Meet Tom Fuller, an employee benefits risk advisor at North Risk Partners (northriskpartners.com).
Tell us a little about your business. – I am in the insurance business with a focus on developing predictable and cost- effective employee benefit programs for the mid-market employer. North Risk Partners specializes in strategic insurance solutions for businesses and individuals. We are committed to helping clients face risk head-on with right-fit insurance coverage and attention to opportunities for preventing avoidable losses. For businesses, we offer programming and compliance support in the areas of human resources, safety, worksite wellness, and more.
How did you get started in the business? – I left the corporate world to create my own enterprise and started a financial planning practice for individuals and business owners.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced professionally? – Like most business owners, launching a successful business that attracts clients and becomes profitable is the upmost entrepreneur challenge. It is very rewarding to have succeeded and have beaten the odds of business survival.
What has been your most important achievement professionally? – Meeting a business owner who allows me to partner with them and, together, and we generate a return on their investment.
Tell us a little about your family. – I am married. Debbie and I have three children, all married with families. We have eight grandchildren.
What do you see as one of the biggest turning points in your life? – Becoming an entrepreneur and learning to think like a business owner. With this skill, I can better appreciate and grasp my client’s business goals and consequently, helping them flourish in their marketplace.
What is your favorite thing to do on a day off? – At a young age, I was struck with the beauty of our park system. So when convenient, I love to go RVing in a new local, state, or National Park.
What is the most unique or interesting thing about you that most people probably don’t know? – I enjoy the art of smoking meats.
Who inspires you? – Michael Jordan, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Tiger Woods, and Mike Krzyzewski. Watching athletes/coaches develop excellence and become champions.
What is your favorite quote or the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? – “Success is not final; failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.” – Winston S. Churchill
If you could choose only one descriptive word to be remembered as, what would it be? – Forgiving.
If you had a theme song, what would it be? – “God Bless the USA” by Lee Greenwood.
If you could choose any other profession to be successful in, what would it be? – I love to help other people succeed. I would enjoy training.
What is your favorite book or the last good book you read? – Blue Ocean Strategy, Expanded Edition: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make the Competition Irrelevant by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne.
What is your favorite movie? – The Hunt for Red October starring Sean Connery.
If you could have dinner with one famous person from the past or present, who would it be? – Rick Lanoha, current chief executive officer of Kiewit Corporation.
If our readers would like to contact you, how should they do so? – (402) 905-9067; tom.fuller@northriskpartners.com; northriskpartners.com.