|
Tom Mayer,
Founder and Rainmaker
 Tom Mayer is an energetic and resourceful professional with more than 25 years' business experience, predominantly with entrepreneurial growth firms.
He has founded five companies including a "Kid for Rent" lawn service he started at age 11. His second endeavor was "White Wolf Maintenance," a cleaning restoration company. In 1991, after graduating from Hamline University, Tom sold the business to his brother, Pat, who still owns White Wolf even today.
Tom then co-founded and grew "Five Star Gourmet Meat Company" into a $4 million home delivery business with 90 employees. Five Star was featured in publications including Forbes, Success, and Twin Cities Business Monthly.
In 1995, Tom sold his interest in Five Star so that he could attend the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management and earn his MBA in Marketing and Strategy in 1997. During graduate school, Tom started Superior Foods, Inc. and happily sold frozen foods door to door out of his 1995 Nissan Pathfinder until he entered the employee benefits field in 1999.
Tom founded Direct Benefits, Inc. in June of 2001. Direct Benefits is a managing general agency that specializes in distributing dental, disability, life and vision benefits to over 2000 agents, brokers, consultants and general agents nationwide. Tom and his staff have helped our agents write over 6000 employer groups and thousands of individual clients.
Tom served as the Retention Chair for Region 4 of the National Association of Health Underwriters from 2006-2009. In fact, he won the NAHU's National Recruiter of the Year Award in 2007, 2008 and 2009. His hobbies include backpacking, cooking, dog-sledding, kayaking, mountaineering, rabbit hunting, reading, scuba-diving, traveling, trout-fishing, and tubing with his gas-powered blender. His favorite foods are Nueske's applewood-smoked bacon and oatmeal-raisin cookies.
See Tom quoted in
NAIFA Advisor Today, Sept '09
Check Direct Benefits in
MN Insurance Magazine!
Check out HIU -
Tom Running with the Bulls article
HIU Magazine, Sept 06 -
Tom Looking Goofy with the Toothbrush
MN Insurance Magazine August 08 -
Tom Wins NAHU Recruiter of the Year, AGAIN!
HIU MagazineTom's Membership Article
MN Insurance Magazine August 07 -
Tom Wins TOP NAHU RECRUITER!
Meet Our Dedicated Staff
Paulette Kotila,
Dental Guru
CISR Paulette Kotila has been active in insurance for seventeen years.
Paulette began her career in nursing. She worked in a doctor's office and then left to teach certified medical assistants. She taught nursing skills, lab work, and filling out insurance forms.
When her youngest child was born, Paulette left teaching and began her insurance career. She started in life and health, and then went on to commercial insurance. Her first love has always been life and health and she is finally back doing what she likes best. Paulette enjoys the people contact and working with the brokers.
She has continued her education in insurance over the years. Paulette has taken and received her designation for CISR, and is now taking classes for the designation of CLU.
Fride Mauritzen,
Sales Surgeon General
Fride is a native of Norway but completed a majority of her schooling in the USA. She graduated in 1997 from Concordia College in Moorhead Minnesota with a double major in Business and Scandinavian Studies. She has been active in the insurance and financial services industry for 11 years. Fride previously worked as a customer service representative for Delta Dental of Minnesota and as a client associate and senior branch operation associate for RBC Dain Rauscher, a top 10 full-service securities firm. Her other jobs have included horseback riding instructor, trail guide, cook, office manager, snowmobile instructor and an electric fence tester. Fride's hobbies include hiking, live entertainment, snowboarding and traveling.
Fride Wins 2009 David LeClair Award
Fride rocks the Omaha Convention
 Carrissa Profant,
Benefits Therapy Officer
Carrissa joined Direct Benefits after more than 12 years in the healthcare and insurance industries. Her career path has included working for companies like Diversified Pharmaceutical, Smith Kline Beecham, United HealthCare and Delta Dental Plan of Minnesota. She's worked her way up from member materials to contract installations, proposals, and underwriting and now finally to sales. Carrissa's role at Direct Benefits is to wear all those hats and more. She takes pride in providing creative and responsive solutions to our agents and then making sure everything is processed smoothly for their clients.
Carrissa enjoys being active outside the office too. Her hobbies include traveling, motorcycling, volleyball, and the occasional remodeling project around her house. In her down time she loves to catch up on the latest movies, HGtv, Boston Legal, and Grey's Anatomy!
Tracey Hagemeier,
Benefits Princess
Tracey brings more than 8 years of experience in the insurance industry to her position with Direct Benefits with prior employers ranging from Delta Dental Plan of Minnesota, Park Nicollet Medical Center to the State of Minnesota. Tracey has a long list of experience in a wide variety of areas ranging from employee benefits to insurance billing, claims review and even the development of ceramic dental molds. While working her way up the ranks with previous employers, she also pursued and achieved an Associates Degree in Veterinary Assisting. Tracey takes pride in her ability to effectively resolve customer concerns while also balancing the responsibility of new group implementation.
Tracey's hobbies include, but are not limited to - biking, bowling, music, reading, caring for animals, and trying to figure out what will happen next on "LOST".
Jodie Ingeman,
Benefits Rock Star
Born and raised in Minneapolis and a graduate of South High School, Jodie participated in the infamous "Work Program" and landed her first job at Dr. Brackney & Associates. After graduation she continued working full-time at the dental office for 5 years until the birth of her first child. Jodie became a stay at home mom until her children were full-time students. Then she went back to school and earned her M.S.C. degree at Saint Paul Technical College. After working at Affiliated Reconstructive & Cosmetic Plastic Surgery for several years, Jodie was lured into the insurance industry in 1999. At Corporate Benefit Services of America (CBSA), she spent 7 years in the administration services only (self-funded), new business processing and underwriting departments and 1 year at Insurance Administrators Corporation (IAC). She has enjoyed working in this field ever since.
Jodie enjoys cruising the Caribbean, camping at Minnesota State and National parks, walking, Sunday dinners with her whole family and playing with her 3 dogs-Boogie, Ellie and Vito.
 Diane Lysen,
VP of Broker Operations & Benefits Fairy Godmother
Diane's career in the health insurance industry started in 1972 at Control Data's employee benefits department. In 1983 she joined Hanratty & Associates as office manager. 3 years later in 1986, Diane went to work as an account manager at Chandler Insurance. Her manager at Chandler recognized the talent she had working with clients and encouraged her to consider sales on a full-time basis.
In 1991 she and a former property and casualty colleague formed Consultants 4 Insurance Benefits. As a partner and Vice President of Benefits Administration, she successfully helped the agency achieve a preferred agency status with many carriers in both health insurance and ancillary products.
The Minnesota Association of Health Underwriters (MAHU-NAHU) has played a major role in Diane's career. She has been a member of MAHU-NAHU for 20+ years and was President of the Minnesota Association of Health Underwriters in 2001-2002.
In 2003 she was awarded the Symanitz Award, which honors only one person each year in the state for their outstanding contributions to the insurance industry. Diane currently serves as the Region 4 Media Relations chair.
Diane's new position as Vice President of Broker Operations for Direct Benefits will allow her to utilize all of her skills and industry knowledge. She looks forward to waving her pink magic wand to increase sales for the agents doing business with Direct Benefits.
Diane enjoys spending her free time with friends and family and catering to her two Scottie dogs, Winston and Duffy. She enjoys gourmet cooking, especially Italian food, and watching HGTV and Food TV Network.
Katie Quinn,
Benefits Superhero
Katie was born in San Antonio, Texas and moved to Minnesota when she was three. She has enjoyed growing up in Minnesota with frequent visits back to Texas.
She began her insurance career in high school while involved in the Work Experience program, in which she won the Student of the Year Award. Starting at EPIC Agency, a property and casualty general agency, she worked in an office support capacity for all departments. Her responsibilities included accounts receivable, customer service, renewals and advanced on to become a licensed auto Underwriter. Katie enjoys building relationships with agents while improving her product knowledge and problem-solving skills. She looks forward to building her sales career in the life and health fields with Direct Benefits!
Outside the office Katie stays busy continuing her education at Inver Hills Community College and searching for the best Mexican food in town. She enjoys the "short lived" Minnesota summers, rollerblading, spending time with family and friends and cheering on the Dallas Cowboy's.
 Lindsey Greder,
Benefits Wonderwoman
Lindsey joined Direct Benefits with 7 years experience in the insurance industry. Born in Minneapolis she moved to Maple Grove at age 8 and graduated from Maple Grove Senior High. Lindsey first studied nursing at North Hennepin Community College and then "communication disorders" at the University of Minnesota Duluth. In her spare time, she graduated from Salon Professional Academy with a cosmetology degree.
Throughout high school, Lindsey worked in the claims department, mail room and new business processing at CBSA, which is now Meritain Health. Her second insurance job was at Insurers Administrative Corporation (IAC) in new business and underwriting assistant position. At IAC, Lindsey was responsible for quoting, setting up and issuing new groups, customer service and more.
In her spare time, Lindsey loves to "do hair" part-time at a local salon, camp, travel, hang out with friends and family. Lindsey is also known by her co-workers as, "the stylist to the stars."
 Jared Johnson,
National Sales Director and Benefits Ninja
Jared is a native Minnesotan who earned academic and baseball scholarships to advance his education and graduate with a B.A. in Kinesiology at Concordia University in 2003. His first job out of college included working as a marketing and sales specialist at one of Minneapolis' most well known locations, The Calhoun Beach Club. His duties included everything from selling club memberships to schmoozing wealthy families and trying to make them happy.
Jared then transitioned to a National Sales Director position at IHC Health Solutions working with independent agents in finding their clients the best group health, individual health, life, and disability options. He also became an expert in the specialized niche of group dental plan design, rating and sales over the last 4 years.
In Jared's spare time he loves being outdoors on the lake, running, and hacking up the golf course. He also stays active skating on a couple of hockey teams in the frigid Minnesota winter and is on a couple of softball teams in the summer. Finally, Jared is a friendly meat and potatoes kind of guy who enjoys a Summit Pale Ale from time to time.
See Vue
Individual Sales Specialist and Dental Diva
See joined the Direct Benefits team after 5 years in the insurance industry. Her previous experience includes Meritain Health for 4 years and UnitedHealth Care for a year. Born and raised in Minneapolis, See currently resides in Saint Paul and graduated from Metropolitan State University in 2009, with a degree in Professional Communications.
See's experience in the insurance industry started at UnitedHealthcare, working full-time and attending school part-time. She reviewed and processed new business for UHC's Eastern region. At Meritain Health, See started out as a New Business Processor and worked her way to a promotion of Insurance Products Administrative Specialist. She handled all new business, renewals, and eligibility for one of their largest clients located in Guam.
In her spare time, you can find See at any Borders or Barnes & Noble engrossed in the latest suspense thriller. The long Minnesota winters has motivated See to take up snowboarding and she's loved it ever since! During the short Minnesota summers, See enjoys barbequing and playing volleyball with friends at the local parks and lakes.
Tys Sniffen,
Direct Web Monkey
Tys is heading up Direct Benefits West as a vaguely experienced website developer and project manager. With knowledge of internet marketing and usability issues, Tys tries to keep the insurance language to a minimum and ease-of-use at the top of the list.
Having run his own efficiency consulting business as well as doing a stint as a consultant in Human Resources, Tys brings a "let's get this done" mentality to the Direct Benefits Team. He has a Bachelor's degree from Hamline University, and has previously been an Executive with the Boy Scouts of America, a Sales Director for an international software company, and a Sales Rep in a number of industries.
Other aspects of heading up the west coast office include always carrying the five foot long tooth brush to the conventions, living off-the-grid and three miles off the paved road in a yurt (a round Mongolian-style tent), practicing martial arts with his lovely wife Melissa, growing his own food and hot-tubbing as often as possible.
|
