Harnessing the strength of our veterans

Kevin Curtis leads a team of about 60 at Combined Insurance, a Chubb company. As an Agency Director, he trains the agents responsible for providing the company’s personal accident and supplemental health insurance benefits to individuals, families and businesses across Nevada and Utah.

Just don’t call him a manager. 

“The results are profoundly different when you're a leader and a coach, not a manager,” said Mr. Curtis. “When you think of yourself as a coach or a mentor, people will do everything they need to do, and then some, to make sure the team wins. If they’re only concentrating on themselves, then they’re being managed.”

Mr. Curtis’s perspective on what it takes to lead a team and earn success at Combined is grounded in more than two decades in the U.S. Navy; he retired as Acting Command Master Chief.  During his military career, Curtis had tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, served all over the world and led missions that involved troops of soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines and coast guardsmen.

“The training veterans receive in the military is probably one of the best leadership courses that anyone could attend, and it can seamlessly translate to the insurance industry,” said William Pishotta, Military Recruiting Program Manager at Combined, and a veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“The list of skills, values and experiences that prior military members bring from their service is endless,” said Pishotta. “Values like leadership, integrity, discipline and teamwork are instilled in you in the military. Veterans also are self-starters who bring all these valuable attributes along with them to Combined.”

Chubb is the parent of Combined Insurance, a leading North American provider of supplemental insurance sold both directly to individuals and at the worksite. Combined launched its veteran recruiting program in 2010 and has hired more than 5,550 veterans, military spouses and their family members over that time. The company’s support extends to a host of military and veteran-focused nonprofit organizations.  

Combined has received numerous commendations for being an employer of choice for veterans and their families, including being honored by Military Times as a “Best for Vets” employer for five years in a row. The company also has been named America's top “Military Friendly^® Employer” ($1 billion to $5 billion revenue category) by VIQTORY, the publisher of G.I. Jobs^® and Military Spouse^® magazines, for four consecutive years.

“Veterans and military families have a real community at Combined,” said Pam Elmore, a District Manager for Combined and a U.S. Army veteran. “My dad was military; I’ve been around military people most of my life. When you get in the military, you feel your military partners become like your family. I understand veterans coming back and trying to adjust to civilian life because they miss that. That’s the connection that Combined gives them. That's why they're so comfortable here.”

“Combined’s commitment to veterans and the military community is foundational to who we are and what we stand for,” said Rich Williams, President of Combined Insurance. “We value the rich diversity of military veterans and the valuable skills they bring to the civilian workforce. Hiring men and women who have served their country not only is the right thing to do, it’s smart business.”