In just over two weeks many of us in the workers’ compensation industry will be headed to the Comp Laude® Awards & Gala. It is being held in San Diego, California, October 9ththru 11th. The brainchild of the late David Depaolo, it is an event designed to reinforce and celebrate the successes we see in the industry. I am pleased to be speaking at the event this year and honored to be a finalist in the awards program.
Comp Laude® is a unique concept that should be supported by our industry. Ours is a business often steeped in negative publicity. I’ve often said that we have a challenge from the outset of our activity; we are an industry based on pain and suffering, as no one calls us when all is well. Usually, when we follow the core of our mission properly, lives are repaired, and economic viability is restored. When we fail, we are on the five o’clock news. Comp Laude® is about acknowledging those successes and encouraging the effort to be the best we can be at what we do.
I’ll have the honor to speak once again with my friend Mark “RxProfessor” Pew. We will be joined by Bryan Conner of American Airlines in discussing the importance of clear and open communication with injured workers. The rest of the success driven agenda includes a variety of topics and ideas, and the People Choice presentation also returns. In that session a number of people give short and spirited “Ted Talk” like presentations on a variety of motivational topics.
I mentioned earlier that I am a finalist for the awards program that is an integral part of Comp Laude®. There are numerous categories that will be recognized, including employers, legal and claims professionals, injured workers and more. The particular category under which I was nominated is “Industry Leader.” The competition in that category is tough, as there are several extraordinarily qualified people in it. I nominated a couple of the finalists, and wouldn’t mind losing to them, to be quite honest. I am also pleased that a couple of my fellow Kids’ Chance of Florida board members, Stacy Hosman and Geoff Bichler, are on the list of finalists.
If you have not been to Comp Laude® I would hope you would consider it this year. You may register for it here. Hope to see you in San Diego!