Waukee APEX could not exist without generous community involvement. The partnerships that have been established have grown and evolved throughout the nine years that we have been operating. Holmes Murphy and Associates (HMA) has been a strong supporter of our program since 2014, and has come to be a premier partner. What does this partnership look like? Finance, Banking and Investments instructors Jesse Hunt and Ashley Prieksat explain more about this connection, and how it adds incredible value to our Waukee APEX program.
What is the partnership history between APEX and Holmes Murphy?
Our partnership has existed since Waukee APEX began in 2014. Currently, our Waukee APEX student associates work from the Holmes Murphy site in Waukee twice a week. Holmes Murphy does such a great job of planning weekly information sessions that help our aspiring professionals know more about the insurance industry, and more specifically, what Holmes Murphy does.
What do you hope to accomplish by taking your teams to Holmes Murphy every week?
Our goals include immersing our student associates into the special professional culture of HMA, learning the business operations, and engaging with professionals regarding technical knowledge and necessary skills.
How does this partnership bring value to our APEX aspiring professionals?
The value is very broad. For some student associates, simply being in a professional environment is immensely valuable. For others, it’s the application of their skill sets to see how they can best fit in the industry. For most associates, it’s discovering so much of the unknown professional world while building confidence to ask questions and seek deeper understandings.
How does Holmes Murphy benefit?
From a communication aspect, I believe HMA professionals benefit from sharing their stories and knowledge with the future of their industry. Being a mentor is a great skill set to have no matter your age as a professional; many HMA professionals take this role very seriously. In addition, HMA has hired many of our students in the school-to-work program as interns and several back in the summer that benefits both HMA and our students. We are very thankful for the full spectrum of their support.
Do you have any “cool moments” stories to share in regards to traveling to Holmes Murphy with your teams?
One of the first projects we completed with HMA went incredibly well. Their internal leadership group was very impressed with our final results. Overall, it’s been so fun to grow with HMA. They have seen explosive growth in terms of premiums, partners, and employees.
What are your hopes for continued partnership with Holmes Murphy?
Continued successes with employee relationships and adding value however we can. HMA has a great culture, one that we hope to enhance whenever we can.
Any final words?
HMA is a rare partner in the world of APEX. They give direct access to employees, presentations from employees, and support projects and experiences regularly. They ask the question, “How can we help?” before we even ask “Can we have your help?”. That makes them special because they truly follow-through every year, every semester.
We would like to again, thank Holmes Murphy and Associates for their continued support of our Waukee APEX and School-to-Work programs. If you, or your company, are interested in partnering, feel free to reach out on our website at https://apex.waukeeschools.org/contact/ to set up a discovery meeting.