Cameron Annas '13 RMI, FIN
Vice President & National Practice Leader, Adventure & Entertainment at Granite Insurance (Granite Falls, NC)
Cameron Annas knew when he arrived at Appalachian State that he wanted to study Risk Management and Insurance (RMI). "Insurance runs deep in my blood, in fact 3 generations deep!", says Annas. "I've always been fascinated with the industry, and the opportunity the insurance industry has to help organizations and individuals during some of the most difficult tragedies in their life."
As a student, Annas tried to take advantage of every networking and community-building opportunity that the RMI program had to offer. Annas notes that, "Traveling places wasn't the highlight here, but the opportunity to develop soft skills. It was during these experiences that I learned how to talk with professionals, how to be responsible in a social setting, and develop relationships with mentors that have lasted to this day."
Annas credits these experiential learning opportunities, most of which were sponsored by the Brantley Risk and Insurance Center, for giving him a "leg up" in his career. "I can Google the common exclusions within a General Liability policy," says Annas, "but what I can't Google is how to negotiate with an underwriter or how to build relationships with our key client and carrier partners."
Annas also has many good memories of relationships he built with his peers and how that has contributed to his success in the tight-knit insurance industry: "It's amazing how many former classmates I do business with - AppState RMI grads are all over the place! Doing business with your friends is something that's truly rewarding each and every day."
Now, Annas is the Vice-President Granite Insurance, a successful organization based in Granite Falls that is a practice leader in providing risk management solutions for high-adrenaline adventure sport activities like zip lines across the United States. When asked why he loves his career, Annas shared, "The greatest joy in my life is unlocking other people's potential to become better and accomplish their dreams! Whether it's our team members at Granite Insurance or a client partner of ours, I continually have the opportunity each and every day to help someone be successful. That's a truly rewarding feeling that most people only get a couple times in their life, yet I have the opportunity on a daily basis".
Annas is actively engaged in promoting the RMI industry to students. He recently joined the Brantley Board of Directors in order to continue to give back to the AppState RMI program, and is proud to have the opportunity to hire many AppState RMI graduates.
Cameron Annas
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