Booz Allen Hamilton Booz Allen Hamilton PMOLink - New Orleans ...

Photo by Frank Aymami
T H R E E - T I M E H O N O R E E
Louisiana
Medical
Mutual
Insurance Co.
When Shawn Paretti began working as a
claims representative for Louisiana
Medical Mutual Insurance Co. in 1994, he knew
immediately that his supervisor valued him.
“He came to my house and delivered a welcome
basket since he had recruited me from
out of town to come back and work,” he said.
“From the beginning, I always felt that they
really wanted me here.”
Paretti hadn’t experienced that sense of
value in his previous career working for a
stock-based insurance company. Because
LAMMICO is a mutual company, the physician
policyholders hold the playing cards
instead of stockholders.
The focus at his old career was on stock
prices, rather than employees’ welfare, said
Paretti, who now works as the division vice
president of insurance operations.
“They even told us, ‘We don’t care about
what you did yesterday. We just want to know
what you’re going to do for us today and tomorrow,’”
Paretti said of his old job. “That was their
motto when I left there. That was how bad it
had gotten.”
At LAMMICO, stories such as Paretti’s
aren’t unique. Other employees, such as payroll
administrator Laura Walker, also have stock
company backgrounds.
“When you’re here, you see the CEO every
day. They know you by name,” Walker said.
“They’re very complimentary of your work.”
Nature of business: medical liability insurance
Where based: Metairie
Employees: 119
Average starting salary: $46,259 for staff, $171,968 for executive
management
Median salary: $60,052 for staff, $180,136 for executive management
Average employment time: nine years
Benefits: health care with 100 percent coverage, dental, vision
and prescription plans, 401(k) with 50 percent match on first 6
percent, paid maternity and paternity leave, continuing education
program, relocation assistance, telecommuting, flexible hours,
employee recognition program, fitness program
Wait time for benefits: first of the month after 30 days of
employment
Paid days off: up to 86.5
Web site: www.lammico.com
LAMMICO employees gather at the office entrance. Bottom row, from left: Karen Nugent, Denise St. Romain and Linda Favalora. Middle row:
Glynis Mulvihill, Dawer Azizi and Lisa Ordoyne. Top row: Fred Kirchgraber, Elkan Weis and Erica Patterson.
In addition to being visible, supervisors also
are good at keeping lines of communication
open, said Linda Berggren, an agency management
specialist who has worked at LAMMICO
for 19 years.
“If you go sit down and talk to your manager,
they will listen to you, they will work with you,”
Berggren said. “They will do anything they can
to help you with your situation.”
The level of human interaction makes for a
great balance of work and fun in the office,
Walker said. Annual office activities such as
Halloween costume competitions, Christmas
parties and Carnival celebrations spice things
up in company departments.
“You may get that in a large company, but
just not in the quality that you would get it
here,” Walker said. “And everyone participates,
from the top man down. It’s not just for the
worker bees.”
Employee appreciation days also leave room
for fun around the office, Paretti said.
“We’ll have a little part of the day that’s like a
roast, and employees roast other employees
and kind of make fun but not in a mean way,”
he said. “They’ll tease them and make up a
funny award, and I’ve been the butt of jokes in
that before. It’s always a lot of camaraderie
among the employees and staff.”
LAMMICO also offers employee perks such
as paid training for any employee who wants
to use it.
“I’ve worked on some continuing education
for insurance certifications, and they’ve paid for
that,” Paretti said. “It doesn’t even have to be
job-related — if you have a clerical employee
who wants to get a degree, LAMMICO will pay
for it, even if she’s the mail clerk. A lot of companies
wouldn’t.”•
— Jessica Williams
28 2009 Best Places to Work