Chuck Benslay is one of those people you would describe as “Impressive.” He’s simultaneously tough and intense, compassionate and sincere. It’s a powerful combination of strengths that has served him well, first as a firefighter for 24 years and now as a programmer analyst in our IT department. If it seems odd that the same person might excel in both fields, allow me to explain.
Firefighting requires a commitment to the service of others, and Chuck approaches his IT job in a similar way. Recognizing that too many companies relegate IT to “help desk” status, he emphasizes the power of IT at MJ to improve both the employee and client experience. “It’s an exciting time in insurance,” he says, referencing the tremendous freedom he enjoys to be creative and design new ways of doing things. Chuck’s already helped us launch a new customer relationship management (CRM) system, built a client web portal and updating systems to improve the MJ employee experience.
His dedication and partnership have not gone unnoticed by his co-workers. We recently pitched in to make sure he and his wife could travel to the latest Firefighter Combat World Challenge in California—15 years after participating in his first competition. It was wonderful to have a concrete way to show our support for him. And of course, Chuck did us proud, registered as “Indy Fire Dept / MJ Insurance” because, as he told us, “I would not have made it without the backing of my friends and colleagues at MJ!” Although he fell short of the finals (30 seconds to be exact), he did post his best times in the last 2 ½ years, which is remarkable because he was still recovering from pneumonia at the time. You can see a video of his efforts here. Lots of people want to be just like Chuck when they grow up—and we’re proud to call him a part of our team.
