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Newsroom From Stocking Shelves to CEO by John R. Milam, CLU
Rogers grew up in Charlotte having moved there from Atlanta at age 5. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of North Carolina, then spent three years in the U.S. Marine Corps where he rose to the rank of captain. "As a Marine, I learned to value loyalty and dependability. In my mind, being dependable is akin to being honest," Rogers said. A year after his discharge from military service, while working for the food company, a friend encouraged Rogers to try selling life insurance. "The possibility of a career selling life insurance was appealing. I liked the direct correlation between sales and financial success," said Rogers. When Rogers gave notice to his employer, his boss said he was making a horrible mistake. "He told me I did not have the aptitude for direct selling, especially with an intangible product like life insurance. But I felt it was the right thing to do at the time." Rogers got his start in the business as a new agent for a small stock life insurance company. "At that time there was a great deal of night work involved, but it was the price I had to pay to be successful. My wife, Sikky, and I had two small children and there were times when I missed tucking them in at night. That part I would do over if I could, but, all in all, things came together and worked out fine financially," he said. Moving on, Rogers became a career supervisor and later a general agent for a major northeastern company. In 1983, the company changed its marketing strategy, causing a major upheaval within his organization. "I needed to turn this negative change into something positive. I decided to get back to my roots and focus on selling full time," said Rogers. In 1984, Rogers launched a new firm and entered the estate planning market. Today, he is CEO of Rogers Consulting, specializing in estate planning and money management. His corporate mission is to be an asset to clients who want to create wealth or preserve it. "We are not transaction oriented, but relationship driven, and this gives us an advantage. This is the road life insurance professionals need to travel in order to re-invent their careers as financial services professionals," Rogers said. Rogers offered new agents the following advice:
Rogers credits his success, in part, to being an MDRT member. He attended his first Annual Meeting in 1971 in Washington, D.C. It was in San Francisco, however, in 1990 that he experienced an epiphany."As I was sitting in the balcony, about as far from the stage as I could get, and as I listened to President David Hilton I knew at that moment that I wanted to be involved with this organization." he said. Though he has been a member since 1969, Rogers said that his production jumped once he decided to give back to his profession. "All of us feel we are busy, but involvement in an organization or charity of your choice simply requires better time management skills. MDRT has enabled me to refine my time management skills," said Rogers. Rogers has certainly given back to MDRT. He spoke on the Main Platform in 1992 and served as TOT Chair in 1997. He has held two previous Divisional Vice President (DVP) positions, and currently is DVP for the 2002 Annual Meeting in Nashville. "Our challenge will be to measure up to what has been produced in the past, and past meetings have been very good. For me, it's an honor to be involved in the Program Development Committee, and my team members share this excitement." A huge University of North Carolina (UNC) fan, and alum, Rogers is a significant contributor to the UNC Educational Foundation, which provides scholarships to student athletes who otherwise could not attend the university. Additionally, he is currently serving a three-year term on the MDRT Foundation Board of Directors. Rogers enjoys golf with clients, an annual vacation with his family, and often takes long weekends at his condominium in the North Carolina Smoky Mountains. He proudly speaks of Sikky, a wedding planner, and his two children, son two-year MDRT member Thomas S. Rogers III, of Charlotte, North Carolina, who joined his father's business 11 years ago. His daughter, Kim, is a sales representative with Globe Ticket and Label. Rogers and his wife now have four grandchildren: Anna, 8; Abby, 7; Jackson, 6; and Emily, 4. "I get a kick our of watching those little grandkids. They are really neat and each has a personality that is totally different. One of my goals is to do something significant for each of them, and life insurance will enable me to do that. We all have the opportunity to do big things for people we love through the remarkable leveraging aspect of our products," said Rogers. A former runner who has completed three marathons, Rogers has an exercise regiment that keeps him fit. With his son in the business with him, he has the motivation to remain at the top of his game, strengthening the Rogers' legacy of providing financial consulting to people whose company he enjoys. "One of the great things about this business is that we have the option to decide with whom we want to work. I like dealing with folks who have substance and value," he said. "MDRT has become very important to me, in large part, because of the people who make up this organization. We have a unique group, and I know if I needed help, I could call my Round Table friends and they would be on my doorstep tomorrow, and that is a pretty good thing to know."
This article appeared in the 2002 January/February issue of Round the Table magazine.
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Thomas
S. Rogers Jr., CLU, of Charlotte, North Carolina, started his career
in life insurance in 1966, qualified for the Round Table in 1969, and
first earned Top of the Table (TOT) membership in 1987. He is now a
15-year qualifier. But life insurance was not his first profession.
Rogers started his career at a local food-products company as a management
trainee. His job consisted of calling on grocery stores and asking for
shelf space, which didn't present the kind of challenge he wanted. "I
wanted to be paid for what I did, rather than for what someone thought
I did," Rogers said.
John
R. Milam, CLU, of Knoxville, Tennessee, is a Foundation Knight and 18-year
MDRT member with 11 Top of the Table qualifications. He is currently
the Chair of the Public Relations Committee and has been a member of
several MDRT committees.