Since the last issue of Pipeline, NASBP has learned of the passing of the following NASBP activists: William “Wink” Ames, Dalia Devi (Seng) Dannenberg, and Fred M. Garrett, Jr.

William “Wink” Ames
August 29, 1933 ~ November 15, 2020

NASBP was saddened to learn that retired and well-known NASBP activist, William “Wink” Ames, 87, passed away on November 15, 2020. He was the co-founder of Minard-Ames Insurance Group, which is now INSURICA Southwest, Phoenix, AZ.

Wink came to Arizona in the 1970s to open a branch office of Corroon & Black-Miller & Ames, with two major accounts to service, M.M. Sundt Construction and The Tanner Companies. Over the next 40 plus years, he devoted himself to the construction and surety industries, receiving many accolades and awards for his dedication and volunteer work to better both industries. He was a member of the Arizona Minority Contractors Association Hall of Fame, and in 2007 he won the Arizona Construction Pioneer of the Year award from the Construction Financial Management Association. In 2011 he received the Arizona Builders’ Alliance prestigious S.I.R. Award. In 2013 he was commended for outstanding community service by the Arizona Governor’s Office. In addition, he was inducted into the National Academy of Construction.

Wink was passionate about teaching construction students about finance in construction and was a regular Arizona State University (ASU) guest lecturer throughout his 40-plus years in the industry. He was remembered by many of his students long-after they went on to pursue their careers. He persuaded his children to join him in endowing the Arizona State University’s Ames Family Scholarship program. He was the founder and primary supporter of the $1.5 million Beaver-Ames Chair in Heavy Construction at ASU, which established a faculty position to bolster the construction school’s teaching of heavy civil construction and engineering. In 2007 Wink was awarded the ASU Alumni Appreciation Award.

When Wink retired at the age of 80, in 2013, his agency created the Wink Ames Service Award to remember and celebrate Wink’s passion for serving his customers.

Blake Johnson, President, INSURICA Southwest, Phoenix, AZ, said because Wink had obtained an engineering degree and was a second-generation surety broker, he related well to contractors. He was at ease with incorporating his knowledge of surety into his conversations with his contractor clients. Johnson said, “I was blessed to have worked with Wink for over 20 years. He taught me many important things at an early stage in my career–things I will never forget and for which I will be forever grateful. One of those things was to really get to know your customers, with the most important aspect being truly understanding their goals and what they want to accomplish, both in life and in business. He also believed that if you take care of your customers, the revenue will follow. I admired how Wink approached every opportunity and every challenge in the spirit of partnership. This proved to be a very effective strategy that I saw play out time and time again. Wink was a mentor, a trusted adviser, a business partner, and a friend to so many. He was a giver, a teacher, a role model, and a man of great passion in everything he did. He will be missed greatly.”

Michael Specht, Vice President of INSURICA Southwest, Phoenix, AZ, said Wink had a way with words; and many of Wink’s friends and colleagues may remember his famous quips, including: Costs drive revenue (something Wink often said when he taught the Finance In Construction class); Who’s going to do what and by when?; Our job isn’t to get our customers bonds, we help people get to their goals; Collaboration at the expense of confrontation; and Sometimes, the best job you ever did was the one you didn’t do.

Deborah Anderson, AFSB, Account Executive, INSURICA Southwest, Phoenix, AZ, said: “Wink hired me at the age of 18 when he was operating the Arizona office of Corroon & Black–Miller & Ames in the mid-70s; and we continued working together until he retired. Wink was an icon in our industry, especially here in Arizona. His energy and passion for the industry and for helping people was real and was recognized by every construction-related association in which he participated. He served in leadership, in teaching, and often (in his younger years) from breakfast through dinner many days each week in order to meet with people and to see how he could help. He wasn’t focused on wealth; he always said if we do our jobs this way, the revenue would follow. ”

Here are articles published about Wink.

• 2006 Business Journal article – Wink’s agency and community outreach.
• 2011 Arizona Big Media article – Wink’s his agency and 40-plus year career.
• 2013 Arizona Big Media article – Wink’s recognition by the Arizona State Governor
• 2013 ASU School of Eng newsletter article – Wink’s National Academy of Construction induction

Condolences can be sent to The Ames Family, P. O. Box 38, Kapa’au, HI, 96755. The family has suggested that gifts be in the form of a donation to the donor’s favorite charity or to the Ames Family Scholarship at ASU. Email the Ames Family Scholarship at michael.remedi@asu.edu.

Please join the NASBP leadership and staff in expressing our sincere and heartfelt condolences to Wink’s family and friends. An online obituary is expected to be posted in the near future.

Dalia Devi (Seng) Dannenberg
March 24, 1975 ~ October 23, 2020

NASBP was saddened to learn of the passing on October 23, 2020, of Dalia Devi (Seng) Dannenberg, 45, of the NASBP Affiliate
CapSpecialty of Middleton, WI.

She was born in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, to Kim and Naychy (Hak) Seng. Days after her birth, her family fled Cambodia and came to the U.S. as refugees as part of Operation New Arrivals. Soon thereafter, Dalia, her parents, and her large extended family settled in Minneapolis, MN with the help of Grace Lutheran Church and the Niehaus Family. She graduated from Minnetonka High School in 1993.

Dalia went to the University of Wisconsin–Madison, graduating in 1997 with a Bachelor of Arts – International Relations, East-Asian Studies. It was there she met her future husband, Alex Dannenberg. They married in 1999.

In 1998, Dalia began her professional surety career with Capitol Indemnity Corporation (now CapSpecialty of Middleton, WI) where she spent most of her 22 years in the industry. She held a variety of positions in surety underwriting; most recently she was the Regional Manager of Commercial Surety for the Midwest region.

Joe Halleran, Client Service Director, of NASBP Member Assurance, a Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC, Schaumburg, IL, said: “Dalia will forever be remembered by everyone for how she touched people’s lives in so many ways. She was more than a business relationship to me, she was a friend. Her infectious laugh, smile, and constant positivity would brighten any day. She was the most inclusive individual and made everyone feel welcome into this industry.”

Rita Jorgenson, Vice President, of NASBP Member Goldleaf Surety Services, LLC, Montevideo, MN, said: “We built our book of business with her because she was incredibly knowledgeable in the industry and had a common sense approach to everything. However, we didn’t just work with Dalia; we built a friendship with her over the years of our relationship together. We traveled together and at times just hung out personally. She had a contagious smile, whether you were with her in person or simply talking with her on the phone. She is irreplaceable, but we are all better for having known her and are grateful for that opportunity.”

Eric Goldstein, Senior Vice President, Krauter & Company, LLC., A Division of Risk Strategies Company, St. Louis, MO, said: “Dalia WAS Capitol Indemnity. She was an incredible underwriter. She understood surety better than anyone. If there was a reason to say ‘no’ to a submission, Dalia made sure her brokers knew why. If she wrote a tough case, she made sure you knew the in’s and out’s of her reasoning to move forward. She was a surety resource. She was a friend to all, always smiling, always willing to help. Dalia was a rare gem in this world.”

Angie Moberg, Account Executive, Capital Insurance Services, Lansing, MI, said: “I’ve known Dalia for over 15 years. What an incredible person. I learned so much from her within the surety industry. She was a true friend–compassionate, kind, giving, and friendly to everyone she knew and encountered–always putting others before herself. She will truly be missed! Forever in our hearts as I know she is now in a better place.”

Barry Berman, President, Construction Bonding Specialists, LLC, Wixom, MI, said: “I had the pleasure of meeting Dalia approximately 15 years ago when she took a chance on a brand new agency with an experienced Bond Manager, me. This was the first of many instances that Dalia showed her kindness and terrific instincts. She was always looking for ways to reach people and help them, whether it be through charities that she was passionate about or watching a new agency get its wings. Through the years our business friendship grew, and thanks to her help, so did my agency. I loved the excuse to chat with her over a new piece of business that would evolve into an updates of the people and things she was passionate about. Her impeccable spirit, generosity, and wit were always present, even through the toughest of times, which she often kept to herself.”

Dalia is survived by her husband Alex; their son, Aaron; her parents, Kim and Naychy Seng; her brothers, David (Julie) Chen and Andrew Seng; her grandmother, Heang Kuoch; three nephews; and many aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Donations can be made to the University of Wisconsin Foundation, “More for Stage IV Fund” found here: https://secure.supportuw.org/give Or contact the fund here: University of Wisconsin Foundation, “More for Stage IV Fund,” 1848 University Ave., Madison, WI, 53762, Phone: 1-608-263-4545. This fund specifically targets stage four metastatic breast cancer research. A celebration of Dalia’s life will be held when friends and family can get together safely.

Please join the NASBP leadership and staff in expressing our sincere and heartfelt condolences to Dalia’s family and friends. View the Cross Funeral Service obituary and consider sharing a memory online.

Fred M. Garrett, Jr.
March 10, 1933 ~ November 20, 2020

NASBP was deeply saddened to learn that retired NASBP activist, Fred  M. Garrett, Jr., 87, of NASBP Member firm Garrett-Stotz Company, now Arthur J. Gallagher, Louisville, KY, passed away peacefully at home with family and friends by his side on November 20, 2020.

Fred’s father, Fred M. Garrett, Sr., started Garrett-Stotz Company in 1931, specializing in bonding and insurance for the construction industry. Fred, Jr. started working at the agency part-time in 1956 while in college. His job was to drive his father to his clients’ appointments, because his father had not obtained a driver’s license. Fred, Jr. joined the agency full time in 1958, upon his graduation from college, and followed in his father’s footsteps to become a partner in the family business.

Thomas J. Mitchell, Area Vice President, Senior Director Construction Practice, Gallagher, Louisville, KY, said: “Fred enjoyed a tremendous reputation in our industry. Often people would comment what a great person Fred was and that he was one of the best construction insurance/surety specialists around. Fred served as a wonderful mentor to the next generation! We were blessed that Fred continued to come into the office well into his late 70s.”

NASBP Past President Todd Leohnert, President of L A Surety Solutions, Louisville, KY, said: “Fred was a leader in our community and a lifetime supporter of the surety industry. Under his supervision and guidance, he built Garrett-Stotz into one of the premiere surety and insurance agencies in the Kentuckiana territory.”

Fred was preceded in death by his wife, Dorothy Wood Garrett; his son, Steven McClure Garrett (Sena); and his sister, Nancy Logan. He is survived by his sister, Zanah Stotz; his daughter, Katherine (Kit) Garrett; his grandchildren, Lynn, Leigh Collier, and Rebecca Garrett, and Todd Hancock (Kara); his great-grandchild, Heidi Hancock; and his dear friends, Bill and Rachel Woofter.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations in Fred’s memory be made to the Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research or the Shamrock Pet Foundation.

Please join the NASBP leadership and staff in expressing our sincere and heartfelt condolences to Fred’s family and friends.

View the Legacy obituary.