COLUMBUS – Chris Cline, a lifelong Knox County resident currently living in Fredericktown, recently received the Independence Bell award by the Ohio Insurance Agents Association for his contributions to the insurance industry.
The group bestowed Cline’s award during its Dec. 9, 2021, annual holiday dinner. Cline, a 1988 graduate of Fredericktown High School, works for Westfield Insurance. The honor came for his contributions to the insurance industry and the community, according to a press release from OIA.
During his “deeply emotional and moving acceptance speech,” Cline recalled the values his recently deceased father had instilled in him while growing up. His father would be proud of this recognition, Cline said.
“When we wake up in the morning, we want to understand our why,” Cline said in the speech. “We center ourselves on our values and focus on trying to do the right things, and if we can focus on that, then that’s when the good stuff happens.”
In granting the award, the OIA described Cline as someone who “constantly pushing agents and the industry out of our comfort zone, pushing for advancement of our business model, embracing change.”
“In a world with infinite change, exponential change, it’s important to stay focused on trends; however, it is a critical miss if we do not focus on the things that do not change,” Cline said. “One thing that does not change are the people both in our lives and in our industry. No matter how 24/7 our world gets, at the core are the people.”
In addition to pressing for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) at Westfield for the last couple of years, the release said Cline has teamed with other carriers to drop their guard as competitors and enter a common space to advance DEI efforts.
“In an industry that has one common goal, which is to take care of people, and as an individual, as one person, I was awarded as someone the people of this industry believe as making an influence, I will be forever grateful and humbled by the recognition,” Cline said.
