Common Bonds

Pat Hanisch Reconnects with Travel, His Role, People

Pat Hanisch, currently a Grinnell Mutual sales manager, has always loved the people he interacts with and the movement a sales manager’s job provides. Travel, combined with working face-to-face with people, was what made his job feel meaningful. Unfortunately, the pandemic made both nearly impossible. “After many years of being on the road three or four days a week and then going to NO TRAVEL was a sales manager’s worst nightmare,” Hanisch said.

After years on the go, he felt pandemic life was missing something. “[Sales managers] feed off the energy of others and that’s difficult to do sitting behind your desk.” Hanisch wasn’t sure how to fill the void that had been created by the pandemic. He realized the safest place to be was outside, so he and his family took up camping and began to fall in love with it.

It didn’t take long for the whole family to see the benefits. “We were looking for ways to get out and away with our family but still be smart about it. Camping gave us the perfect getaway.” Hanisch loved getting to reconnect with family while having his two dogs, Luna and Charlie, come along as his travel buddies on the adventures. “Both our dogs LOVE being in the motor home. Especially while its going down the road. Charlie sits up in the front and just looks out the windshield. He loves seeing all the sights while driving!” 

He found the whole experience opened his family to new adventures and to experiencing places they may not have been able to see otherwise. “Both my wife and I enjoy this way more than we ever imagined that we would.” Plus, he found it a comfort while he made the transition to his new job with Grinnell Mutual in July 2021.

Finding Grinnell Mutual

Hanisch was with his previous job for six years but was struggling to find a connection with his role. He had been working for a larger carrier, but now felt important to move to a more people-focused company. He knew he wanted to find a place where he felt valued, and a place where teamwork and camaraderie were core values. “I had worked with Grinnell on the agency side and really enjoyed it.”

He reached out to someone he knew at Grinnell Mutual and asked her what she thought about him taking an interview for the sales manager position. She said, “Absolutely. You need to jump on this.” The more he got to know about Grinnell Mutual, the more excited Hanisch felt about the possibility of transitioning to the company. “I heard things I was hoping to hear…value in teamwork, a family environment, longevity in career. I could see people were happy.” And exactly like he had with camping, he decided to take a leap of faith and hasn’t looked back since.

“I was looking for a place where I felt like I was part of a team, where I felt my contributions were part of the greater good, and where I felt like I was relevant to the success of not just the company, but of the people that make up the company.” The most important lesson Hanisch learned from both his new hobby and his transition to Grinnell Mutual is how much he gains from being around people.

“I’ve learned how much I feed off other people’s energy,” he said.  And Hanisch has still managed to forge connections, even while working remotely. “The strangest part is that I’ve felt so close to everyone, and only met one [co-worker] in person,” he said.  “I feel truly blessed to have been given the opportunities I have and to wake up every day doing something that I truly love."