Inauguration Is Insurance Industry Party Time

By Arthur D. Postal, Washington Bureau Chief

NU Online News Service, Jan. 19, 4:10 p.m. EST, Washington?Companies and trade associations with ties to the insurance industry will host small private inauguration parties that sometimes offer hospitality to influential congressmen.

Amongst the groups with ties to the insurance industry that will be holding fetes during the Inaugural parade are Mutual of Omaha, whose well-attended functions are a fixture of inaugurations.

The Financial Services Roundtable, which has a number of insurance company members; Clark Consulting, which advises companies on executive compensation programs; and Baker Daniels, a law firm which specializes in insurance and other financial services issues.

Notably missing from the scene this year is the Council of Insurance Agents and Brokers, which has offices along the parade route of Pennsylvania Ave., and has held functions during several past inaugurations, has allowed a member of Congress to use to entertain his guests.

"We decided early to spare the expense," said Joel Wood, an executive vice president and lobbyist for the CIAB. "As a result, we offered our offices to a member of Congress from Texas to use to entertain constituents attending inaugural events." The congressman is footing the bill, Mr. Wood said; he declined to identify the representative or senator involved.

One of the largest parties being hosted by an insurance company is the Mutual of Omaha event. Its offices are located on Pennsylvania Ave. along the parade route, which offers an excellent view.

Mutual of Omaha staffers, other insurance industry lobbyists, members of Congress and others are being invited to stop by, according to a staff official at headquarters in Omaha.

"We've been doing it for years," the staff official, Jim Nolan, said. "It allows people attending inaugural functions to get out of the inclement weather, and at the same time take advantage of our office location."

The Financial Services Roundtable gathering during the Inaugural Parade "is very informal," said Jennifer Smith, a spokesperson. It is limited to officials of member companies who are attending the inaugural festivities, she said.

The Clark Consulting's party allows attendees to take advantage of the view from one of the most modern and visible, as well as expensive, buildings, along the parade route. The American Council of Life Insurers is the master tenant of the building along Constitution Ave., but the trade group is not planning an inaugural function, according to Jack Dolan, an ACLI staff official.

While Baker, Daniels' offices allow only a limited view of the parade route, having a function there has been a tradition for years, said a spokesman. The party is for clients, including those in the insurance and other financial services industries, the spokesman said.

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Inauguration Is Insurance Industry Party Time

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