If you’ve been around CLM long enough, you have undoubtedly heard the story about CLM’s founder Adam Potter landing in a helicopter on the deck of the USS Midway to kick off the 2012 Annual Conference’s opening networking event in San Diego. It was an unforgettable moment, and one that has been re-told by many of CLM’s membership over the years.
Of course, not every CLM memory can be as grand as that entrance, but to be sure there have been plenty of great ones created over the course of our 15 years. Here are a few of the best ones as mentioned by members and fellows in a survey conducted in July 2022.
“I have so many favorite CLM moments, so I’ll just pick a whole day,” wrote Anne Blume, former CLM CEO. “It was in 2011 when CLM’s Annual Conference was in New Orleans. The Preservation Hall Jazz Band played ‘When the Saints Go Marching In’ right before the first premiere session was to start. Shortly after that, CLM closed Royal Street for an unforgettable streetside lunch.”
“The insights I have gained from attending the CLM’s annual conferences have been invaluable,” added Michele R. Punturi, director, workers’ compensation department, at Marshall Dennehey. “However, the real charm of CLM is meeting and developing relationships with folks from all over the country. In fact, at the very first CLM conference I attended, I met a national risk manager who I would run into at subsequent conferences. Eventually, we became good friends and business colleagues, and for the last couple of years, we have joined forces on many industry projects. This is what CLM is all about to me.”
“In 2017 at CLM’s Annual Conference in Nashville, I was at the awards reception following my win as Litigation Management Professional of the Year and spotted my 80-year-old mom being helped onto the mechanical bull by [another attendee],” wrote Caryn Siebert, Gallagher Bassett. “When she was done, she headed over to the pig races that were going on. Seeing her so happy was as good as winning the award.”
“My favorite moment by far is when I attended the Litigation Management Institute (LMI) in October 2020,” commented Rachel Rodriguez, claims manager at AmTrust Group. “Attending LMI gave me the confidence I needed to feel more comfortable in my role. Before attending, I always felt like the little kid in a room full of adults. But when we started working on LMI’s final project, I realized I was right where I belonged.”
“Watching my good friend Larry Beemer interrogate LMI students on their presentations so they know what it’s like to feel the heat of the boardroom—also known as getting ‘Beemered’!” wrote an anonymous CLM member.
“My favorite CLM memory was attending the 2016 CLM Annual Conference, hosted at the Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek,” wrote Dan Ducommun, president & CEO of MC Consultants, Inc. “The Thursday night pool party was one of the nicest and most populated networking events I’ve attended since becoming an active member of the forensic services industry. After catching up with many insurance claims industry professionals, I enjoyed a cigar (via CLM’s cigar lounge) with two attorneys, with whom I’ve since become very good friends.”