Dan Shrock keeps SAE close to his heart while he rides the rugged road to success
This is the second of a two-part series in at attempt to catch up with the ever-mobile Dan Schrock. In Part II, he talks about meeting his wife, his career and his fond memories of serving SAE as Eminent Archon.
By Greg Miller
Iowa Beta Alumni Association Director and Communications Chair
His first job with Farmers Insurance was in Kansas City. Schrock met his wife, Beth, in Tulsa, OK after he was transferred from Kansas City. He developed a circle of friends and Beth soon entered the scene. He met her at a bar where there was live music.
"I'd seen her around before but this was the first time I had really talked to her. We just started hanging out and things felt really natural."
Things got serious and they became exclusive in 1996. She graduated from the University of Tulsa and started as an attorney. In 1997, Dan was told he had to move to Columbus, OH.
"It was probably the sale of the century for me but I asked her to move with me,” he recalled. “Her friends told her she was crazy and not to follow ‘this guy’ but I convinced her to quit her job and move with me. I don't think either one of us have any regrets of moving together, except maybe when we're fighting (laugh)!”
The couple got engaged in 1998 soon after the Columbus move and were married in 1999. Beth stopped practicing law when she got to Columbus. She got a job with Farmers working claims litigation files and settlements as a non-practicing attorney.
The Schrock’s now live in Birmingham, a suburb of the greater Detroit area.
Last June, Dan spoke with a colleague he had worked with at Farmers who had obtained the CEO position with AAA Insurance.
“He is someone I really respect, I like him and he has taught me a lot,” Schrock said. “He teased me when he left and told me that ‘you will never leave (Farmers).’ He also would send me sound bites like ‘you have an amazing career and lots of benefits.’ But one day I woke up and all things seemed to align and I signed on with him to run field operations for AAA Insurance. And I love it. “
The job is still insurance but Schrock said he liked the component of the company being membership-oriented as opposed to Farmers, which is customer-oriented.
The AAA move is Schrock’s 11th in 26 years.
“I had a great life with Farmer’s but this was a job I just couldn’t say ‘no’ to,” he said. “I really am excited to get the chance to run a field operations unit for a national brand with 9.3 million members”
As Schrock moved around the country, he was able to strike up relationships with brothers in different cities.
When we were living in the Los Angeles area, I was able to rekindle some time with guys like Richie Paragas and Grant Harvey. Although we were never able to connect personally, it was the move to Los Angeles that triggered the contact. And through Facebook I have maintained contact with Marc Rosenow, John Rosenow, Tom Halterman, Rob Risser, John Crowley and a host of others. A couple months ago I got a call from John Crowley who said he was coming to visit John Ronk in the Detroit area. I wasn’t able to meet up with Crowley, but did connect with Ronk a couple weeks later.
I was like “What’s Ronk doing there?”
And Crowley said, “He lives there in a suburb you probably never heard of.”
I said, “Which one?”
He said, “Birmingham.”
I said, “I just bought a house in Birmingham!”
So Ronk and I met in downtown Birmingham and had some food and a few pops. I have not seen the guy in 25 years and now he is my neighbor!
When Dan left Farmers in the summer of 2016, Beth also resigned. She now runs the household and does volunteer work.
The AAA job allowed Beth to stop working so she could pursue things close to her heart and gave the Schrock's more financial independence.
Because of all the moves, the Schrocks waited a bit later to have children. Alexandra, 14, is a competitive dancer and studies ballet. Danny III, 12, is an avid swimmer and lacrosse player. Schrock said when he goes to their school, he is definitely one of the old dads.
Dan said he does not go back to Iowa City that frequently mostly because of distances from the moves. However when he graduated, he went to Iowa City frequently. He would to Homecoming and have dates for the spring and winter formals.
"My dad told me that I need to calm down on going back to my college town,” he said. “But I still had a lot of friends. I remember going to Chicago and meeting Don Keeley to see some (Grateful) Dead shows. I was just having fun.”
Schrock has a lot of fond memories of his days as an active undergraduate.
“When I ran for EA, Tom Halterman was the outgoing EA and he did a fantastic job,” he said.
“We had a great footprint and were set up nicely by the early and mid-1980s and I felt it was time to really make a statement and show that we have definitively outgrown our newbie status. My platform was, “Get us on the map! I was a good EA in the aspect that I had a lot of creative energy and I was looking for ways to keep the excitement level high. I knew a lot of people in different houses, and I was able to leverage those relationships to optimize our social presence.”
Schrock had an idea to make SAE even more relevant.
“When I was asked to run for EA, I knew it was going to be a lot of work and challenging to emulate Halterman, who was very detail-oriented. I wanted people to talk about us,” he explained. “And so the only thing I could think of to do within my skill sets was to have an all campus party at the SAE Lodge!”
Shrock said he believes it was Thad Watter’s dad, who owns Watter’s Autoland, that had some contact who was able to line up a full Budweiser ‘keg’ truck. The rig was massive – it housed several dozen kegs. Schrock secured two live bands; one played in the great room and one in the parking lot. It was an ‘off the charts party’ that included party-goers from across the campus.
He said another memorable event was a formal date party of sorts where his crew organized a long automobile journey with nearly a dozen stops at farm town bars. The final destination was called Cliff’s Place, which was a tiny bar in Waverly, IA.
“We had T-shirts made that said, ‘Destination Cliff’s Place’ Schrock said. “There had to have been around 50 vehicles that started to follow the map route. It was epic. I still get notes from Mark Nystrom and Mark O’Connor saying they still cannot believe that we pulled that off.”
Only about 10-12 cars ultimately made it to Cliff’s Place. Most dropped out along the route.
“Yeah, the route was just too long and there were too many cars,” he said “I still run into some females when I go back and visit in Chicago and they still comment on that event. Back then I felt like the class of 1985 was at a turning point in that it was our duty to really solidify SAE’s presence or not, from the work that the men prior had done in building this thing back from the ground level.”
Schrock said serenading was a frequent occurrence in the late 80s.
“I can't remember two weeks going by without someone getting a wild hair, assembling a group and going out to serenade,” he said. “I mean, we were the singing fraternity. Joe Fajdich was really into it. He was always leading a line of guys even singing going down to the bars.
But here's the thing. There's always different clicks inside the fraternity even though everyone is friends and enjoy each other’s company. But when it's time for lunch or dinner, the same guys would tend to sector off. But serenading brought everyone together.”
Schrock said The Holidays was an especially prime time to serenade.
“We'd all gather at The Vine or the The Airliner – it didn't matter,” he said. “Then we'd go into a sorority house, gather around their tree and sing and sing as loud as we could. And you'd look down the line and see some guy who had been holed up in the library for the last eight weeks, and you would see him having the time of his life. He couldn’t believe he was even doing this! It brought out the wild guys, the shy guys and everyone in-between.”
He recalled one night when SAE sang to either Pi Phi or Kappa Kappa Gamma and the men were gathered around the sorority house Christmas tree.
“Some of the guys were so, um, ‘happy’ that they were stumbling into the tree and knocking off some of the ornaments. I still remember it vividly - I was peeing my pants I was laughing so hard. No one even knew what was happening!”
He said the SAEs went off to sing and feared nothing.
“You could not offend or discourage us,” he said. “In our minds, ‘you're enjoying the show!’ ”
He said sometimes the girls would come downstairs and be very upset with us.
“But we'd just sing and try to make them laugh,” he said. “And as cloudy as my memory is I remember we'd have them laughing soon enough and then more girls would come down and they would smile. You could tell that they approved and ‘appreciated us’ for coming and singing and putting on a show in spite of us breaking a few of their favorite ornaments.”
Schrock said he gives the Iowa Beta Alumni Association kudos for having the patience to grind through these past four years to get the house back and SAE men filling it.
“I know my personality would struggle with staying on task,” he said. “The school has taken such an over correction on social rules that I find it a little disturbing in some cases. Trust me – I get it, and I understand the reasons for it. For me, there are times when I wonder if the men are being given an unfiltered objective chance to be successful.”
Schrock looks back with no regrets.
“I really loved SAE and wanted to give a lot to it,” he said. “And I may have been guilty of giving it too much time at the cost of my academics. But I tell you I got more training about life and working with people at the fraternity than I did in the classroom. I feel really passionate about my life experiences.”
He said he did not go into SAE with any aspirations to serve the better good.
“Maybe there was some peer pressure to step up as a leader,” Schrock said. “But the rush chairman job was amazing. I remember sitting up on the veranda of The Lodge after our first rush class came back to our house after the call backs. Halterman, Weaver and Arbeen were up there and I wish I had a photograph of us looking down at the class we put together. We got killer pledges that year. We took so many guys away from the Betas and Phi Psis. We put a plan together and executed it.”
He said at the time he never connected his leadership roles to future success but looking back, those experiences helped him in business and life.
“It taught me how to figure out what to say to people to get them to follow your vision and ideas,” Schrock said. “It taught me to filter through a person's personality to find out what motivates them. I learned how to get people what they want which ultimately gets you what you want. I do things today intentionally that I did by accident in my early 20s. Having to go the IFC meetings and having to defend yourself in a humble and logical way was very beneficial. I learned to sell what SAE was all about and get others to choose us for various events that were important to us.
“I think people do a lot during this period in their life that they don't think much of at the time but when they look back, they say, “Wow” that experience may have helped me more than some of the classes I took. And I would say that is true for me.”
Schrock said he was feeling enthusiastic about SAE coming back on campus.
“It's going to be great to have SAE back at a Big Ten school. This is all upside. And when we take the TKE letters down, we'll be doing it legally (laugh) because I am sure there have been some times when letters were removed outside the confines of the law. There is something special about it and it was a bummer that the fraternity had to take the pause, but there is some pretty cool history that went with these last four years,” he said. “Sometimes when there is a re-emergence, you can appear stronger that you did when you left because of the lessons you learn.”
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Undergrad Mailbag: Chapter ready to occupy the SAE house
Compiled by Patrick M Stephenson
Alumni Relations Chair
This Spring has seen a great deal of growth not only in our numbers, but in our standing among the Greek community on campus. We are reclaiming the SAE house in June which will provide us an opportunity to improve upon our already exemplary relationships with other fraternities, sororities, the Iowa community and of course our own brothers.
Transitioning from last semester I have seen many of our brothers start to get some solid ground under their feet in terms of their responsibilities and engagement with the chapter. They have all made such great strides and I am very proud of the initiative several brothers have taken in ensuring SAE Iowa Beta is one of, if not the top house on campus in a matter of a couple years.
Brothers Michael Cooper and Ryan Hand were instrumental in providing us with twenty-seven new members in the late winter. Johnny Golec and Stephen Paoletti have worked diligently to schedule events with other Greek families on campus and word around the block is that “those SAE boys are some of the coolest dudes on campus.
I personally overheard three young ladies mention Stephen by name in one of my lectures!
Click here to read the rest of the letter.
QUIZ ANSWER: Actor David Spade
David Wayne Spade (born July 22, 1964) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer and television personality.
He rose to fame in the 1990s as a cast member on Saturday Night Live, then began a successful acting career in both film and television.
It was during his early years on Saturday Night Live that Spade befriended fellow comedian Chris Farley. Their close friendship offstage made for great chemistry in front of the camera, earning them larger roles on the series.
After a few bit parts in forgettable films, Saturday Night Live producer Lorne Michaels got the idea to put Spade and Farley together on the big screen, capitalizing on the formula Spade called, "the age-old secret of fatty and skinny."
Michaels produced 1995's Tommy Boy as a vehicle for Farley, with Spade serving as straight man. Though the film received lukewarm reviews, it was a hit at the box office among the duo's legions of SNL fans.He also starred and co-starred in the films Black Sheep, Joe Dirt, Joe Dirt 2: Beautiful Loser, Grown Ups, and Grown Ups 2, among others.
He has also been part of an ensemble cast of two long-running sitcoms: Just Shoot Me! (1997–2003) and Rules of Engagement (2007–2013). He also starred as C.J. Barnes in the sitcom 8 Simple Rules (2004–2005).
In animation, he voiced Kuzco in the 2000 film The Emperor's New Groove and its direct-to-video sequel, Kronk's New Groove.Spade is known for a comedic style, in both his stand-up material and acting roles, that relies heavily on sarcasm and self-deprecation.
He pledged SAE at Arizona State and graduated with a business degree in 1986
Here are the links to his rankings:
#48 on The Most Overrated Actors of All Time
#18 on The Best SNL Cast Members of All Time
#41 on The Best Short Actors
RSVP to visit with
Supreme Council
The Sigma Alpha Epsilon Supreme Council is inviting its members to join them for a Grand Reception in Des Moines on Friday, May 5th.
See the flyer below for instructions on how to RSVP your attendance.
Tranter honored for philanthropic work
Dr. Stephen T. Tranter (IA Delta '79) has received The Highest Effort Award for Philanthropy.
The fraternity recognized Tranter for the philanthropic endeavors, he and his wife, Patricia, provide the community. The couple selects a local organization in need of community contributions and then work to help provide financial support.
Not only do they donate themselves, they ask their patients if they would like to support their cause as well in lieu of writing a check for their business.
Brother Tranter served as the chairman of the Fibrosis Foundation, as both Vice President and President of Georgetown Kiwanis Club, co-founded and organized the Boys and Girls Club Annual Golf Tournament, and has supported proudly the Annunciation Maternity Home, Austin Honor Flight, Royal Kids Camp, Heroes Night Out, Coats for Kids, Wounded Warrior Project, Austin Honor Flight, and The Caring Place.
In fact, he was awarded the 2014 Buz Sawyer Award for Lifetime Community Philanthropy by the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce for his dedication to these organizations and causes.
Tranter has a lifetime of membership experiences and we are proud to recognize his distinguished and outstanding philanthropic endeavors to his community.
This report courtesy of Deran Abernathy, Associate Executive Director - Alumni Engagement
National office seeks property manager
The national fraternity office's Financial & Housing Corporation is seeking an ambitious, self-motivated individual to join the staff as Property Manager.
The Property Manager will be in charge of keeping all of the F&H properties in good working order, current with all state and federal and local regulations and fiscally solvent.
The Property Manager will work closely with the CEO, Finance Manager and Director of Chapter Operations to ensure that all aspects of house operations are running smoothly.
The Property Manager should have a bachelor’s degree and a working knowledge of Microsoft Office and some familiarity with property management software. The ideal candidate should also have effective communication, customer-service and time-management skills, as well as prioritization in order to work with a wide range of constituents in a diverse community.
The ideal candidate should also have experience in property management. The position requires the individual to live in the Chicago metropolitan area and will also be required to travel to F&H properties as needed. Selected candidates will be subject to a drug test, criminal and financial background check as a condition of employment.
For a full job description, CLICK HERE
Please send resumé and letter of interest to:
Greg Somers
Chief Executive Officer
SAE program aims
to stop the violence
Each month, Sigma Alpha Epsilon will be supporting various campaigns and tributes as part of our commitment to the global community. We promote information and action through various communication vehicles and social-media campaigns — and we strongly encourage our members and friends to do so as well.
For the past 18 years, Peace Over Violence has run its Denim Day campaign on a Wednesday in April in honor of Sexual Violence Awareness Month. The campaign was originally triggered by a ruling by the Italian Supreme Court in which a rape conviction was overturned.
The justices felt that since the victim was wearing tight jeans, she must have helped her rapist remove her jeans, thereby implying consent. The following day, the women in the Italian Parliament came to work wearing jeans in solidarity with the victim.
Peace Over Violence developed the Denim Day Campaign in response to this case and the activism surrounding it. Since then, wearing jeans on Denim Day has become a symbol of protest against erroneous and destructive attitudes about sexual assault.
In this rape-prevention education campaign, we ask community members, elected officials, businesses and students to make a social statement with their fashion by wearing jeans on this day as a visible means of protest against the misconceptions that surround sexual assault. This year’s Denim Day is scheduled for April 26, 2017.
Sao named director of communications
Johnny Sao (Millikin ’11) has been hired as the Director of Communications.
Raised in Carbondale, IL, Sao joined Illinois Delta in the spring of 2008. As an undergraduate, he served on his chapter’s executive board as Eminent Recorder and Recruitment Chairman — and he served on the Interfraternity Council’s executive board as Secretary.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in communication and an associate’s degree in film and broadcast.
Prior to joining the Sigma Alpha Epsilon staff family, Sao worked in the television and commercial industry as a production coordinator, location manager and editor. His client list included the NFL, YouTube, Honda, AT&T, Red Bull, Bose, The Onion and the City of Chicago.
In addition, he has worked on motion pictures that used the Greater Chicagoland Area, including Batman v Superman, Transformers, Bad Santa 2 and Jupiter Ascendingas well as various independent films and documentaries.
Sao began as an assistant for the SAE Financial & Housing Corporation before being hired full-time into the Fraternity Service Center as the Coordinator of Business Systems, the position he held most recently.
Sao resides in the Logan Square neighborhood of Chicago and enjoys live music and traveling in his spare time. Sao can be reached at jsao@sae.net
SAE tourney nears
This year marks the 39th anniversary of Sigma Alpha Epsilon's National Amateur Golf Tournament, hosted by the Greater Pensacola SAE Alumni Association.
The tournament is SAE's longest-running alumni association sponsored event. Come experience brotherhood, golf, sun and the sugar white beaches of Florida's gulf coast.
The event will take place at the Perdido Bay Golf Club from Thursday, May 4th through Saturday, May 6th.
Please click here or the button below for full details and online registration.
Middle Tenn. to play Hawks in 2019
The Iowa Hawkeyes have added the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders to their 2019 football schedule.
Iowa will host Middle Tennessee at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City on Sept. 28, 2019.
According to a copy of the contract obtained from the University of Iowa via a public records request, Iowa will pay Middle Tennessee a $1.55 million guarantee for the game.
The 2019 game between Iowa and Middle Tennessee will be their first meeting on the football field.
The addition of Middle Tennessee completes Iowa’s schedule for the 2019 season. The Hawkeyes are also slated to host Miami OH on Aug. 31 and travel to Iowa State on Sept. 14 in non-conference action.
In Big Ten play in 2019, Iowa is scheduled to host Rutgers, Penn State, Purdue, Minnesota, and Illinois and travel to Michigan, Northwestern, Wisconsin, and Nebraska.
Middle Tennessee, a member of Conference USA, now has two non-conference games scheduled in 2019. The Blue Raiders also are slated to host Duke on Sept. 14 and have two more non-conference games to schedule.
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