Every year, Applied Client Network recognizes and thanks the many contributions our members make through honors like the Committee Volunteer of the Year award and the Chapter Volunteer of the Year award. Connections sat down with with 2021 Bill McNulty Chapter Volunteer of the Year award winner Kevin Crow, president for the Large Agent Alliance Chapter, to learn more about his past in insurance and his reaction to winning this honor after another crazy year.

Connections: Tell us a bit about your career. How did you get started in the insurance industry?

Kevin Crow (KC): I had been in computer field service for several years and I was frustrated. While on service visits, I would typically see ways users could be getting more out of their technology but generally business owners were only interested in getting the immediate problem fixed and “stopping the clock” on billable time. I decided I wanted to be a part of the environment and help people get the most out of their technology as only a team member could.

Connections: How long have you been a member of ACN? What was your motivation to join?

KC: Kapnick was part of North American User Group of Applied Systems (NAUGAS) and Large User Group of Applied Systems (LUGAS) before I joined the firm. I started in 1992 and went to my first NAUGAS conference in 1993. I have not missed one, yet.

Connections: In your opinion, what is the most beneficial part of being involved with the organization as a volunteer?

KC: I was a unicorn when I started in the insurance industry: a technologist with no prior insurance knowledge. The relationships I formed through the ACN have been invaluable in fueling and guiding my career. Discussing and sharing our challenges and ideas has made us all better as well as our industry as a whole.

Connections: With the world, and industry, changing rapidly — and this year’s award winners currently being determined — do you have any advice for folks considering becoming more involved with the organization?

KC: You will get more out of it than you put in. I have served as a chapter officer, a member of various committees and focus groups in a variety of roles and as a presenter at the national conference many times. Through it all, I have learned a tremendous amount and made friends I have turned to repeatedly over the years for thoughts and advice on a variety of challenges. Along the way, we have shared many great experiences thanks to ACN.

Learn more about ACN Awards and other past winners here. If you’d like to get involved and volunteer, discover more about the process here.