[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 14]
[Senate]
[Page 19492]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                       TRIBUTE TO THOMAS A. GRAU

 Mr. BURNS. Mr. President, I congratulate Thomas A. Grau, CPCU, 
who is near the end of his term as the 100th president of the Nation's 
largest insurance association, the Independent Insurance Agents & 
Brokers of America, IIABA. He was elected to IIABA's executive 
committee in September 1999, and was installed as the organization's 
president last October. Tom is an executive with the Cogswell Agency in 
Great Falls, MT.
  During Tom's year as president, IIABA accomplished a number of 
milestone achievements. It sought--and earned--the honor of a major 
policy address to its members by President Bush in April. The 
association met its goal of having 5,000 agencies on board as members 
of its Trusted Choice' branding initiative, and did so 6 
months ahead of schedule. It continued its momentum in the area of 
agency technology and paid off the mortgage on its headquarters in 
Alexandria, VA.
  Tom has been active on all levels of the insurance industry 
throughout his career. From his service as the Independent Insurance 
Agents of Montana representative, to the chairman of the national IIABA 
finance committee, Tom has exhibited great vision and direction for 
this organization. On the local level, he twice served as president of 
the Independent Insurance Agents of Great Falls.
  Tom's experience has not been limited to leadership roles alone. He 
also has proven instrumental in various insurance industry education 
efforts throughout his career, and taught many professional 
accreditation classes. I also value Tom's commitment to his community. 
He is active in church and professional organizations, from Optimist 
International, to the Muscular Dystrophy Association and the Boy 
Scouts.
  I sincerely thank Tom for his efforts on behalf of IIABA and the 
positive impact his efforts have had on this organization and his 
community back home in Great Falls, MT. I wish him and his wife Cheryl 
all the best in their future endeavors.

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