“To me, my true task at hand is to be there for my teammates and my insureds in whatever that may look like that day,” said Alicia Oberfoell. “The days fly by, there is truly never enough time in the day. But, I wouldn’t have it any other way!”
Meet Alicia. She’s a Service Manager in our Risk Management division. As a life-long Dubuquer, Alicia came to Cottingham & Butler from a supplemental insurance company and has been working in the insurance industry for 11 years.
Her Start
“I applied to C&B on a whim and just went for it,” she said. “I started in 2019 as a Client Coordinator in the Risk Management division. When I started, I was one of two client coordinators in the practice and now, with the support of my leaders, I helped grow that position by overseeing a total of seven Client Coordinators in Risk – something I take great pride in!”
Alicia feels the support from leadership and that passion is reciprocated.
“Alicia never backs down from a challenge,” said Stacey Abbitt, Account Executive in Risk Management. “There are never any concerns that something isn’t going to be done once she is engaged. Her response times are second to none and our clients love her. She has also built trusting relationships within her internal team that she manages.”
Service Excellence
Alicia’s ability to lead others has earned herself the added title of ‘Inspiring Leader’ at Risk Management’s Service Excellence Award in the spring of 2024. After being nominated by multiple leaders, she was given the award and is invited to the company-wide celebration next February.
“It was a surprise and an honor,” Alicia said. “It was touching to know that what I’m doing is making a difference for not only my core team, but the department as a whole.”
Risk Management has been making progress in the Artificial Intelligence space, and the team is looking forward to implementing more AI processes. Particularly, having AI read loss runs and automate the output used for renewals.
“This will be a huge win for our clients, marketers, and our internal team, who will get some time back to focus on other things,” Alicia said. “Having some of our reports available at the snap of a finger will also give us an advantage to gain new clients. The whole project has been a long time in the making, and we are so close to getting this over the finish line!”
Risk Management
Alicia and the Risk Management team like to have some along the way, as well. Last year, Zurich invited the service team to join them in their suite at the United Center for a Blackhawks game with a client.
“It was the first time I was able to meet with the Zurich team in person, as well as some of my clients,” Alicia said. “Mike Saladino (Vice President of Risk Management in our Chicago office) was a top-notch host in ensuring we had the best time – it was a night I will not forget!”
In life outside the office, Alicia resides in Dubuque with her husband, Bobby, and the three boys she gained who are 21, 16, and 13. Additionally, her family has a calico cat and a young pomsky. Alicia and her family enjoy going up north in Wisconsin to stay on the lakes as well as boating and snowmobiling.
Five Fast Facts:
“I am the oldest of three, to which my siblings are much younger than me. They were my first pride and joy, so I like to brag about them like they were my kids! My brother retired from Army Airborne, still working in recruitment, and will be attending Yale this summer to become a federal lawyer. My sister recently graduated from UD with a Psychology degree and is working at Caravel Autism Health on the NW Arterial with young kiddos needing therapy.”
“My sister has interned with C&B for a summer, but I can’t get her into the passion of insurance; however, my Mom does work at C&B alongside me.”
“I grew up with my Dad in a 80s hair metal cover band, so I really enjoy going to live music at the Q in the summer with my family.”
“I am actively in the middle of getting my AAI, which will be my very first insurance designation, and I should have that completed by the end of the year.”
“I was first promoted to leadership in Spring of 2021 and can honestly say that being in leadership is a passion of mine and helps me thrive. I love to change processes, better the service we can provide to clients, and develop improvements down the road on a gradual basis.”
Inspired by Alicia's journey? Help us find more exceptional talent! We're always looking for passionate individuals to join our team so check out our employee referral program or reach out to a recruiter for more information.
Comentarios