“Long overdue” is the first phrase to come to mind in announcing that Jim Ash, one of the most influential BGAs to ever grace our business (and a really great guy), is this year’s recipient of the Douglas Mooers Award for Excellence. Presented at the annual conference, the Mooers award is NAILBA’s, and thus brokerage’s, most prestigious award, honors distinction in brokerage, and is presented to the individual most committed to furthering independent life brokerage as a distribution system and who demonstrates an exemplary record of community service.
Jim founded Ash Brokerage in 1970 with one part time employee and today the organization boasts a current employee count in excess of 500, with major offices in Ft Wayne, IN, Phoenix, AZ, Freehold NJ, Charlotte, NC, and Kansas City, MO. Ash Brokerage provides a full line of insurance products to agents throughout the country.
Jim has been a leader at both the local and national levels and is widely considered one of the founding fathers of the BGA community. Jim served as the president of the NALU chapter in Fort Wayne, president of GAMA of Fort Wayne, a president and member of the board for the BRAMCO organization, and founder of the Brokers Health Insurance Network.
In 1999, Jim was named the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year in Northern Indiana. He has held field advisory board positions providing insurance expertise and guidance with more than 10 insurance carriers. In 2018, he was elected to the Junior Achievement Hall of Fame. Jim currently serves on the Ash Brokerage board of directors and continues to proudly represent Ash Brokerage among insurance carriers and within the brokerage general agency community. His primary focus has been, and continues to be, nurturing and developing relationships.
Jim has been a dear friend to the Howard family since the very beginning of Broker World. Dad and Jim were pals, while I met Jim at an early NAILBA conference and really grew to appreciate him while covering the Brokers Health Insurance Network. Over the years he has been a great friend and mentor. Just one example of his compassion and friendship came following a personal crisis of mine, when Jim diligently called me for months while I was struggling to recover. It surprised (although if you know Jim it shouldn’t have) and really encouraged me that such a greatly successful and prominent figure in our industry would take the time to reach out and say he cared. It means more than I’ll ever be able to describe. Truly heartfelt thanks to Jim Ash for decades of friendship and congratulations on receiving this award and the recognition he so richly deserves.[SPH]
