|
March 28, 2006
Guardian's Quincy Crawford Inducted as GAMA International's 43rd Management Hall of Fame Inductee at LAMP Conference
—Guardian CEO Salutes Succession Planning Pioneer—
| For media inquiries, contact:
|
Paige Holden
Manning Selvage & Lee
Tel: 212.468.4056
Fax: 212.468.3654
paige.holden@mslpr.com
|
| Anayo Afolabi
The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America
Tel: 212.598.8329
Fax: 212.919.2790
anayo_afolabi@glic.com
|
New York, March 28, 2006 —Quincy M. Crawford, CLU and a General Agent of the Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, was recently honored and officially inducted into the GAMA International Management Hall of Fame during the Celebration of Excellence Recognition Banquet at GAMA International's annual LAMP conference.
"We salute Quincy for the remarkable difference he has made in the lives of his clients and the company," said Dennis Manning, President and CEO of Guardian. "Quincy epitomizes the strong leadership that is characteristic of Guardian General Agents. Like Quincy, they have a rich legacy of community service, industry involvement and enriching lives."
Induction into the GAMA International Management Hall of Fame is the highest honor given by the financial services industry to recognize an individual field leader whose professional career has been spent building organizations and promoting the industry. Since 1974, the award has been presented to one individual annually.
" I am honored to receive this award from my peers and GAMA, " said Quincy Crawford. "I share this honor with many people who have enabled me to have a successful career dedicated to serving others. The support from my agency team and the Guardian family allowed me to not only do well and do it my way, but also to do right by others. Guardian is a strong mutual company, committed to the agency system. The company fosters an environment of leadership and entrepreneurship. I can retire knowing that the work that I've done will help new agents to be more successful and help our industry to grow and continue to enrich lives."
Crawford was an architect of Guardian's succession planning, which offers General Agents the opportunity to sell their agencies based on current values, in exchange for identifying and training a successor two years in advance of their retirement.
Guardian credits him with changing the way their General Agents grow their business. According to the company, the Crawford inspired succession model not only allows their agencies to continue to thrive when a General Agent retires, but also enables General Agents to reap the rewards of building a successful practice.
Crawford entered the life insurance field in 1968. In 1977, he founded First Financial Group and was appointed General Agent for Guardian in 1983. He is the only General Agent in Maryland to start a scratch agency and, without the benefit of mergers, qualify for GAMA International's Master Agency Award with that agency. In 1995, 1998 and 2001, First Financial Group was awarded Guardian's highest honor— the President's Trophy, which is awarded every three years for overall agency excellence.
In addition to maintaining a Master Firm Award-qualifying firm, Crawford has served on GAMA's Finance Committee for more than 10 years and as the organization's treasurer for the last two years. The Baltimore Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors awarded Crawford the prestigious George S. Robertson Award for lifetime accomplishments and service to the financial services industry. The Maryland State Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (MAIFA) awarded him the Paul Murphy Award for lifetime contribution to the financial services industry and placed him in the MAIFA Hall of Fame.
Crawford also has served Guardian twice as chairman of its Field Advisory Board, and he has qualified for the industry's prestigious Million Dollar Round Table for more than 30 years.
Crawford also served on the Board of Directors for the Baltimore GAMA chapter and the Greater Baltimore Estate Planning Council. He is a past president of the Prince George's Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors, the Baltimore Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors, the Maryland State Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors and the Baltimore Society of Financial Services Professionals.
About Guardian
Founded in 1860, The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, New York, NY (Guardian) is the fourth largest mutual life insurance company in the United States. As of December 31, 2005, Guardian and its subsidiaries had $40.7 billion in assets. With more than 5,000 employees and 2,980 financial representatives, as well as over 85 agencies nationwide, Guardian and its subsidiaries protect individuals, businesses and their employees with life, disability, health, long-term care and dental insurance products, and offer 401(k), financial products and trust services. More information about Guardian can be obtained at: www.guardianlife.com.
About GAMA International
GAMA International is a worldwide association serving 5,000 field leaders in the insurance and financial services industry. The association provides a variety of professional development and education resources, including its annual meeting, LAMP; the award-winning GAMA International Journal; The Essentials of Management Development residency program; and online assessment tools. GAMA International's Web site is located at www.gamaweb.com. .
| 
