As an extension and virtual reimagination of our annual Excellence Awards, Inspiring Excellence shines spotlights on the small and mid-size businesses who have made a difference in our community during these unprecedented times. With input from the Excellence Awards Committee, the Chamber chose 10 organizations to recognize whose stories have inspired our members.
Underwriting Management Experts (UME) is a women-led, founded, and owned insurance company headquartered in Lansdale, Pennsylvania. UME is the nation’s largest privately held full-service Managing General Underwriter of employer stop-loss coverage. Under CEO and Founder Anne Marie Chapman, UME routinely invests in the community. The firm infused philanthropy and community engagement into its company culture involving all 65 employees. Since the advent of the pandemic, all employees have been participating in community projects for three to four hours every Friday. The activities have served as means to give back to the communities in which the staff live and work, address food emergencies, create and further develop partnerships and collaborations, and provide financial contributions while infusing social justice into UME’s corporate social responsibility program with the resounding effect of boosting workplace culture.
Staff make meals each week and hand deliver the food bags directly to homeless populations in Philadelphia and vis a vis St. Mark’s Church. Similarly, food contributions have gone to First Responders at Towamencin Police (Montgomery County) and hospital staff of Abington-Lansdale Hospital (Jefferson Health).
UME recently made cash donations to VFW Post 32, Manna on Main Street, Mater Dei Catholic School, North Penn/Indian Back the Blue Ride, Athena Athletics Girls Flag Football League, and Hockomock Area YMCA. To support surrounding small businesses during COVID-19, UME started purchasing numerous gift certificates to Lansdale restaurants, stylists, and retail shops.
Over the past few years, UME’s most important charitable goals have been to address inequities in health and human rights, support vulnerable veterans who have sacrificed on behalf of our country, and reduce food insecurity among lower income families. CEO and Founder Anne Marie Chapman and UME has been involved with and provided significant financial support at the leadership level to dozens of nonprofit organizations including: AIDS Fund (and AIDS Walk Philly), Cape Assist, JDRF, Manna on Main Street, Mazzoni Center, PA Hero Walk, The A.skate Foundation, The Salvation Army, and Veterans of Foreign Wars. Recently, UME was the largest private business donor to the Philadelphia AIDS Fund.
UME recently embarked on a four-fold charitable mission: to create a charitable foundation, to further UME’s philanthropic commitments, to offer new leadership and volunteer roles for staff, and to develop a more focused effort to further empower and financially contribute to local communities. Chapman is working closely with her senior team on this endeavor with their strong support. To the team at UME, it is very exciting to help shape the environment of corporate social responsibility and enhance UME’s long-term impact on the community. Chapman will serve on the governing board of the new charitable foundation in a leadership role and will recruit other key staff members to serve on the board with her.
Inspiring Excellence: Honoring the Resiliency of Small to Mid-Size Businesses
Check out the program book from the November 19 celebration to read not just the stories of our 10 honorees, but also those of the over 70 organizations who were nominated.
