We've Come a Long Way In 20 Years

Matthew Blistan • October 18, 2021

I was honored in 2001 when then GBU National President Hans Rauer and National Secretary-Treasurer Jim Stoker asked me if I would be interested in applying for the National Vice President position at GBU. Twenty years later, I still feel deeply honored to be in that position. For 19 of those 20 years, I was responsible for oversight and development of the Sales, Marketing and Fraternal Departments. After 20+ years as GBU National Vice President, it is that time in my career to formally announce my retirement at the end of this year. GBU has come a long way over those wonderful years.

When I first started at GBU, my first fraternal project was not only to raise money to build a GBU-sponsored house for Habitat for Humanity but also to organize and construct the building of that house—with only volunteers! I am proud to say that our GBU Habitat House is still standing today and looks pretty darn good. A lot of sweat equity went into building that house via many volunteer hours of our GBU employees and members. It remains one of our most challenging, yet rewarding projects to date.

Our 15-year-old Operation Reach Out project has provided our military guys and gals with almost 33,000 care packages. The continued letters of thanks we receive from them will bring a tear to anyone’s eyes.

On the Marketing side, 20 years ago GBU had 250 GBU producers selling our life insurance and annuities. Today we have 1,700 producers all over the country! Those guys and gals have done an incredible job of selling GBU financial products.

Our merger partners have been a GBU fraternal highpoint over these years. The Lutheran Fraternities of America, United Lutheran Society, Hungarian Reformed Federation of America and Sokol USA, as promised at merger time, have continued their fraternal common bonds while GBU administers their life insurance and annuity policies as GBU members.

Last but certainly not least, 20 years ago GBU had $200 million in assets. Today we have over $3.5 billion in assets. Do you know of any other company that has grown that fast in that short of a time? That just goes to show the continued trust people have in GBU!

When my boss and friend, CEO Jim Stoker, passed away in 2017 I was of retirement age, but I couldn’t leave GBU at that critical time in our history. It was important to me to make sure that GBU was in good hands when I did decide to retire. Our Senior Management team pulled together during that interim period and led GBU in continuing our incredible growth while the GBU’s Board of Director’s Search Committee did a national search for a new CEO. It wasn’t until August of 2018 that we were lucky enough to find and hire Mr. Bill Hunt to take over the reins of CEO.

Today, I see a secure and bright future for GBU Life. The Fraternal Department has come up with many new programs and benefits to develop member engagement. The Sales Department has developed a whole new line of life insurance products and even developed a new Multi-Year Guaranteed Annuity. The Marketing and Communications Department is getting GBU’s name out into areas it has never been in before. Our Information Technology Department has updated GBU’s technology to provide us with the information vital to maintaining and developing our society well into the future, while maintaining its security. Our Customer Service and New Business Departments are developing new services to make our business flow quicker and more efficiently and our Finance, Investment and Compliance Departments are developing the most efficient ways to process and invest your GBU funds to always get you the best return on your GBU investment.

I will miss not coming into the office and working with my GBU family. I will also miss not speaking with many of you about your GBU membership. However, I am looking forward to spending some real quality time with my family. Mary Anne, my beautiful wife of 45 years, and I are looking forward to this new “retired” chapter in our lives. Much time will be spent at “Camp Bliss” which is our family sanctuary in northwest Pennsylvania. The grass is always green and the lake is always smooth as glass!

I am confident that there are only GREAT things in the future for both the fraternal and the business aspects of GBU as GBU continues to operate with the theme of “Members come first.” This article is not meant to be a “goodbye” but a “so long” as I will certainly be right alongside you as a GBU member for life!

What's Next for Fraternal?

The Marketing and Fraternal Departments at GBU have been working closely for the past two years to develop new fraternal programs and strategies that will position fraternalism in a fresh, modern light for all members to enjoy. GBU's new Community Development team will encompass all things fraternal while also seeking new ways of reaching out to the communities where our members live and supporting them in their mission to give back. The re-named team will be combined with the Sales and Marketing Departments under Chief Marketing and Distribution Officer Lesley Mann and directly managed by Jennifer Stockdale, the current Marketing and Communications Director.

"My team and I are excited about continuing the process of creating a community for GBU Life members for generations to come, we have an excellent foundation to build on and look forward to the future!" -Jennifer Stockdale

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