Media room

March 15, 2007

Assurant Employee Benefits Names New Kansas City Sales Manager

Lance Kappelman to take on dual responsibility for Kansas City and St. Louis markets

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (March 15th, 2007) — Assurant Employee Benefits, a nationwide marketer of employee benefits products headquartered in Kansas City, recently announced its decision to promote Lance Kappelman to a dual role as sales manager for both the St. Louis and Kansas City offices. In addition to his management responsibilities in St. Louis, he will serve the sales manager function in Kansas City. Kappelman will relocate to the Kansas City area in early spring. The Kansas City and St. Louis offices serve employers in Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, northeast Oklahoma, northwest Arkansas, and southern Illinois.

Before joining Assurant Employee Benefits as a sales representative in 1999, Kappelman worked as a sales representative with Phoenix Home Life for three years. In 2002, Kappelman was promoted to sales manager for Assurant Employee Benefits' St. Louis office where he was charged with not only managing the office, but also winning new clients and growing existing business.

Under Kappelman's leadership, the St. Louis team has enjoyed plenty of success, which in 2005 led to the “Office of the Year” award from the company.

“Lance's track record as an effective manager makes him a natural fit to assume responsibility for our Kansas City office. He has successfully coached the sales team in St. Louis and now has the opportunity to make a greater impact within the organization,” said Mark Sylvester, vice president of sales. “While we celebrate our nationwide presence, we truly value the work we do in our own backyard. Kansas City is a great home for our organization and we are proud to bring Lance here.”

Kappelman looks forward to becoming involved in the Kansas City community, and is excited about the benefits he will be able to take advantage of by working from the headquarters city.

“One of the advantages of working from the Kansas City sales office is the direct, in-person access to resources that no other Assurant Employee Benefits office has in the country. Whether it be the marketing department, underwriting, or access to our claims and customer service people, we have the ability to take a broker into our home office and show them the value Assurant Employee Benefits brings to the table. This is something that very few of our competitors are going to have an opportunity to do in the Kansas City area,” said Kappelman.

According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, there are approximately 136,516 small businesses with employees in the state of Missouri alone. Of these small businesses, an estimated 97.8 percent are small firms with fewer than 500 employees.

As one of the largest marketers of employee benefits in the United States, and with a focus on serving small to mid-size businesses, Kappelman is confident Assurant Employee Benefits can provide reliable and affordable dental, disability, and life insurance options to the growing number of small businesses throughout the Midwest.