FEBRUARY 2025

FEI St. Louis is where engaged financial leaders thrive

FEI St. Louis Member Spotlight: Jamie Kates, Vice President and Global Chief Accounting Officer

Jamie Kates has spent most of her professional career in finance, but she did take a break from the profession for a few years mid-career. “As I stepped back into an accounting leadership role, I needed to find ways to enhance my professional development. This led me to join the Committee on Corporate Reporting (CCR).” She found CCR to be an excellent resource that gave her a competitive advantage in the St. Louis business community. While she’s still heavily involved in CCR, she joined FEI to experience even more networking and professional growth opportunities.

Jamie may be a newer member of St. Louis FEI, but she’s a long-time fan of the Gateway City. “I’m from central Illinois, so I love that St. Louis offers a big city feel combined with small-town living. While I live on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River, it’s only a short commute to enjoy St. Louis’s sports culture, amazing restaurants, and outdoor activities.”

When she’s not working, Jamie and her family like to travel in both summer and winter, run obstacle races together, and enjoy the outdoors. “We are an active family, so my time off is usually on the go.”

FEI members may be surprised to learn that Jamie sits on the board of Got Your Six Support Dogs. “I turned my love of dogs into a side project working with an organization that uses the healing power of dogs to support the health and well-being of veterans and first responders suffering from trauma.”

Jamie is just one of the many talented financial leaders who recognize the value of membership in FEI St. Louis. Check out our website to see how this growing network of financial leaders can benefit your career. If you're interested in membership or would like to attend an event, contact membership chair George C. Kobitz, Jr. at George.Kobitz@RobertHalf.com.

The FEI MEMBER DIRECTORY: A Useful Networking Resource

In-person and virtual FEI events are a great way to connect with peers, discuss relevant topics, share innovative strategies, and consider methods to achieve success. You might think of additional ideas to bounce off your fellow FEI member when you're not at a meeting. Did you know there's a great resource to help you find a network of premier financial executives in the St. Louis area? THE FEI MEMBER DIRECTORY is a national database of FEI members, and all active members can access it for free.

This resource is only helpful if the contact information is accurate and up-to-date. Fortunately, updating your information is as easy as 1-2-3!

Visit the FEI St. Louis website.
Click on your profile picture (visible once you're logged in).
Select UPDATE YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION and enter your info.

FEI is where engaged financial leaders thrive, so get engaged and thrive!

5 Ways to Create an EX That Matters

Employees no longer want a good employee experience (EX)—they expect and demand it from employers. The stake are high with 58% of employees planning to explore their job options this year, 90% of employees stating their experience impacts their customer service, and a whopping $18,500 cost for one departing employee.

Check out this infographic to learn the 5 ways employers can deliver an EX that matters.

5 Ways to Deliver EX

Kameron Aaron is your isolved representative. Please contact her at KAaron@isolvedhcm.com to learn more about how she and FEI platinum sponsor isolved can assist your company.

How will you overcome hiring challenges in 2025?

While 63% of hiring managers are gearing up to expand their teams, more than 90% say they are having trouble finding the talent they need. Robert Half’s 2025 Demand for Skilled Talent report provides the latest research on employment trends and retention strategies from 1,600+ company leaders to help you recruit and retain talent in today’s competitive hiring market.

Explore the report to find out:

What’s driving hiring plans, employers’ pain points and how you can overcome recruiting challenges
Why succession and pipeline planning are critical to ensuring business continuity
How demand for specialized roles can impact compensation and staffing plans

Read the Report

Reach out to George C. Kobitz, Jr. at George.Kobitz@RobertHalf.com, your Robert Half representative to learn more about the ways he and FEI platinum sponsor Robert Half can assist you and your company.

Book a conversation with George

2025 P&C and Employee Benefits Market Outlooks: Just released!

USI Insurance Services’ 2025 Commercial P&C Market Outlook and Employee Benefits Market Outlook reports provide the most impactful new trends across insurance lines and healthcare. These special reports highlight challenges for organizations in the coming year and strategic solutions to optimize coverage and control spending.

USI Insurance’s latest Employee Benefit Market Outlook examines the challenges employers face, including declining U.S. health trends, new pharmaceuticals, and legislative changes. To help business leaders navigate these pressures, the report highlights innovative solutions like Network Alternatives, Financial Wellness Benchmarking, and AI in HR Management. -Darrel Gable

DARREL G. GABLE MBA

Partner | Vice-President - Employee Benefits

Direct: 314.342.7156 | Cell: 314.346.3378

darrel.gable@usi.com | www.usi.com

The Property & Casualty market fundamentals for 2025 show signs of improvement, with property market stabilization offering relief from recent volatility. However, challenges persist for CAT-exposed risks, casualty markets remain mixed, and sectors like Commercial Auto and General Liability face a cautious outlook—all of this is explored further in the USI 2025 Commercial P&C Market Outlook. -Chris Natsch

CHRISTOPHER NATSCH, CPCU, ARM, CFP®

Partner | Property & Casualty Practice Leader

O: 314.342.7147 | c: 314.952.1086

chris.natsch@usi.com | www.usi.com

Darrel Gable and Christopher Natsch are your USI representatives. Please contact either of them to find out all the ways they and valued gold FEI sponsor USI Insurance Services can help you and your business.

USI Insurance Services

13075 Manchester Road, Suite 325, St. Louis, MO 63131

Upcoming Member Events

February Happy Hour

Clayton Wine House
5:30pm - 8:30pm
February 25, 2025
Register today

Evening with Diego Gigliani

President and GM of St. Louis City SC
7730 Bonhomme Avenue, Grand Salle Ballroom, Clayton, MO
5:00pm - 8:00pm
March 25, 2025
Register today

Upcoming Tech Series Event

HR Updates and AI Strategies

Speaker: Opal Wagnac, VP Market Product & Strategy
The Lodge Des Peres
8:00am - 9:30am
March 11, 2025
Breakfast will be served
Registration coming soon

It's cold now, but warm weather and the FEI St. Louis golf tournament are just a few months away. Mark your calendars to join us on May 20, 2025.

FEI Global Webinar Events

Did you know that FEI offers a number of webinar events? Many of these offer CPE credit and are FREE to members. Visit the button below to view the upcoming list of events.

Global Webinar Events

Attention Members!

Are you hungry? Current members receive a $100 GIFT CERTIFICATE to the restaurant of their choice by recruiting SIX QUALIFIED NEW MEMBERS to join FEI St. Louis!

If you know controllers, directors, or chief financial officers who would like to join the select ranks of the area's finest financial leaders, invite them to a meeting or a tech series event. Once they experience firsthand the value of FEI membership, we're sure they'll join and you'll be one step closer to the most satisfying meal of your life!

For more details, contact Membership Chair, George Kobitz at george.kobitz@roberthalf.com.