(Bonita Springs, Florida – February 11, 2015) – Steven C. Rutledge, former Farmers Mutual Hail (FMH) president and CEO, received the Crop Insurance Industry Lifetime Achievement Award during the 2015 Crop Insurance Industry Annual Convention held in February.
Steve has served in the crop insurance and reinsurance industry for more than forty years – most of that time was spent working for Farmers Mutual Hail. He was FMH president and CEO from 2001 through 2010 as well as a member of the Executive Committee.
During his time as president and CEO, the company grew its total crop insurance premium from $85 million to $453 million, and grew its surplus from $120 million to $338 million. He retired from those positions at the end of 2010, but served as chairman of the company’s Board of Directors and as a member of the Investment Committee until the end of 2012. In his retirement, Steve continued to serve as the chairman of National Crop Insurance Services (NCIS) through early 2013.
Throughout his career, Steve served in several roles including agent, crop hail adjuster, senior vice president and manager of reinsurance, and senior vice president of MPCI.
As the senior vice president of the MPCI department, Steve was instrumental in bringing FMH into the federal crop insurance program. During Steve’s tenure, MPCI became not only a viable part of the company, but FMH also became well respected in the industry as one of the top companies providing MPCI coverage.
“My favorite time was building the MPCI department from scratch,” he said. “I had a great team and it was more of a mission than a job. We worked 24/7 to make it work but had a lot of fun and gained a lot of satisfaction from giving the department a good beginning.”
In addition to his leadership roles within FMH, Steve served in leadership roles within the crop insurance industry, including past chairman of the board of NCIS and the Crop Insurance & Reinsurance Bureau. He has been a speaker at various crop and reinsurance conferences and conventions, including speaking on behalf of the U.S. crop insurance industry, at the request of the USDA, at an International Agriculture Symposium held in Poland in 2001.
Steve also testified twice before the Senate Agriculture Committee and twice before the House Agriculture Committee, on behalf of the crop insurance industry.
Steve’s knowledge, integrity, and professionalism make him a great representative for our industry. His long and distinguished career serving the company and the crop insurance industry earned him a nomination and win for the Crop Insurance Industry Lifetime Achievement award.
“Steve receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award is a richly deserved honor,” said Shannon Rutledge, Secretary and Senior Vice President of MPCI. “As an individual whose career has spanned over forty years, his experiences range from selling crop insurance and adjusting losses, to reinsuring crop companies and managing operations. I consider it an honor to have had the opportunity to work with him and I’m proud to call him ‘Dad.’ ”
The NCIS Board of Directors only recognizes a handful of individuals each year who have exhibited outstanding leadership, guidance, and knowledge within the industry.
Farmers Mutual Hail would like to congratulate Steve on this momentous achievement.