It is an honor to be selected as the new managing principal of Pinnacle. I am humbled by this honor and am thankful for the opportunity.

I would first like to thank Joe Herbers for his tireless dedication as he led Pinnacle for the past 16 years. Joe has been a principled, professional, and personable leader, and the principals, our employees and clients have all benefitted from his leadership. In today’s business world, it is not often that you see a leader in place for 16 years. In fact, staying at one company for 16 years is becoming rare. But even as times have changed from 2008 to now, Joe’s leadership has remained steady yet relevant.

To put into perspective how much has changed in the past 16 years, consider these following facts about the year 2008.

• The U.S. faced its worst financial crisis since the Great Depression
• Barack Obama became the first African American to be elected president
• The most popular song was Low by Flo Rida
• The first movie of the Marvel Universe, Iron Man, was released
• The Dark Knight premiered
• Airbnb was launched

Much like the world has changed since 2008, Pinnacle has changed since 2008 as well. And the impact of Joe’s leadership can be seen in the success Pinnacle has seen over the past 16 years:

• Revenues have more than tripled
• The number of clients Pinnacle serves has doubled
• The number of Pinnacle employees has more than doubled

As I have the honor of becoming only the third managing principal in the history of Pinnacle, I assume this role with Pinnacle in a strong position. In addition to Joe’s leadership, the strength of Pinnacle can be attributed to our focus on key strategic pillars underlying our drive to be Committed Beyond the Numbers (Empathetic Customer Service, Superior Communication, Expertise and Better Business Decisions), and to each of the people at Pinnacle committed to living this out every day.

Building on this position of strength, I plan to continue to collaborate with the principals to continue our focus on Pinnacle’s strategic initiatives. Our employees will continue to be the foundation of our Commitment Beyond Numbers, and we will continue to develop our employees and the future leaders of our firm. We will also continue to incorporate advances in technology to enhance our internal operations and how we serve our clients. And we will continue to be involved in serving the actuarial community to advance our profession.

I am excited about the opportunities that lie ahead for Pinnacle, our employees and our clients. And I look forward to the opportunity and challenge of leading Pinnacle.

I also would like to thank my partners for the trust that they have placed in me. I do not take that trust lightly, and I look forward to collaborating with each of them as we move Pinnacle forward.

To each of our employees, thank you for all you do for Pinnacle every day. Without you, we could not have achieved the heights that we have. And it is because of you that we will attain even higher heights.

To each of our clients, we thank you for your trust and continued loyalty to Pinnacle. I look forward to continuing to work with those that I have collaborated with, and having a chance to meet those that are being served by other account executives.

And lastly, but certainly not least, thank you to my wife and family for all your love and support. Being the family of a consultant is not easy, but you have loved and supported me through everything. And I could not have done it without you. Thank you.