Kemper Insurance Companies Receives Torch Award

As a result of its strong focus on business ethics, the Kemper Insurance Companies was recently awarded the Chicago Better Business Bureau’s fifth annual Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics. The award was given in the large-company category, those with more than 1,000 employees.

David B. Mathis, chairman and CEO of Kemper, has made ethics in the workplace a priority throughout his tenure. He is making a special effort to renew the company’s focus on ethical behavior between now and his planned retirement date in 2003. At a recent presentation before Loyola University’s Center for Ethics, Mathis outlined the importance of ethics on the job and the strong ethical culture that has been present at Kemper since it was founded in 1912.

Nearly 90 Chicago-area companies were nominated for the award. Candidates for the Torch Award were evaluated by an independent panel of judges against these criteria:

* High ethical standards of behavior toward customers, suppliers, shareholders, employees and communities.

* Demonstrated ethical practices surrounding their buyer/seller relationships.

* Marketing, advertising, communications and sales practices which reflect a true representation.

* Acknowledgement of ethical marketplace practices by industry peers and in communities where they do business.

* Management practices and policies that give long-term value to shareholders, customers, employees and vendors.

* Training programs that assist employees in executing ethics policies.

As a result of the award, Kemper has been nominated for the 2002 National Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics.