Alice. Alyssa G. Alyssa M. Becca. Bella. Cheryl. Colleen. Emily. Emmy. Kym. Lynelle. Lynn. Maggie. Nanci.

Outside of the AIP Marketing Alliance office, some of these names may or may not be familiar to you, but these “wonder women” have left a lasting legacy as the backbone of our company’s operations. Management, Business Development, Data Management, Case Management, Marketing, and Operations all flourish due to the commitment of these amazing women to our success.

As part of Women’s History Month in March, AIPMA wants to recognize the efforts of these ladies who continue to go the extra mile for our wholesalers, agents, and their consumer customers on a daily basis. Our team annually recognizes their accomplishments by celebrating International Women’s Day on Friday, March 8th, with thoughtful gifts.

With that in mind, AIPMA would also like to share the video below recognizing our female employees’ contributions and achievements created by Colleen Bartoletti, a member of our marketing team.

One name that may not stand out from our ladies above is Cheryl, who of course, is the matriarch of the Kisser family, Cheryl Kisser. Cheryl (pronounced SHA-RELL) founded Assured Investment Planners, Inc., in 1981 as an independent retail insurance agency that sold insurance products directly to consumers.

Her efforts convinced her husband, David Kisser, to sell his Baseline Trailer Shop that rented U-Hauls and custom trailers. After seeing much success in the insurance industry, Cheryl and David recruited independent agents to help build and grow production in the retail market.

They perceived a void in the life insurance and annuity business based on their “less than stellar” experiences with other national brokerage firms. Both were disappointed in the lack of personal attention and service levels given to them and their agents.

In 1991, The AIP Group was born to expand operations outside of the retail market and moved into our current Troy location, and then evolved into the AIP Marketing Alliance in 2000 to help independent life insurance and annuity wholesalers by aligning their offices with AIPMA’s carriers, products, service, and technology.

In 2007, Kym Kisser joined David and Rick to expand the family business nationwide and support more than 70,000 agents through wholesalers and independent agents. The latest step in the AIPMA timeline involved becoming a strategic partner of Integrity on January 18, 2022.

Kym continues to be a driving force behind AIPMA’s positive culture with her continuance of the Casual for a Cause program to support local charities in the area. She also has implemented incentive programs for years of service and schedules multiple team-building events for our employees to recognize their efforts and accomplishments.

“Honestly, AIPMA’s success isn’t just about one person on our team – it’s about all of the people on our team,” Kym added. “Working with these amazing women on our staff has been a blessing as all of them contribute individually and as a team to AIPMA’s growth on a daily basis.”

“We couldn’t do what we do without their inspiration and commitment. I can’t thank our women enough as I know Cheryl would be proud to see how Assured Investment Planners has grown into AIP Marketing Alliance, an Integrity Company. None of that happens without our female employees – and the men too!”

Sadly, Cheryl Kisser passed away in January 2020 after a battle with Alzheimer’s, but employees who worked with Cheryl share many positive stories about her work ethic, her passion for the industry, and her fun-loving personality with the team.

Cheryl’s influence remains strong within the AIPMA building as she’s planted seeds for success in David (who still helps consumers as Assured Investment Planners) and her children, Rick and Kym, who continue leading AIPMA toward success. Their goal involves keeping the family tradition of making a positive difference in the life insurance and annuity industries. They believe in “Your Growth Is Our Commitment,” and aligning with Integrity continues to benefit AIPMA’s downline wholesalers and agents.

On that note, AIPMA’s success would not be possible without Cheryl, Kym, and all of the women who make our culture positive, our dedication to service unwavering, and our success a team effort. From the AIPMA team, we thank our extraordinary ladies for everything you do for our team. THANK YOU!

We hope you also will take time this week to recognize the women in your organization who have positively impacted your lives.