Ben Nevejans Featured in Broker World Magazine
Our industry lost a great man last month. To know Bill Zimmerman was to love and respect him. Though it would take him hours to make it through just one aisle of the NAILBA exhibit hall, stopping every couple of yards to engage with an old friend or meet someone new, he could never get enough of learning and giving back.
Much to his chagrin, he hadn’t been as active in the industry for the past several years as he once was. Not having his extraordinary presence around was missed by all who knew him but also left many new to the industry without an understanding of what his contributions meant to our community.
Bill Z’s long career in the life insurance and financial services trade spanned over five decades. During his first 20 years, he excelled as a top personal producer, as an agency manager, as a PPGA, and finally as the founder of one of the leading independent marketing organizations in the country.
In fact, Bill was there at the very beginning of today’s staple industry associations and helped countless peers, carriers, and vendors navigate the very early days of independent brokerage. Over the course of his career, Bill Z helped guide numerous field advisory boards and donated thousands and thousands of hours to the industry by helping to create consumer-friendly products and efficient distribution techniques.
Many of those carriers, including Allianz Life, National Life, Aegon, F&G, Conseco, United Presidential, and many others owe a large degree of their past and current successes to the work Bill did. He generously served as a member of several local and national trade organizations including NAILBA, AALU, and NAIFA, and was a long-time member and supporter of the MDRT and Top of the Table organizations. The numerous articles he penned and contributed to some of the finest financial trade journals always focused on relevant topics of the day, many of which are still referenced presently.
It was in 1986, with a dream of starting an independent marketing organization that stands on integrity, service, and honor that he opened the doors of LifePro Financial Services, a company that focuses on what is genuinely in the best interest of the end-consumer and the extensive support of the advisors who deliver it.
But Bill’s vision and personal crusade to help others didn’t end with his countless hours each week spent with his team, carriers, vendors, consumers, and financial advisors. Those that knew Bill best saw how much of his life he devoted to helping individuals overcome serious and life-threatening personal challenges. In fact, he spent nearly as much time helping those in recovery as he did those in the insurance business.
In addition to LifePro, he founded the charitable organization 12StepRadio.com, a recovery-based, online radio site providing solace and resources to thousands. Most people in the industry would not be surprised to learn that since 1987 Bill spent each and every Saturday of his life engaging in back-to-back meetings mentoring and sponsoring those in need. He hosted a regular weekly study group at his home for over 30 years and spoke at international and local conventions regularly.
Bill Z was more than just an agent, he was more than just the founder of an IMO, more than a businessman, he was a mentor, an advocate for anyone in need, and a loyal friend. He was a true humanitarian who dedicated himself to helping everyone he could and leading a life of service to others.
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