Amica Press Releases
11.04.10
Amica celebrates 40 years of Thanksgiving greetings
LINCOLN, RI – More than a half-dozen artists from New England and New York and their family members gathered at Amica Insurance headquarters today for a special ceremony commemorating the 40th anniversary of Amica’s holiday card, including an open house in the company’s Thanksgiving Card Gallery.
Robert DiMuccio, Amica's chairman, president and CEO, met with the painters, as well as hundreds of employees and members of the public who passed through the gallery throughout the day.
"One of the neat things about this artwork is it connects our company with our community,” DiMuccio said, as he gazed around the gallery walls covered with a variety of fall scenes -- from bucolic New England farms and seascapes, to trees ablaze with the red and orange, to various interpretations of Plimoth Plantation. "That’s pretty special, and it reflects a lot on the special place that Amica really is.”
Each year, for the past 40 years, Amica Insurance has sent a special Thanksgiving card to each of its hundreds of thousands of customers. "It's one of the company's most treasured traditions," DiMuccio said.
The cards carry a simple message of thanks, DiMuccio said. But they also serve as a reminder of the special bond that Amica shares with each of its customers.
"Thanksgiving is a time when family and friends gather to celebrate everything they hold dear, and we feel that our customers are part of our family. So we send our Thanksgiving cards as a thank you for the special relationship we share with each of them."
William Metcalf, a former Amica executive, came up with the idea of issuing Thanksgiving cards back in 1971. Lots of companies were issuing holiday greetings at the time, but Amica didn't want to become lost in the holiday rush. So Metcalf suggested sending a Thanksgiving card, instead. The first card actually featured a painting he'd produced, called Thanksgiving.
Amica since has featured the paintings of 14 artists, including John J. Loughlin, father of Republican congressional candidate John J. Loughlin; Marshall Joyce, a noted New England artist who is best known for his seascapes, ships and coastal scenes; Regina Partridge of Providence, whose work is part of many private and corporate collections; and Al Albrektson, a West Warwick artist who’s now 91 and still teaches at the Rhode Island Watercolor Society and the Providence Art Club.
Albrektson's work has been featured five times on Amica's Thanksgiving cards. He thinks it's a wonderful tradition. "It bespeaks of a nicer, tender part of a big company," Albrektson said. "… It just tells me that a company thinks of other things other than business."
H.M. Saffer II of Craryville, NY, admits he was surprised to learn that one of his paintings had been chosen to be featured on this year's card. "Originally I was puzzled. Why would an insurance company buy a painting?"
But he was thrilled to learn that it would soon be featured on a card sent to more than 800,000 Amica customers across the country. In fact, Munir Rihani, owner of the Royal Gallery in Providence, which had featured Saffer's painting, said, "I know many people that are collecting Amica cards and for your information, I have a few of them myself at my own house."
The customers appreciate the cards, too, DiMuccio said. "I've had policyholders write to me to say that they've kept them every year that they’ve got them. I get comments on the artwork. I get comments on the artists…. I think a common theme comes across in all of these paintings of warmth and a family bond that we as a company firmly believe.”
A video commemorating the 40th anniversary of Amica’s Thanksgiving greeting can be seen at www.facebook.com/AmicaMutualInsuranceCo or at www.youtube.com/amicamutualinsurance.
Featured in the photo are (l-r) H.M. Saffer II, Harley Bartlett, Jane Puerini, Al Albrektson, Regina Partridge, Jim McLear, Johan Bjurman and Edward “Ted” Hail.
About Amica Mutual Insurance
Amica Mutual Insurance Company, the nation's oldest mutual insurer of automobiles, was founded in
1907. The company, with corporate headquarters in Lincoln, RI, is a national writer of automobile, homeowners, marine and personal umbrella liability insurance. Life coverage is available through Amica Life Insurance Company, a wholly owned subsidiary. Amica employs more than 3,200 people in 40 offices across the country.
CONTACT: Vince Burks, Corporate Communications, 50 Amica Way,
Lincoln, RI 02865-1155, 800-652-6422, ext. 24563
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