TruChoice Mourns Loss of Longtime Ann Arbor Annuity Exchange President, Van A. Lumbard

GlobeNewswire

MINNEAPOLIS, April 19, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TruChoice Financial Group, LLC, announced today that longtime insurance industry leader, Van A. Lumbard, passed away on April 13, 2022, surrounded by family and friends. Lumbard, 75, spent the final 25 years of his distinguished career as the president of Ann Arbor Annuity Exchange, one of TruChoice's legacy firms, before his retirement in 2017.

"This is certainly a very sad day for TruChoice employees in Ann Arbor that worked side-by-side with Van for all those years, and a sad day for me personally, as I have known Van for over 20 years and worked closely with him for over 10," said Brian Peterson, president and CEO of TruChoice. "There is no perfect formula for being a great leader, but two things stuck with me from my years working with Van: first, be humble and always treat people like you want to be treated; second, it's not about your title, it's about how you interact with people."

Lumbard spent his entire career in the life and health insurance business, beginning as an agent with Mutual of Omaha/United of Omaha before quickly being tapped for management training. Following a stint at Puritan Life Insurance Company, he became the vice president of marketing for MONTLIFE Corporation in 1981. Following MONTLIFE's merger with Connecticut National Life in 1986, Lumbard served as the senior vice president of sales and marketing. In 1990, he formed an independent marketing company, marketing life insurance and annuities in Chicago.

He joined Ann Arbor Annuity Exchange in February 1992 as president, and later added the role of CEO. Lumbard's success as a leader started and ended with the people he surrounded himself with. "Van was never worried about telling others in the industry about the Ann Arbor 'secret sauce,' because he knew they couldn't replicate the people he had," recalls Peterson. "His love for his team was evident in his final email to them as their president, when he wrote, 'It has been a privilege to be a part of your lives, and I have enjoyed watching each of you grow and develop, both personally and professionally, over the years.'" Prior to his retirement, Lumbard added to the numerous awards he had gathered over his career when he was honored with Allianz Life's Daniel J. Rourke Marketing Guru Award in January 2017.

Said Peterson, "The two words that come to mind when I think about Van are character and reputation. You would be hard-pressed to find someone with stronger character than Van, and his reputation was top-notch, as I have never heard anyone say a bad thing about him. You reach the pinnacle when character and reputation match, and they definitely did with Van. He was a leader and mentor to all who walked the hallways of the Ann Arbor Annuity Exchange offices for 25 years, and he will be sorely missed."

To learn more about TruChoice, visit www.TruChoiceFinancial.com, or call 800.237.0263. TruChoice Financial can also be followed on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.