I used to be celebrating a win over a loopy case at a Florida Affiliation of Public Insurance coverage Adjusters (FAPIA) assembly within the late Nineteen Nineties. My shopper’s soon-to-be ex-husband, who was not on the title to the property, appeared to have burned down the household residence—the police arrested him a block away from the home whereas he was sitting on a park bench with three empty gasoline cans subsequent to him. The insurance coverage firm lastly agreed to pay the total declare to my shopper earlier within the day. I used to be very jubilant.
Mark Boardman got here as much as me and requested, “Chip, what’s your final objective?” I informed him, “To be the most effective.” For over 25 years, Boardman has been reminding me of that day. He can be needling me and asking how I’m coming together with reaching that objective.
I’m going to overlook telling him about my successes and failures. I’m going to overlook going as much as Gator soccer video games and visiting with him and Karen at their primary Gator-decorated home. I’m going to overlook speaking about Gator basketball with Mark. I’m going to overlook speaking in regards to the upcoming political agenda in Tallahassee, the place he all the time appeared to have insider information.
My not too long ago written suggestion about public adjusters having to lift the bar to acquire a license shouldn’t be a brand new concept. I voiced it as soon as to Mark Boardman, and he did one thing about it. He responded with the concept that public adjusters must be required to have an apprentice interval earlier than they follow public adjusting and obtain a full license. I assumed it was an awesome concept. I informed him that I doubted if he might ever get it via the legislature or get hold of sufficient help to make it a actuality. He wrote the legislation, lobbied for it and appeared to get the Florida public adjuster apprentice legislation handed nearly by himself.
Mark liked to poke at and needle others. He was particularly gifted at doing this to the opposing coach at Gator basketball video games. I liked it when he invited me to attend video games with him as a result of his seats had been proper behind the opposing group’s coach. The everyday dialogue would often include among the following:
“Coach, your guard seems to be fairly drained, do you assume it’s time to present him a breather?”
“Coach, it’s essential to hold underneath management, centered and never get upset with the ref’s horrible calls.”
“You’re doing nice, Coach. Simply hold ignoring the scoreboard and give attention to the basics.”
“I like your composure—most coaches can be shedding it after these previous few calls.”
“That was a daring name Coach, not what I anticipated. You need to see one thing we don’t. Too dangerous it didn’t work.”
“Coach, is your zone protection meant to depart that shooter open within the nook?”
“Seems like your bench is admittedly quiet tonight—are they okay?”
It might go on like that your complete recreation. Most coaches would snicker. Some would get upset after which crack a smile. One rotated and shook Mark’s hand.
Mark’s father was a lobbyist for Florida’s Dairy Farmers. Mark realized properly and used this data to assist FAPIA. He would invite me as much as Tallahassee and all the time to the Governor’s Membership to fulfill lobbyists and politicians. Mark appeared to know all of them. He was instrumental in acquiring FAPIA’s first lobbyist, Previous Senate President Ken Plante.
Mark’s lobbying efforts had been on his personal time and dime. He did it as a labor of affection, supporting all public adjusters and policyholder rights. Mark Boardman was all the time in Tallahassee combating and testifying in regards to the nuanced insurance coverage points that matter. He did this for about three many years. A lot of this work was completed with no fanfare and infrequently with out appreciation.
Mark was definitely not afraid to publicly focus on and debate his views and opinions. Conferences between Mark and different public adjusters about the suitable plan of action would change into fairly pointed, if not near combative. An instance of him publicly explaining his views was in an Insurance coverage Journal article about unbiased adjusters wrongly having their studies modified by desk adjusters:
‘It’s extraordinarily widespread,’ mentioned Mark Boardman, president of Claims Administration Providers Inc., based mostly in Maitland, Florida. ‘Can I show it? No. However I’ve had a whole lot of anecdotal conversations with adjusters about it.’
Unbiased adjusters are totally different from public adjusters, and are sometimes employed by insurance coverage corporations to complement in-house adjustment workers. Till now, many have been reluctant to talk out in regards to the purported practices, fearing that they may lose out on insurance coverage firm enterprise, Boardman defined.
Each public adjuster in Florida ought to pause for a second to thank Mark for the contributions he made for different public adjusters. I had the possibility to say so privately to him after I realized how sick he turned. He appeared to be appreciative and instructed that everyone ought to give again by taking part extra in politics to any extent they’ll.
Going to Gainesville for soccer video games and basketball won’t be the identical with out my previous Gator buddy. Going to the Governor’s Membership and into legislative rooms in Tallahassee with out Mark being there or calling to recommend a solution to politically deal with a difficulty will appear totally different sooner or later. I assume ultimately, when our pals move, all we’ve got left are reminiscences of them, these occasions, these intimate discussions, the widespread challenges we confronted, and the instances we shared with one another.
Thought For The Day
“Generally you’ll by no means know the worth of a second till it turns into a reminiscence.”
— Dr. Seuss