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True StoriesDick Dunn:
Former Health Insurance Exec
In 1994, Dick Dunn and fellow businessman, Andy Beard, decided to help make the holidays brighter for children in need, by putting a bicycle under their Christmas trees. The men challenged one another to raise the most money within their companies to purchase bicycles. In both cases, their companies decided to forego gifts and Christmas parties and donate the money to the cause. The bicycles would be donated to The Salvation Army and distributed through the Christmas Bureau. From a modest beginning of a one month project and 17 bicycles, the effort has grown into a year round project with higher goals each year. For Christmas 2000, Dick Dunn and The Spokesgroup, which he helped found, raised $167,174., enough money to buy and distribute 2000 bikes. Hardly "the end" to his productivity he had imagined. "After 30 years in the retail business, burned out at the age of 53, I made a decision to pursue another career. Fortunately in 1985, an opportunity came my way to get into another field altogether. In the mid 80's, health care cost was rising at the rate of 20% per year, and many employers were getting very frustrated at the rate of increases they were receiving from their insurance companies. They were also very frustrated with hospitals and physicians raising their rates 20 to 30%. "I met Dr. David Soden, the medical director for Hoechst-Celanese, who also served as physician to the University of North Carolina’s 49ers. He was looking to start a PPO (Preferred Provider Organization) and needed someone with business experience to run it. Couldn't Spell PPO "When I started, I couldn’t spell PPO. It was scary. I didn’t sell anything for nine months. When I’d come home every night, my wife, Charlotte, would ask, did I sell anything. I’d say, ‘No, but I’m getting closer.’ "Fortunately, or unfortunately, however you look at it, this was the beginning of managed care in North Carolina. Managed care has certainly not turned out as we envisioned it would. Nevertheless, it turned out to be very successful. My career evolved into becoming a ceo of Health Care Savings, which I sold in 1995, to become executive director of Altlantic Health Plans, an HMO . "While I was managing the HMO (and thinking retirement was right around the corner), a friend got me involved in the local Salvation Army Christmas Bureau, which sets up a 'Toyland' for the needy parents to 'shop' for their children at no cost. In 1994, approximately 5,000 mothers would come through the Christmas Bureau and pick out gifts for their children. These gifts are funded by The Empty Stocking Fund promoted by our local newspaper, The Charlotte Observer. "My friend had his employees volunteer to work the Bureau in 1993, and I asked my employees if they wanted to do the same the next year, which they all enthusiastically did. That is the year my friend challenged me to raise money for bicycles to give away with the other toys. Between the two companies, we raised enough for 17 bicycles. "To make a six-year story short, we set a goal for the year 2000, to raise enough money to buy 2000 bicycles. In 1998, I decided to work full time on this project. We have recruited other comnpanies in the community to get involved, as well as other volunteers. With the help of many fine people, we have been able to achieve our goal of 2000 in 2000. One day, every mother that goes through the Christmas Bureau will take a bicycle home. That is our new goal "Last year (December 2000) the Salvation Army Christmas Bureau had over 6,000 mothers come through, and 2000 of them took home a bicycle for their child. They 'won' the bicycle by spinning a Wheel of Fortune. Watching a mother win a bicycle is a feeling one never forgets." Getting Started The Spokesgroupwww.thespokesgroup.com Tax deductible donations to
"Salvation Army Bike Fund" Home | True
Stories Copyright 2001 2Young2Retire.com, All Rights Reserved
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Hailed as one of the founding fathers of managed
care in North Carolina, Dick Dunn, 69, (shown here with six of his grandchildren) left a
career in retail (May Co., Eckerd Apparel’s, Ivey’s Department Stores) at 53 to
launch and build Health Care Savings into one of the largest preferred provider
organizations in the Southeast, with an annual revenue of $5 million, 140,000 employees,
4,000 physicians and 70 hospitals. He went on to become ceo of Atlantic Health Plans, an
HMO, now merged with Carolinas HealthCare System. Recently, he launched Senior Living
Solutions, a long term care insurance company -- "one of the fastest growing
insurance products on the market."