Andrea Croley

Croley, of Croley Insurance & Financial Inc., works with individual and group clients in employee benefits. She co-owns the company with her husband, Tom.

“Our clients have hopefully been better able to manage their employees and business as a result of our consulting,” she said.

Croley is responsible for helping employers and individuals design insurance programs that support overall business plans, while taking into account other benefit programs, the employers’ goals and an employee benefits budget.

But her job takes her far beyond the fundamentals of insurance; it also brings her into the realm of many issues affecting people and businesses today – rising health care costs, obesity, disease management and overall wellness.

“Working as a broker, I bring together the needs of the employer, and then we work with the hospitals, the health care systems and insurance companies,” she said.

“We bring real stories and experiences to these organizations.”

Croley is an active board member of the Society of Financial Advisors, which works to make the public aware of the importance of working with a planner who is educated and has credentials. She is on the board of Missouri’s Make-A-Wish Foundation, helping to raise funds to grant ill children’s wishes.

Croley also is a past president of the Society of Financial Service Professionals and is involved with the Rotary Club of Springfield Downtown, Junior League, National Association of Health Underwriters and the National Association of Insurance & Financial Professionals.

She also is on the committee for American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women event.

Croley’s family is her proudest legacy, however, and her interaction with other people outside the office is not far below it on her list of priorities.

She has had a part in the Rotary organizations’ international exchange program and been the host for members from Japan, Pakistan and Germany. Croley also has taught German language classes.

“My big message to (students) is to explore other cultures and then you will find out more about yourself,” she said.

Croley has a bachelor of arts from the University of Colorado, a master of science from the University of Missouri–Kansas City. She has been with Croley Insurance & Financial since 1986.

Personally speaking

Please tell us about your family.

My husband, Tom, works in the property casualty division of Croley Insurance. Our son, Trevor, and I work in employee benefits. Trevor’s wife, Cabrini, is a physical therapist at St. John’s. We have two adorable grandchildren, Claire and Cooper. Our daughter, Lindsley, and her husband, Matt, reside in Denver, Colo., where both are health care consultants.

Besides your parents, who do you consider to be a mentor or role model?

My grandmother, Adele Geyer, was a great influence. When she lived in Dresden, Germany, and her home was bombed, I know she was able to endure the mental and physical hardships of postwar Germany. Her tenacity in accepting fiscal responsibility and in taking care of her four children after the war was remarkable. I remember her reading the Wall Street Journal when I was young. That was unusual for women in those days.

What are you reading now?

“Think Big, Act Small” by Jason Jennings. His premise is that you don't have to be afraid to get your hands dirty when managing a business.

Tell us something about you that most people probably don’t know.

I am a German immigrant. Our family came to the United States on the Queen Mary to find the “streets that were paved with gold.”