CUNA Mutual’s Reid Koenig announces retirement
By Jim Offner, Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, Iowa | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
He's stepping back a bit as he approaches his retirement, but plans to stay involved.
"Hopefully, there's a long road ahead of me," said Koenig, who played an integral role in forming the
Koenig plans to step away from the company he has served for three decades
He says he won't disappear. He serves on numerous local boards, including the
"There's a number of community activities and boards that still capture my attention, and I want to continue contributing to them," Koenig said.
It's important to stay involved, he said.
"I'd say early in my career I was not engaged," he said. "I was involved with work and family. As you kind of mature, maybe you realize you've got to think about the community from a broader perspective. You identify things that are of interest to you and add value to and become involved. I'm in
Koenig said getting involved with Leadership Iowa about 10 years ago ignited his interest in community affairs.
"It made me realize the value the
Last year, the
Reid and his wife of 39 years, Marsha, grew up in
Prior to that, the family resided in
All of which was prelude to his ultimate calling, Koenig said. He took an IT job at the former Lutheran Mutual Co., which was organized in 1879, primarily to insure a customer base of Lutheran pastors. In the 1980s, amidst "turmoil and high interest rates," according to Koenig, the company changed its name to
"We decided we needed to have a market niche, and after we affiliated with
Among his professional highlights, Koenig lists his role in helping to consolidate several
"We consolidated several offices here without a loss of customer services and gaining economies of scale," he said.
Koenig said he also is proud that the Waverly office complex also has undergone a "total renovation" in the last several years,
On a more personal level, Koenig said he is happy to have trained "a lot of great leaders" at the company.
"Looking at local talent here in the
He noted the company is working to bring in new talent from minority communities, and on Wednesday hosted a number of agencies that could lead to additional minority hiring.
Koenig said he's not sure what his next move will be when his retirement kicks in.
"I think this summer I'm going to take it easy," he said. "After you've worked in a career for a long time, you have a set routine. I'm not anxious to jump into anything full-fledged. Maybe in the fall I'll evaluate whether there's something to pursue."
He will be difficult to replace, and the company won't try to do that in the traditional sense, said
"We're still evaluating exactly what that means," he said. "I don't think we're going to exactly replace the position Reid had. He was the face of the Waverly operations for
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