Shomo-Madsen Insurance a Gem Agency

The IMT Group, a leading provider of personal and commercial insurance products in the Midwest, recently announced its list of 2017 Gem Agencies, distinguishing Shomo-Madsen Insurance as one of the qualifying recipients.

The IMT Group recognizes Shomo-Madsen Insurance as one of the highest performing IMT and Wadena Insurance agencies in its six state territory (Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wisconsin). Of the approximately 980 IMT Group agencies eligible for consideration, only 86 of the top performing agencies received the Gem distinction this year.

Each year, The IMT Group awards the Gem distinction to only those agencies that demonstrate outstanding performance in the areas of rank, growth, loss ratio and profitability. Last year, Shomo-Madsen Insurance was one of the Top 125 IMT Group agencies to produce a positive premium growth or policy count growth. In addition, Shomo-Madsen Insurance also sustained a favorable loss ratio.

You may find more information on The IMT Group by visiting www.imtins.com.

Wolfe Foundation Donates to Iowa KidSight

The Wolfe Foundation, whose mission is to provide assistance and care to those facing loss of sight, and a proponent of giving hope through better vision, helped children throughout Iowa Thursday, with a donation of $20,000 to the Iowa KidSight program.

Iowa KidSight enhances the early detection and treatment of vision problems in young children through screening and public education. Iowa Lions Clubs adopt KidSight as a community service project. Lion volunteers are trained to use screening equipment which takes special instant pictures of eyes–to detect vision problems in children who are too young to communicate possible vision problems. If a possible vision problem is detected, a referral packet is sent to the Parent/Guardian for follow-up care.

“The Iowa KidSight program is a wonderful resource for children in Iowa,” said Derek Bitner, MD, Pediatric Ophthalmologist at Wolfe Eye Clinic. “Fortunately, many childhood eye problems can be corrected if detected early. This program helps to identify such problems, get the information to parents and provide timely referral to the appropriate medical provider.”

Lori Short, program manager for Iowa KidSight, said, “For less than $8 per child, and at no cost to families, vision problems are detected that might otherwise go unnoticed or untreated. We are grateful for this donation from the Wolfe Foundation to help support vision screenings for Iowa children.”

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The Times-Republican invites businesses in its circulation area to submit brief items concerning their employees or businesses for the Names & Notes column, which is published on Sundays.

Submissions will be edited and run on a space-available basis. Items must be received by 5 p.m. Thursday for consideration in Sunday’s column.

Submit brief articles and JPEG headshots to: Names & Notes, Newsroom, Times-Republican, 135 W. Main St., Marshalltown 50158, or call Kathy Beane at 641-753-6611 or email news@timesrepublican.com