Chris Amrhein, like most true believers in insurance, stumbled upon this business accidentally; specifically, after graduating from college and needing a job. Starting as a life-health agent, he moved to property-casualty sales where he first met the greatest mine of comedy material extant today: insurance forms. Chris was a full-time educator for the Florida Association of Insurance Agents and the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America. Chris is now a speaker, consultant, seminar leader and training developer.

Kevin began his insurance career as a marketing representative and then commercial lines agent for a large independent agency in Orlando. While furthering his education, Kevin spent time creating ad campaigns for the local clients of a major radio broadcasting company. He credits this experience for the solution-based writing style that has enabled him to publish hundreds of original articles annually for insurance industry publications. In addition to writing, Kevin is a technical instructor, teaching classes on industry subjects ranging from ethics, property and casualty lines of coverage, and risk management.

Mark spent 15 years in high-tech marketing-communications management before becoming a film and television professional. Mark now produces corporate, non-profit, special-event and music videos for an array of clients around the country. He also works on feature films (Wedding Crashers, National Treasure 2, Salt), television (Monday Night Football, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition) and national commercials (Nike, Honda).

Maureen has more than 20 years of senior-level branding, publishing and corporate communications experience. She began her career as an editor at Murdoch Magazines and then Condé Nast Publications, and went on to broader communications and branding roles at the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America. At IIABA she spearheaded the research, development and launch of its national brand program, Trusted Choice, while also publishing the association’s highly profitable national magazine, IA. Since joining Aartrijk in 2002, Maureen has focused on brand and communications audits; brand strategy; advertising, Web and marketing creative; and public relations. She is a popular branding speaker and the editor of Zoom, a step-by-step branding guide.

After a successful career as an economist and arms-transfer analyst at the Defense Intelligence Agency, Maureen is enjoying a second profession, as editor of Aartrijk’s numerous private-label newsletters and other editorial products.

Mariane Ceballo has more than 15 years of corporate communications experience that includes public relations, Web development, video production, print advertising, organizational communications and investor relations. She has implemented communications and marketing strategies during management roles at General Electric, Navigators Management Co., Gartner and Playtex. She holds a BS from St. John’s University.

Chance brings 20 years of marketing communication expertise across insurance and technology markets. He began his career as a media planner for Young & Rubicam and later launched his own agency. In 2000 he co-founded and assumed the role of chief marketing officer for Workcom.com, one of the earliest online agent-facing multiple quoting engines. Chance would go on to help others develop branding programs that supported the unique needs of independent agents. Chance is based in Silicon Valley and holds BA in advertising from San Jose State University and an MBA from St. Mary’s College Graduate School of Business.

Laurie brings more than 25 years of experience in sales and marketing management to her role as executive director of I-Marketing Management. Prior to launching I-Marketing, she was corporate communications manager for The Main Street America Group, where she planned and implemented all external communications for this $800 million company. In addition, she worked with many MSA Group independent agents to develop and implement marketing plans for their individual agencies. Laurie has a BA from the University of New Hampshire and a Certificate in Project Management from Boston University. She currently is working toward obtaining her CIC certification.

Kevin has more than 15 years of research experience involving brand development and advertising, customer acquisition and retention, and product innovation. Additionally, he’s an expert in employee research, helping companies improve processes from the inside using qualitative and quantitative methods. Kevin serves as Research Director for Channel Harvest, an Aartrijk affiliate that conducts syndicated research projects. He’s also a frequent guest lecturer in graduate and undergraduate marketing and market research courses.

Annmarie is a writer and public relations professional. As a journalist, editor and researcher, she has authored and published several booklets and more than 400 articles for national and regional publications on topics related to workers compensation, health insurance, human resources and management. As a public relations practitioner, Annmarie applies her extensive publishing background to provide results-oriented services that include marketing plans, media placement, and editorial and promotional materials in traditional media, new media and advertising. She graduated cum laude from Ohio University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism.

Rick has worked on advancing the success of the Independent Agency System for more than 30 years. He owned his own agency in Boulder, Colo., and was co-founder, publisher and editor of The Automated Agency Report (TAAR). A leading authority on insurance industry technology, Morgan is the originator of transactional filing and co-developer of Silver Plume. Rick served as senior vice president of ConfirmNet and senior vice president of marketing for Applied Systems. He is chair for the Agents Council for Technology (ACT) Web 2.0 workgroup and a Director-At-Large for the Independent Agents and Brokers of New York. At Aartrijk, Rick is helping clients develop and implement successful social web strategies for their marketing, sales, PR, and communications initiatives. You can follow Rick on Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin or his Blog.

Greg has more than 17 years experience in visual communications. As the long-time creative director of the Independent Insurance Agents of America, he developed a cohesive image for all of the association’s communications, including its national magazine. As a freelance graphic designer, he has created logos, annual reports, media kits, print ads, brochures and newsletters for a wide range of clientele, including educational, insurance, high-tech and financial investment firms. His work has earned an ADDY and an Insurance Marketing and Communications Best of Show Award. Greg is a graduate of West Virginia University, with a Bachelor of Science in journalism and advertising.

Holly has more than 15 years experience in all aspects of graphic design. She received her undergraduate degree in art history from San Francisco State University, and she has continued her art studies at programs in Florence, London and New York City. Holly was art director at David’s Bridal, Avon, Christian Dior, David Yurman and Estée Lauder before launching her freelance design career.

Peter has more than 25 years of branding and communications experience, including advertising, consumer research and education, marketing, public relations, publishing and Web development. As a spokesperson for clients and employers, Peter has appeared on CNN, CNBC, Fox News and other networks, and he has been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, USA Today, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Magazine and other national press. He is a frequent speaker on issues of branding and marketing and is co-author of Zoom, a step-by-step branding guide.

Ellen joined Aartrijk in 1999 as Office Manager. In her career she has helped run operations of various services firms, from a financial services sales operation to an audiovisual specialist.

Charles has more than 25 years of business communications experience with multiple audiences, including customers, employees, analysts, investors and media. Charles focuses on marketing communications; content for the Web, blogs, and social networking sites; publicity; and editorial efforts on behalf of Aartrijk clients. Starting as an editor at A.M. Best Co., he then led Home Life’s public relations and oversaw employee/sales communications. At The MONY Group, Charles managed media relations, financial communications, and the annual report; and spearheaded the corporate-wide effort to reinvigorate the MONY brand for NYSE listing.

Dave is a seasoned writer and communicator with more than 25 years of experience in the insurance and risk management community. For more than 11 years, he held communication and operations management positions with CIGNA. Since then, he has served in a variety of freelance and other communication and management roles, serving technology, publishing, association and corporate clients. In 1997, he co-founded PropertyAndCasualty.com, and served as editorial director for that and other business-to-business websites. A Taylor University alumnus, Willis is involved in local non-profit and community endeavors.

Kim is a Web developer who specializes in the implementation of blog-based Web sites, including installation, theme design, upgrades, unique customizations and ongoing site maintenance. She has an MS degree in library and information science from Drexel University and has worked as a Web developer at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and an information specialist for The Scientist magazine. Kim is proficient in WordPress, Blogger, TypePad and Movable Type blog publishing platforms, and she has hands-on experience with HTML, PHP, Javascript, CSS, RSS and MySQL. She is adept with social media and networking tools including Facebook, Digg, del.icio.us, Flickr and Twitter.