Special Section sponsored by TMPAA |
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World Wide Specialty Programs Key program administered: staffing industry insurance IN MEMORIAM An atmosphere of uneasy silence pervaded the ballroom one memorable day four years ago. The honored special guest, on stage to receive her industry’s prestigious accolade for lifetime achievements, was approaching the microphone. In a wheelchair. Eileen Lesberg was the well-deserved and gracious honoree that 2004 morning during the American Staffing Association’s (ASA) annual convention in Washington, DC. Thirty-six years earlier, she founded World Wide Facilities, which quickly became, and remains, one of the world’s foremost staffing insurance organizations. Ms. Lesberg continued as chairman of World Wide, now officially known as World Wide Specialty Programs, Inc., until her May 3, 2008, death at age 79. Typically the profiles in this annual Target Markets special section of Rough Notes are fully devoted to updating a business’s marketing achievements and the benefits it offers its insurance industry partners. This year, company President Dorothy Taylor wishes to engage this space as a tribute from the 35-member World Wide company family to its long-time leader and close friend, Eileen Lesberg. Dozens of staffing insurance industry associates learned of Ms. Lesberg’s passing almost immediately. Many of them were among the 200 persons who later attended “Eileen’s final brunch” at her Long Island residence where she hosted a popular annual Christmas season gathering for nearly three decades. Ms. Lesberg had suffered from several physical ailments for many years. Still, she continued to work closely with the World Wide staff and kept up to date with staffing industry developments. A St. Louis native whose formative years were spent in New England, young Eileen served in the U.S. Navy prior to entering the insurance field. “Her first job was with Liberty Mutual,” says Dorothy Taylor, “and she always firmly believed that Liberty set her on the course for her life. “One of Eileen’s proudest moments,” recalls Taylor, “was ASA’s tribute to her. We’re honored here to review a portion of her eloquently delivered 2004 acceptance address to the association’s convention.” I am incredibly honored to receive an award previously reserved for the most influential members of your industry. This is truly a humbling experience...I looked back upon past recipients and realized that all were not only my colleagues, but my friends. World Wide Facilities was actually born out of a need for the staffing industry to protect what it had accomplished and what it would achieve in the future. I like to think we grew up together. My passion for your industry never wavered. Those of you who know me know this to be true. We have risen to challenges. The longevity of our relationship could only have been maintained by mutual trust and understanding. I’ve taught one of the largest insurance carriers in the world about you, and I’ve taught you about the insurance world. With this award you have honored me; you have honored my company; you have honored all that we’ve done together. To my friends at ASA—my colleagues, my clients, my staff, and to my competitors, too—thank you. Eileen Lesberg is credited with being the first insurance official to recognize the need for providing America’s staffing industry with insurance coverage. She persuaded American International Group to be World Wide’s carrier partner in that endeavor. Now, 40 years later, this strong partnership continues. World Wide maintains its position as the AIG program manager for the staffing industry. No other company has achieved that status. Four decades ago, World Wide offered one policy to staffing companies; now an entire program is available. Over the years, Ms. Lesberg’s enterprise expanded into additional program niche areas, but what hasn’t changed is the fact that World Wide Specialty Programs’ 40-year dedication to staffing insurance remains a constant. Another constant is a continuing affection for the company’s founder, as reflected by excerpts from a memorial tribute in the Wall Street Journal: In Memoriam, Eileen Lesberg
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