THE PINECONE

Monthly newsletter for area insurance professionals To inform members and associates of industry news, educational opportunities And association activities of the

RALEIGH ASSOCIATION OF INSURANCE PROFESSIONALS

Officers
President Janet Davis, CISR, CPIW, AAI janet.davis@firstcitizens.com President Elect & Membership Jeanne Hess, CISR, CPIW, DAE, AAI, AIS jhess@iianc.com Vice-President & Programs Beth Blackwell, AAI, CPIW bethbwell@nc.rr.com Secretary Debbie Pass-Soles, CPIW, CISR, CIC Debbie.Soles@mmicnc.com Treasurer Barb Hutchinson bhutchinson@bmico.com Parliamentarian Wanda Manning, CPCU, CPIW, CIC, DAE w.manning@sau-inc.com Committee Chairmen : Bylaws & Immediate Past President Katy Willett, CIC, AAI, CISR, CPIW, CBIA katy@1919bb.com Employment Jeanne Hess, CISR, CPIW, DAE, AAI, AIS jhess@iianc.com Public Relations Co-Chairs Pam Grimes, CPIW, CIC, CISR, DAE Pagdreamer18@aol.com & Jan Davis Education Pam Grimes, CPIW, CIC, CISR, DAE Pagdreamer18@aol.com Safety Beth Blackwell, AAI, CPIW & Jan Davis bethbwell@nc.rr.com Legislative Jeanne Hess

DONT MISS THESE FUTURE MEETINGS!

1. June 11, 2013 Associates Night Banquet & Officer Installation 2. July 9, 2013 Planning Mtg. 3. August 13, 2013 TBA

JUNE 2013 Enjoy your summer!!

June 2013
The June 2013 Meeting of the Raleigh Association of Insurance Professionals will meet on June 11, 2013 at the 18 Seaboard Restaurant on Peace Street. NOT TOO LATE! Let Jeanne know if you would like to come and have not already sent in your RSVP! Come join us for fellowship and friends! Bring a friend or co-worker from your office!

Thanks for making IAIP YOUR Association of Choice Represented by Diversified Professionals NEW WEBSITE: www.raip.org NCAIP LINK: www.ncaip.org NEW IAIP link : http://www.internationalinsuranceprofessio nals.org/ SCHOLARSHIPS: www.inssfa.org

DUES! If you havent already renewed your membership on the IAIP website, DO SO TODAY! We look forward to seeing you each month! Thank you for being a part of this professional organization! Appreciation can make a day, even change a life. Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary. ~Margaret
Cousins

Pinecone Editor
Jeanne Hess, CISR, CPIW, DAE, AAI, AIS

jhess@iianc.com

Presidents Corner I find it extremely hard to believe that it is the end of the reign of my term. I have to say, it has been and honor and a blessing to be your President this year and I have surely grown from the opportunity. We have accomplished much and have had an awesome time doing so. Lets go forth into the next year supporting Jeanne Hess the way you have all supported me. At this time, Teresa Fannin is in FL representing us in the CWC speak-off and I know myself as well as this organization cant be prouder of her. Next week we will be meeting for Associates Night and the installation of our new officers @ 18 Seaboard. I hope everyone can make it for the fun and fellowship we always have. Thank you again for the opportunity to serve you as your president for the 2012/2013 term and I hope we continue to grow together in this business. God Bless You All ! Janet R Davis, CISR, CPIW, AAI, CRIS 2012/2013 RAIP President ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Upcoming Events! RAIP Associates Night Banquet Tuesday, June 11, 2013 at 18 Seaboard Restaurant RAIP July Meeting Tuesday July 9, 2013 Planning Meeting NCAIP Convention October 5th, 2013 in Raleigh at the Doubletree Brownstone
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MINUTES OF THE RALEIGH ASSOCIATION OF INSURANCE PROFESSIONALS May 14, 2013

The meeting was called to order by President Janet Davis at 6:00 PM. President Davis welcomed everyone to our May meeting of Raleigh Association of Insurance Professionals. Members present: President Janet Davis, Katy Willett, Beth Blackwell, Jeanne Hess, Wanda Manning, Barbara Hutchinson, Pam Grimes and Debbie Pass Soles. Our guest speaker was Vanessa Budnick and her loyal companion, Ernest, a French bulldog she adopted from the SPCA of Wake County. Vanessa shared a very interesting video and provided a great deal of information to everyone about SPCA of Wake County. After the presentation, we all wanted to adopt an animal of our own or at least volunteer to help the animals at SPCA of Wake County. RAIP members supported the SPCA of Wake County by bringing in items to donate such as paper products, dog & cat food,

cleaning supplies and money. Vanessa was very appreciative and told us the SPCA can always use donations and volunteers. The SPCA of Wake County is located off of Tryon Road at 200 Petfinder Ln Raleigh, NC 27603 and the telephone number is 919- 7722326. The business meeting of Raleigh Association of Insurance Professionals was called to order by President Davis. She advised the April minutes were printed in the PINECONE and asked if there were any changes to the minutes. No changes. Jeanne Hess made a motion to accept the minutes as printed in the PINECONE and Katy Willett seconded the motion with all attendees in favor. President Davis continued the meeting by asking for committee reports; Committee Reports Treasurer-Barbara Hutchinson, no report Programs -Beth Blackwell, Program Chairperson-reminded everyone that June 11 is Associates Night Banquet at 18 Seaboard President Davis will follow-up on entertainment, programs and plaques. Education-Pam Grimes, Education Chairperson, Ethics class had 3 people to attend. RAIP thanks Vince Sorgi for giving generously of his time to teach. Public Relations-President Davis & Pam Grimes, Public Relations Co-Chairpersons, Pam is trying to get the news out about RAIP. Employment-Jeanne Hess, Employment Chairperson, as printed in the PINECONE. Legislative- Shirley McLamb-Hudson, Legislative Chairperson, - no report Safety-President Davis & Beth Blackwell, Safety Co-Chairpersons, no report Bylaws-Katy Willett, Bylaws Chairperson - no report Parliamentarian-Wanda Manning. Wanda announced that the changes voted on at Regional Conference failed and will not be going to National for vote.

Membership-Jeanne Hess no report. Brief discussion about membership notices and who had and had not received their renewal notices. New Business President Davis asked the attendees if there was any new business

Katy Willett is now a Grandmother! Following the meeting we had a Baby Shower honoring Katy as a new Grandmother. 05/31/2013 Symposium in Charlotte, NC / 6 hours of CE RAIP will be offering an I-Can class in the near future to be taught by Teresa Fannin Membership discussed fund raising ides which were tabled for a later date:

Old Business President Davis asked if there was any old business. Rada knife order to be placed There being no other old business, President Davis adjourned the meeting at 7:11 PM.
Respectfully submitted,

Deborah Pass Soles, CPIW, CISR, AAI, DAE, CIC RAIP Secretary

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES: 1. HPB Insurance Group in High Point, NC is looking for a Middle Market Commercial Account Manager. Contact Jeanne Hess for more details. (Feb. 2013) 2. Insurance professional from Louisiana relocating to the Apex, NC area in May 2013. She is a CIC, Commercial Lines Producer, Office Management, Marketing Management . (Feb. 2013) 3. NCDOI Employment opportunities visit: http://www.ncdoi.com/Employment/ 4. Standard Insurance in Rocky Mount - looking for an Administrative Assistant / Receptionist. Contact Kim Bletsas at 252-467-2757 or email a resume to kbletsas@standardins.com. 5. DIRECT INSURANCE Wilson, looking for a personal lines agent. Contact Jeanne Hess for more information.
Please contact Jeanne Hess jhess@iianc.com or 919-863-6524, if you would like more information.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Apple-Bacon Pancakes
If you like apple pancakes and you like bacon, you'll love the taste of these sweet, smoky pancakes.
Recipe From EatingWell.com

More Recipes
Apple-Cinnamon Fruit Bars Turkey and Applesauce Burgers Raspberry Applesauce Orange Spice Molasses Cookies Browse More Recipes

Featured: Talking to Your Doc About Costs

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

12 Diet No-Nos
Do your diet a favor and steer clear of these gut-busting weight loss roadblocks. View Slideshow

What Really Helps a Hangover? 6 Nutrition Rules Worth Breaking How to Deal With Your Dog's Behavior Problems

Avoid travel scams when making summer vacation plans

5

The summer travel season is here and many families have vacations planned in the coming weeks. Nothing can ruin a good trip faster than falling for a scam or realizing you got a bad deal. Attorney General Roy Cooper joined this week with law enforcement and consumer protection officials from other states as well as overseas to go after travel scammers, including one that operated in North Carolina. The international sweep coordinated by the US Federal Trade Commission includes 190 actions taken by 28 states and eight other countries. To help consumers avoid scams and get better deals on travel, weve created a special travel tips section at www.ncdoj.gov. The tips cover travel clubs, free vacation offers, timeshares, timeshare resales, and vacation rentals. Wherever your vacation takes you, keep the following tips in mind when making travel plans:

Read all contracts carefully before you sign. Make sure all promises are put in writing, and keep good records in case you have a problem later.

Get details about a trip in writing and a confirmed reservation before you agree to pay anything.

If your travel deal involves a third party such as an online travel agency who is supposed to issue you a coupon to cover lodging or air fare, verify that the participating company (hotel, cruise ship, or airline) is in fact a partner of the travel agency and will honor the coupon.

Pay with a credit card instead of cash to improve your odds of getting a refund if the company goes out of business.

To check for complaints against a specific travel agent, travel package company or rental property landlord, call us toll-free at 1-877-5-NO-SCAM. You can also search for complaints online by entering the company name and the word complaints or scam but be aware that you may also find site that promote the company.

If you spot a travel scam or have another travel related consumer complaint, file a complaint at www.ncdoj.gov or contact the Attorney Generals Consumer Protection Division by calling 1-877-5-NO-SCAM. This message brought to you on behalf of North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper.

You think English language is easy?

I think a retired English teacher was bored. Read all the way to the end. This took a lot of work to put together! 1) The bandage was wound around the wound. 2) A farm is used to produce produce. 3) The garbage dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse. 4) We must polish the Polish furniture. 5) He could lead if he would get the lead out. 6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert. 7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present. 8) A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum. 9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.

10) I did not object to the object. 11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid. 12) There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row. 13) They were too close to the door to close it. 14) The buck does funny things when the does are present. 15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.

16) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow. 17) The wind was too strong to wind the sail. 18) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear. 19) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests. 20) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?

Let's face it - English is a crazy language. There is no egg in eggplant, nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins weren't invented in England or French fries in France. Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat. We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.. And why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth, beeth? One goose, 2 geese. So one moose, 2 meese? One index, 2 indices? Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend? If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it? If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat? Sometimes I think all the English speakers should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane. In what language do people recite at a play and play at a recital? Ship by truck and send cargo by ship? Have noses that run and feet that smell? How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out and in which, an alarm goes off by going on.

English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race, which, of course, is not a race at all. That is why, when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible. PS. - Why doesn't 'Buick' rhyme with 'quick' ? HAVE A GREAT DAY