Sunday. August 5. 1990 ~- Nortn Snore News - 19

AFFLUENCE & INFLUENCE |

IN HIS OWN WORDS,

What do you like to do to reiax
when you're away from the of-
fice?: “in the summertime | golf,
and in the wintertime I do a fide
bit of skiing. | hate gardening.”

What made you want to get into
the insurance field?: ‘*1 got started
in the insurance business by a
gentleman who said I should join
the insurance business for the
great sum of $90 a month. I’ve
never forgiven him. [t’s a good
business and | love B.C., that's
why I’m here.”

When you're out socializing do
your friends pester you about
ICBC-related problems they're
having?: ‘It's always like being a
doctor at a cocktail party where
people say ‘f have some pain over
here.” But most people now say
that they had a claim and that we
did an excellent job. Most people
have good things to say about us.
There are some people, no matter
what you do, still try and burt-
ton-hole you, but it doesn’t bother
me.’”

What do you think you would be
doing if you were not in the in-
surance business?: ‘‘I’ve never
given any thought to not being in
the insurance business. It’s just a

ICBC boss Tom Holmes takes time out from a busy day to examine one of the vintage model cars in

his office.

fascinating business.’

Do you know everyone who works
in this building?: *‘We have some
3,300 employees. J don't know all
of their names, but | know most
of their faces. I speak with
employee groups and tell them
what 1 expect of them and what
they can expect of ICBC. We're
heavily involved with the United
Way. The Lower Mainland ICBC
employees contribute one per cent
of all of the United Way’s
funds.’

What is the hardest part of your
job?: *‘Sometimes dealing with the
issues where ICBC is unfairly crit-
icized. I think the big part is to
make sure ICBC is caring."*

What do you like to read?: ‘‘Nine
times out of 10 I'm reading an
industry-related report. But I also
like to read novels and magazines
about golfing and skiiing."’

How do you like living in North
Vancouver?: “I’ve lived here for
some 30 odd years and I just love
it. North Vancouver is the place I
like to live, and it’s not true that
the reason [ live here is why we
moved our headquarters over
h

ere:

NEWS photo Mike Waketield

Holmes says humor essential in the insurance biz

From page 18

Holmes takes the criticism
ICBC receives in good humor.

On an office wall are several
framed original newspaper car-
toons about ICBC. One cartoon
shows a man with a confused
look, clad only in his underwear,
carrying an empty suitcase and
walking out the door of an ICBC
building. A passer-by remarks:

**That must have been a terrible
accident you were in.’’

The man replies:

““What accident? I just paid my
ICBC premiums!”’

Says Holmes, ‘‘You have to
have a sense of humor about these

of

things.”

Holmes has been the top man at
ICBC for the past 10 years. Be-
fore that he served as I1CBC's
senior vice-president and prior to
that worked for the B.C.
Automobile Association.

Holmes is a veteran of the in-
surance business, which he entered
at an early age. Born in Regina,
Saskatchewan, Holmes went to
school in Calgary and Vancouver
and attended the University of
B.C. and the University of
Washington.

While B.C. has one of the
highest accident rates in Canada,
Holmes says Lower Mainland

—

~~

Y ess.
Te
ft

motorists for some reason tend to
lose total control at the first sign
of a snowfall.

“Usually a snowfall in Van-
couver will cost us a_ million
dollars more in insurance claims,”’
says Holmes.

He adds that there is a big
problem all across North America
with alcohol-related accidents,
which he says account for 35 to 50
per cent of all fatal accidents.

“That’s really unacceptable.
There’s no reason for it,’ says
Holmes. ‘‘No one ever thinks
they’re going to have an accident.
We'll spend a_ considerable
amount of money on traffic safety

From left to right, Kevin Appleby, Park & Tilford Centre Manager; Kass Jinnah, winner of
contest; Doug Mcintyre, District Marketing Manager for Delta Airlines.

Congratulations to Kass Jinnah, the winner of a
trip for two to Atlanta, Georgia at Park & Tilford

Centre’s
Sale’’.

“Peach of a Sidewalk
Compliments of Delta

Airlines and the Park & Tilford
Centre merchants.

984-8200

333 Brooksbank, North Vancouver

Order of the Blue Goose Interna-
tional.

Sitting in his North Vancouver
corporate headquarters office,
which includes a collection of vin-
tage model cars, a “Top 100°’
B.C. Business Magazine award
and an ‘‘Ogopogo Seekership’’
plaque, Holmes says he doesn’t
know what the future holds for
him, but adds that for the time
being he is content with running
the largest insurance company in
Canada.

~

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