Throughout the year, CIRB will spotlight members of the 2018-19 Emerging Leaders Program and share about their experience in the program.
Emerging Leaders Spotlight: RJ Brinkmeyer
Strategic Accounts Manager, Farmers Mutual Hail
Crop insurance has always been a part of RJ Brinkmeyer’s life. A 2nd generation crop insurance professional, RJ and his brother once co-owned a crop insurance agency which was started by their father in 1966.
In 2011, Brinkmeyer took an unexpected job opportunity with Farmers Mutual Hail as a Field Supervisor, overseeing sales for nine counties in Central Iowa. From there, he quickly moved up and in 2015, became the Strategic Accounts Manager for the state.
Last week, Brinkmeyer joined his fellow ELP’s on Capitol Hill to meet with Members of the House and Senate and advocate for crop insurance. He and his team met with Reps. Finkenauer (D-IA), Davis (R-IL), Adams (D-NC), Rouzer (R-NC), Bacon (R-NE) and Johnson (R-SD), Senator Tillis (R-NC) and Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts (R-KS). “I find that Hill visits are much like making a sales call in the industry,” Brinkmeyer reflected. “You take time to get to know the Representative you are calling on. You prepare the key points you want to deliver and leave additional resources for them to learn more. Then you close by asking what questions they have for you and see if you can be of service to them.”
This wasn’t Brinkmeyer’s first time visiting Capitol Hill though. As a junior in high school, Brinkmeyer was selected to represent his county at Rural Electric Cooperatives Youth Delegation. It was there that he met Senator Chuck Grassley, who was serving in his first term. Brinkmeyer and his wife, Bridgette, have three daughters and two grandchildren and reside in Hubbard, IA.
The Emerging Leaders Program is designed to equip up-and-coming professionals on key policy issues and prepare them to be effective advocates for the crop insurance industry. All participants are employees of CIRB’s growing membership, which includes both crop insurance and reinsurance companies.