Honoring Those Who Served
The PIAW and The 1752 Club Thank Joe Cordova
Featured Veteran in the Industry: Joe Cordova, Cordova Insurance – Merrill, WI
What does it mean to be a veteran? More specifically a combat veteran. Most hear the word veteran and you likely will think of the friendly yet crusty old guy that sells poppies once a year in front of your local grocery store. This simply isn’t the case anymore with active wars and conflicts for the past 3 decades. I would describe a war veteran as a humble, proud patriot that internalizes a permanent burden of judging others for the fact that so many take their freedom and opportunities for granted since they having never served and fought in the worst conditions imaginable.
My name is Joe Cordova, I am an Account Executive with Cordova Agency Inc and I am a Sergeant First Class in the United States Army Reserve, a combat veteran, and last month I eclipsed 19 years of service. If I would have been asked 20 years ago if I would have joined the Army much less turn it into a career, the answer would have been a resounding no. My family lineage has a limited history of service, which had no relation to my decision to join. The simplest and easiest explanation was that I’m a patriot at heart and frankly I was a little bored at the end of my first semester of college at UW-Stevens Point.
Early December 2000 I walked from my class in the College of Professional Studies (CPS) building next door to the Army recruiter and the rest is history. I joined with an open mind and motivations of finding a challenge, traveling and the allure of my education to be paid for. The fall of 2001 1 attended Basic Training at Fort Jackson, SC. The following year I attended my Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) training at Fort Lee, VA. Less than a year from that you would find me in Kuwait moving north into Iraq in March 2003. Since then I have found myself being called to active duty for several other mobilizations including the most recent from 2013-2016 C2CRE-A Homeland Defense mission. During this last mobilization is where I found myself seeking another direction when 1 would return to a reservist status.
My brother Jeremy had solely owned Cordova Agency Inc for several years at this point. We had been talking about possibilities to transition into the insurance field for a while. The timing for this to happen could not have worked out better since being removed from my current career for so long while on active duty it made for an easy new start. I really enjoyed my previous career as a construction foreman, but with a battered body coupled with two new children and a spouse with a demanding career, I knew a lower impact job with the flexibility desired would be key to my decision. An insurance career can meet all these qualifications. Getting out to the communities of Northern Wisconsin and meeting with current and prospective clients is the best part of my job. I continue to build off all the relationships I have forged over the years within the construction industry to build a profitable book of business over the past 4 years. Finding a healthy balance in and out of office is key and has reaffirmed my decision.
I am honored to be recognized for my past and present service to our nation. I look forward to many more years to come and am excited about all the potential that is ahead of me as an insurance professional.