own firm.Over the years, Zufelt’s client base has grownto include many area firms, and his focus hasremained in corporate law. “People think of corporatelaw in terms of forming corporations andgetting operations off the ground,” he says.“However, my area of specialization hasalways been the ongoing operations of thefirm. That’s kept my relationships withclients strong over time.”Weldon ZufeltDIRECTORin SIDERBuilding those relationships is what Zufeltfinds most fulfilling about his work. “As a generalcounsel, involved in the day-in, day-outoperations of a business, you become more ofa trusted partner in their operations. It’s notjust point problem solving,” he explains. “I’vehad many client calls where I’ve done as muchcounseling about the operations of the businessas I have about legal matters, and that’sextremely gratifying.”A Dual ConnectionOne of those client relationships has beenwith ACUITY. “There are obviously insurancespecificaspects to ACUITY’s operations, but ata fundamental level, they’re still a businessdealing with the myriad of legal issues thatbusinesses contend with,” he explains. Those have included suchissues as purchasing, employee relations, and contracts.Additionally, Zufelt has found his knowledge of the inner workingsof ACUITY’s business helpful to his service on the Board, andvice-versa. “It’s always helpful to understand the company and itsgoals,” he explains, adding that there are challenges to this dualcapacity as well. “You need to wear one hat for your work as alawyer, and one for your work as a Director, since the two rolesrequire approaching problems from vastly different perspectives.”Zufelt serves on Boards of Directors at several other of his corporateclients. Doing so has given him a good point of comparisonfor ACUITY’s operations. “The strength of ACUITY is, and always hasbeen, the people who work here across all levels of line and management,”he says. “I’ve been impressed with the caliber of peoplehere from day one.”Though Zufelt’s schedule leaves him with little freetime, he makes a point to stay connected with hisfamily. He and his wife, Alene, have four grown children,Eric, Brady, Jill, and Cathy, and two grandchildren,as well as a contingent of relatives in hishome state of Utah.“I guess that one of these years, I probablyshould take up golf,” he says, but adds that hehas no regrets about his busy work schedule. “Ifeel fortunate to be involved in a career thatgives me so much satisfaction.”5in FOCUS O ctober.2002in FOCUS O ctober.2002