International DI Society presents lifetime achievement award

Bill Barrett, a founder and charter member of the International DI Society, was presented with the W. Harold Petersen Lifetime Achievement Award, which is given to an individual who has made a special contribution to the disability insurance industry. Recipients are nominated by their peers as members of the International DI Society, and a final decision is concluded by the selection committee. W. Harold Petersen, the founder of the award, is on the selection committee. Along with Eugene Cohen, Ron Cohen, Kenneth Wylie and Mike Eskra Sr., Barrett was the fifth award recipient.

In 1969, Barrett began his career in the insurance industry, and by 1973, he established a new disability brokerage agency in Los Angeles for a prominent disability carrier. In 1975, he became a disability insurance consultant to physicians of the Los Angeles County Medical Association and also started his own brokerage firm, WJ Barrett Insurance Agency, focusing on disability insurance with multiple insurance companies, which distributed in six western states.

Throughout his career, Barrett has consulted with many carriers on brokerage distribution systems and disability insurance product development and has also served on multiple agent and general agent advisory councils, taught disability insurance classes, guest speaker and authored articles for trade publications.