Farmers Mutual Insurance, headquartered in Ellinwood, has elected Mark Rondeau of Great Bend and Ruth Teichman of Stafford to their Board of Directors.
“Our Board of Directors, over the past couple of years, has worked very hard to put together a board with varied business backgrounds with an eye towards the future,” said Justin Lear, CEO of FMI. “We searched out candidates that are an excellent fit for the board.”
“With the experience and knowledge they bring to aid the leadership and our goals, they will be excellent additions,” he said.
“I’m flattered to have been asked to join the Board of Directors and look forward to the opportunity to contribute to its mission,” Rondeau said. FMI’s mission is to provide Kansans with insurance protection that is reliable and personal. The company serves a niche market of underserved properties and exists solely to serve the insurance needs of policy holders. It does not provide investment profits to shareholders.
“There’s always a niche for the smaller companies, and I think it’s a good thing we are doing,” Teichman said. “I was very impressed with the full extent of the area that they cover and the different products that they offer.”
Rondeau, born and raised in Great Bend, was the oldest son among seven children. Graduating from Great Bend High School in 1972, he graduated with a Juris Doctorate from Washburn University Law School in 1979.
He entered the U.S. Air Force where he served for four years as an Assistant Staff judge Advocate and an Area Defense Counsel. He is married to Michelle and has four children, two boys and two girls, and three grandchildren.
After leaving the Air Force in 1983, he returned to Great Bend to practice law with Earl Watkins and Mark Calcara. Rondeau has been active in community including serving as a past school board member, and has been on the Board of Directors for the Chamber of Commerce, Boys Home and the Great Bend Housing Authority. He is a 30+ year member of Great Bend Noon Lions Club and is also active in Church, as well as a number of other activities.
Teichman served for 12 years in the Kansas State Senate, serving on and chairing several committees.  She served as a school board member for the Stafford School District for 20 years and was president for 9 years. She was President of the Kansas Association of School Boards in 1999. She has a Bachelor of Science degree from Kansas State University.
Teichman has served on many boards including the Kansas Foundation for Managed Care of  Substance Abuse, founding member- South Central Community Foundation, founding and current member - Stafford Educational Foundation, Prairie Bank of Kansas, Kansas Agriculture Rural Leadership, Stafford County Hospital, Ninnescah Rural Electric, Delta Dental of KS, Filley Art Museum Foundation  - Pratt, and the KU Geological Survey Advisory Committee.
She currently assists her husband Dennis with their farm. They have four children and five grandchildren.
Other Directors of FMI are: Richard F. Kimple (President), Herman Hartig Jr. (Vice-President), Ronald G. Rugan (Secretary/Treasurer), Larry Dannebohm (Asst. Sec./Treas.), Edward Schloctermeier (Director), Melvin Waite (Director), and James Harris (Director).