West Des Moines, Iowa — 

Homesteaders Life Company, a national leader in preneed funeral funding, has announced the winners of its annual Homesteaders Heroes award program. The peer-nominated awards recognize employees who have made a significant impact on the success of the company and its customers.

“We were ecstatic to receive a record-breaking 80 peer nominations this year,” said Justine Bell, Homesteaders SVP-Human Resources. “Receiving a Homesteaders Heroes award shows the winners that their dedication and hard work is noticed by their colleagues. These awards – and their recipients – reflect the strong culture of collaboration and integrity Homesteaders encourages all its employees to strive for every day.”

Homesteaders Heroes award winners were named in six categories:

Rising Star Award – Lindsay Cutter, Account Executive, and Nick McClure, Systems Engineer

This award recognizes employees who demonstrates eagerness to learn, commitment to Homesteaders and engagement with the company and peers early in his or her career.

“In her short time with our company, Lindsay has made an extraordinary impact in her territory and has quickly distinguished herself as a standout Account Executive and team member,” shared one of her nominators. “Her customers consistently share that they view her as a true complement to their business and value her recommendations. She exemplifies what it means to succeed in a relationship business.”

Of Nick McClure, one of his nominators explained, “By stepping into high-impact work so early in his time here, Nick has raised the bar for what new team members can achieve. His actions have directly improved reliability, accelerated strategic initiatives and strengthened the team’s overall performance.”

Innovation Award – Damon Wenig, Director-Partner Marketing

This award recognizes an employee for the successful implementation of a new or updated product, service or program that results in a measurable improvement in the company’s performance, processes or brand strength.

“Along with the support of others, Damon’s work on our approach to aftercare has resulted in customers saying yes to more of our solutions,” noted a nominator.

Outstanding Teamwork Award – Kayli LeSher, Corporate Counsel, and Nicole Romano, Senior Actuarial Analyst

This award recognizes outstanding team members who have demonstrated enthusiasm, cooperation, problem-solving skills, commitment to success and a consistently positive attitude.

“Kayli was a great partner in drafting work agreements with outside partners. She listened to what we wanted and worked with us – and the partner’s counsel – to achieve those ends,” remarked one of her nominators. “Kayli always wants to help us legally achieve our business objectives with a clear understanding of the risks.”

One of Nicole’s nominators stated, “Nicole is the definition of a team player. She does an excellent job of assisting others on our team when an individual has too much on their plate or is out of the office. She steps in and learns quickly and has made numerous improvements to everyday work processes.”

Inspiring Leadership Award – Cole Waybright, VP-Sales Optimization

This award recognizes an employee who has shown incredible leadership skills and can be described as inspiring, decisive and visionary, yet humble and willing to give credit to others.

“The work Cole has done to establish and lead the Sales Optimization team has set Homesteaders up to better serve customers in the future,” a nominator said. “His ability to step into leadership with the eFuneral team has helped lead them toward greater success and more alignment with Homesteaders than ever before.”

Unsung Hero Award – Dwight Baker, Senior Application Developer

This award honors an employee who goes above and beyond their job responsibilities, contributing significantly and often working behind the scenes.

“Put simply, Dwight has been our unofficial early-bird watchdog, making sure everything is on track before most of us even pour our first cup of coffee. His combination of reliability and support makes his impact hard to measure but impossible to miss,” one nominator remarked. “In my career, I’ve never had the opportunity to work with anyone else who demonstrates this unmatched level of ownership and accountability.”

Enduring Impact Award – Nick Gerhart, Executive VP-COO, and Steve Shaffer, President, CEO & Board Chair

This award recognizes employees for a significant, long-term contribution or body of accomplishments to Homesteaders that make a lasting impact on the company’s success.

“Nick is constantly thinking several steps ahead. His ability to balance strategy with practicality has strengthened our foundation and prepared us for the future,” said one nominator.

One of Steve’s nominators explained, “Steve is a true leader, a visionary and an innovator. He was able to leverage the strong brand that’s been created by our amazing Homesteaders team and lead us to success in multiple new directions that none of us could have imagined 10 years ago, setting us up for success for years to come.”

The Homesteaders Heroes program is one of the ways the company recognizes employees for teamwork, outstanding job performance and demonstrating their core values: be your best, serve boldly, be humble and care.

To learn more about Homesteaders’ workplace and career opportunities, visit homesteaderslife.com/careers.

Homesteaders Life Company, a mutual company owned by its policy holders, is a national leader providing products and services to help people design a better farewell. Visit homesteaderslife.com to learn more.