I read in the paper today that Jack Byrne died. Jack hired me in 1981 to join a team to start up a life insurance company in DC for GEICO. GEICO had purchased Garden State Life Insurance Company and I with 5 other people flew to New Jersey (on GEICO's private jet), packed up files, and brought them back to DC. In one year we set up direct marketing of life insurance under two company names- GEICO Life and Annuity Company and Garden State Life Insurance. I was charged with hiring the service and marketing staffs and establishing the marketing/service departments for both companies along with working with the systems department to test and implement the system to administer the business.
Six months later, Jay joined the team and he worked on product development, established the underwriting criteria, hired the underwriters and set up the policy issue department. It was quite an adventure and learning experience! And my first (only) exposure to the BIG corporate world! I had other jobs with other life insurance companies but nothing compared to working for Jack Byrne and crew.
Shortly after I arrived, the start up team was introduced to the Board of Directors at the annual meeting. That was pretty cool except Jack said I was from Vermont instead of New Hampshire. Warren Buffett called Jack Byrne the 'Babe Ruth of Insurance.'
In the early 1990's, GEICO sold the entire life company (ies) to a firm in Texas and once again everything was packed up and taken to a new spot. This move was to Galveston, TX. By that time, I had moved on and was working for another Life Insurance Company, State Mutual, in Worcester, MA. Jay didn't want to move to Texas and leave me so far away so he found a job in Philly and the rest is history...
RIP Jack Byrne.
