Rob Blais Named National Sales Director of Heartland Financial Group
BLUE SPRINGS – June 25, 2018 -- Aspiring to “help make Heartland Financial Group (HFG) a household
name,” Rob Blais has signed on as Heartland’s new National Sales Director.
Heartland CEO Todd Hill recently made the announcement of Blais’ appointment, noting that the veteran of some 21 years in the insurance industry will initially focus on helping to expand the company’s Medicare Supplement division.
“I am thrilled to have this opportunity to become a member of the Heartland team,” Blais said. “To use a baseball analogy, my goal will be to help bring Heartland home. With the acquisition’s Chris McDaniel (Heartland owner) has made in recent months, it is a very exciting time to be coming on board with a skyrocketing company.”
A Clearwater, FL, resident and alumnus of the Central Florida College, Blais once thought to become a plastic surgeon. He explained that he “wanted to make a good living for myself and my family by helping people.”
Ultimately Blais, who will report directly to HFG’s Chief Marketing Officer Tegrey Moot, determined that he could accomplish those same goals in the insurance industry.
“I was working my way through college as a bartender and a customer of mine in the insurance business took an interest in me,” Blais recalled. “He kept after me to come to work for him, and there came a time when I decided to go in that direction as a career. It was a much faster track to get where I wanted to go, and it was kind of a natural for me because my family had been in the insurance business since
1909.”
And a fast track it was for Blais, who started out in 1997 for Banker’s Life and Casualty as an agent, but soon founded his own agency in Raleigh, NC. Later on he was recruited by Amerilife as Marketing Director, establishing multiple divisions, such as long term care, annuities and life. He was ultimately promoted to President of The Life and Annuity Shop, an Amerilife Company before taking on a full vice presidency role at AMG.
“Throughout my career,” Blais noted, “I’ve been involved in every aspect of the business. I believe my versatility and experience will prove to be an asset to Heartland. What really sold me on Heartland, though, is the vision of its leadership – Chris McDaniel, Todd Hill, Tegrey Moot and Scotty Elliott. They have a clear vision of where they want to take the company on a national scale, and I’m looking forward
to helping to bring that vision to fruition. Bottom line - I believe Heartland is posed for some serious
success and I am ready to go along for the ride.”
Blais describes himself as a “people person with a strong work ethic.”
“I learned a long time ago as a bartender to not pre-judge people,” he said. “I also learned early on that to be successful in the insurance business you have to run hard and be detail oriented. Not all agents fit that bill. I’ll be looking for those who do. To be successful in the insurance game, you have to love it. And I do.”
Married to his wife Kathy for 21 years and the father of three, Blais says you’ve also got to “love people.”
“Just the other day,” he reflected, “I was assisting a 95-year-old client. It made me happy to render assistance to her. It’s not just about making money. I find what I do intrinsically rewarding. If you can help people and make a good living in the process, that’s about as good as it gets.”
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About Heartland Financial Group
Heartland Financial Group (HFG), headquartered in Blue Springs, MO, is one of the nation’s leading independent distributors of life and health insurance products focused on serving the Senior Market. HFG develops and distributes life and health insurance products with insurance carrier partners and markets these products through its distribution network, which includes a career base of agents, partner IMOs and call centers. HFG has over 150 employees and a network of over 50,000 agents nationwide. HFG presently generates over 500 million of annual premium across the enterprise. You can learn more about HFG at www.hfgagents.com.
Media Contact: Tegan Harrison Public Relations
[email protected]
816-878-9747
Partnership Inquiries:
Tegrey Moot, Chief Marketing Officer
Heartland Financial Group [email protected]
602-820-8470
