Jack Salzwedel Explained

Jack Charles Salzwedel is board chair of American Family Insurance, retiring as chief executive officer on Dec. 31, 2021, a role he held since November 2011.^{[1] [2] [3]}

Education

Salzwedel was born in DeForest, Wisconsin. He earned a bachelor's degree in biology and business administration from Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa.^[4] While there, he was a student representative on the board of regents.^[5]

Career

He started his career after college with American Family Insurance in 1983 as a claims adjuster. He became an agent in 1985 and a district sales manager in 1988. In 1995, he became a state sales director of Wisconsin East.^[6] Then, in the year 2000, he became vice president of the Personal Lines Division and then vice president of the Life/Health Division in 2003. In 2004, he was elected as the executive vice president and in 2006 he became the company COO. By 2007, he was the president and COO of American Family Mutual. Finally, in November 2011 he was elected as the chairman and CEO.^[2]

As CEO, Salzwedel has overseen:

• The 2012 acquisition of The General Insurance.^[7]
• The 2013 acquisition of Homesite Insurance.^[8]
• The inaugural jersey sponsor of the 2017 MLS expansion team Atlanta United FC^[9]
• The 2017 partnership with Milwaukee World Festival Inc. to become the first presenting sponsor of Summerfest in Milwaukee.^[10]
• The 2017 acquisitions of HomeGauge® and Networked Insights.^{[11] [12]}
• The 2018 merger with Main Street America.^[13]
• The 2019 agreement with the Milwaukee Brewers to rename Miller Park, American Family Field after the 2020 season.^[14]
• The 2021 commitment of $105 million to reducing equity gaps.^[15]

Salzwedel is considered "the most engaged Fortune 500 CEO on Twitter" as @AmFamJack.^[16] In 2017, he earned first place in the “Executive Visibility” category of PR Daily's Media Relations Awards.^[17] He also blogs frequently on a variety of topics.^{[18] [19]}

Boards

Salzwedel is co-chair of the American Family Children's Hospital advisory board. He also serves on a number of industry trade organization boards, including the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America,^[20] the Insurance Institute for High Safety,^[21] and the Insurance Information Institute.

Personal life

Salzwedel is married.^[22] He and his wife, Sarah, received the 2018 United Way of Dane County Tocqueville Society Award.^[23] The couple established the Slife Institute for Social Work Consultation, Research and Training at Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa, where they met.^[24]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Sullivan. Dennis. An Interview with Jack Salzwedel, Chairman & CEO, American Family Insurance. Nolan Management Consultants. 18 December 2014.
2. Web site: Jack Charles Salzwedel: Executive Profile & Biography - Bloomberg. www.bloomberg.com. 2019-04-25.
3. Web site: Journal. Emilie Heidemann Wisconsin State. 'Uniquely positioned': Bill Westrate ready to take on new decade as American Family CEO. 2022-02-07. madison.com. en.
4. Web site: Jack Salzwedel. World of CEOS. 18 December 2014.
5. Web site: Jack Salwedel. American Family Insurance. 18 December 2014.
6. Web site: Jack Salwedel. https://web.archive.org/web/20141218094007/http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/person.asp?personId=8482327&privcapId=159979&previousCapId=26935357&previousTitle=American%20Family%20Insurance%20Company. dead. December 18, 2014. Business Week. 18 December 2014.
7. Web site: American Family Insurance to Acquire Permanent General. says. Ray. 2012-09-26. Claims Journal. en-US. 2019-04-25.
8. Web site: American Family Insurance to Acquire Homesite Group for $616M. 2013-09-06. Insurance Journal. en-US. 2019-04-25.
9. Web site: American Family Insurance to be Atlanta United's first jersey sponsor . 2017-03-07 .
10. Web site: Summerfest signs American Family to major sponsorship that includes new amphitheater. January 26, 2017. www.bizjournals.com. 2019-05-08.
11. Web site: American Family Insurance Acquires Data Analytics Firm; Also Home Tech Firm. 2017-12-15. Insurance Journal. en-US. 2019-03-21.
12. Web site: American Family Insurance acquires software firm Networked Insights. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. en. 2019-03-21.
13. Web site: American Family Insurance announces merger plan with Main Street America Group. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. en. 2019-04-25.
14. Web site: American Family To Take Over Naming Rights At Miller Park In 2021. Wagner. Andrew. Forbes. en. 2019-04-25.
15. Web site: Journal. Shelley K. Mesch Wisconsin State. American Family Insurance commits $105 million to reducing equity gaps. 2022-02-07. madison.com. en.
16. Web site: CEO Social Media Use Is Increasing—Slowly. Fortune. en. 2019-04-25.
17. News: Executive Visibility - PR Daily. PR Daily. 2019-04-25. en-US.
18. Web site: Beyond the Tweet: Insights From @AmFamJack Salzwedel. 2018-04-23. Carrier Management. en-US. 2019-04-25.
19. Web site: Beyond the Tweet. en-US. 2019-04-25.
20. Web site: Board of Directors. www.pciaa.net. 2019-04-25.
21. Web site: Insurance Safety Institute Elects Board Members; Allstate's Yager Becomes Chairman. 2017-02-10. Insurance Journal. en-US. 2019-04-25.
22. Web site: Jack and Sarah Salzwedel Honored at United Way's Tocqueville Reception. 2018-10-04. United Way of Dane County. en-US. 2019-04-25.
23. Web site: Waunakee couple receives United Way award. Hometown News LP. en. 2019-04-25.
24. Web site: Wartburg social work program gets $1.5 million. Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier. en. 2019-04-25.