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When asked why he’s worked for Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance (IFBI) for so many years, Joe Martin, IFBI executive vice president and chief executive officer, has a very simple answer.

“It comes down to the people,” he said.

Martin, who will be retiring at the end of 2020 after serving the company since 1980, has held many positions at IFBI, including analyst, vice president, chief financial officer and treasurer, chief operating officer and senior vice president of life operations. He was promoted to CEO in 2014.

“He’s held a lot of positions, and in every case, he’s made them better,” said INFB President Randy Kron.

Kron praised Martin’s efforts to strengthen the relationship between the farm organization and the insurance company.

“Thanks to Joe, that relationship is probably the strongest it’s been in my tenure on the board,” Kron said.

“I’ve worked with six CEOs and two interim CEOs,” said Mark Sigler, INFB chief operating officer, who has been with Farm Bureau since 1987. “Joe Martin was better prepared to be CEO than anybody else we’ve had.”

Where Martin has excelled, Kron said, is in having vision but also finding ways to make that vision understandable to employees. One example is the insurance company’s internal campaign, “One Team, Member First.”

“In many cases, we seemed to be more concerned about ourselves than the member, and we were working as individuals, not as a team,” Martin said. “At home one night – this sounds made up but it’s not – I sketched out the logo for ‘One Team, Member First’ literally on a kitchen napkin.”

“Prior to Joe, we were struggling with growth – both membership and insurance policies – and also struggling to have a relationship between INFB Inc. and Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance,” Sigler said.

But when “One Team, Member First” was adopted not only as a slogan but also as a philosophy, “He did more to bring people together with that vision than anything else,” he added.

Under Martin’s leadership, IFBI increased policies in force for six consecutive years and membership for five years. The companies’ A.M. Best ratings continue to be strong.

Many things have changed since he first started at IFBI, Martin said, including the competitiveness of the insurance industry, the technology used and the economic environment. But something that hasn’t changed is the family atmosphere.

“It was a very friendly, warm and inviting place to work in the ’80s, and I think it is today. You take care of each other, and that’s why the notion of the Farm Bureau family remains strong.”

Martin said one example of Farm Bureau acting as a family was earlier this year, when he experienced a near-catastrophic health challenge: an appendectomy that went into septic shock. He spent 13 days on a ventilator, 41 days in the hospital and months recovering his strength before finally returning to work this fall. The Farm Bureau family also came together four years ago when his first wife, Terry, passed away.

“That’s another example of how much I've been blessed because, as they did when I got sick, the Farm Bureau family was there to support me in many ways.”

Martin and his wife, Kimberly, plan to use their retirement for golf (both are avid golfers), travel, and spending time with their children, their grandchildren and their parents.

He added that he’s also looking for a way to give back. “Maybe there’s a calling out there that I don't know about yet,” he said.

Martin will be succeeded by Kevin Murphy, who is currently senior vice president of the Property and Casualty Company and who served as acting CEO during Martin’s illness. (Murphy will be featured in the January issue of The Hoosier Farmer.)