Industry colleague and friend Nanci Evarts, passed away on Friday, September 24th, after a brief but courageous battle with cancer. Founder and President of Marketing Strategies Group, a California-based marketing consultancy, Nanci was known throughout the insurance industry for her skills in communications, marketing and sales strategy development. She founded her firm in 2003 after serving as VP Corporate Communications for AON Services Group, the specialty services companies of AON Corporation, and for Swett & Crawford, one of the insurance industry’s pre-eminent wholesale insurance brokers. She had a varied background in sales, marketing and public relations, working in corporations and public relations firms in the Midwest and West Coast. Ms. Evarts began her career at 3M Corporation. She is a graduate of The University of Minnesota.
Nanci gave back to her industry as a leader of The Insurance Marketing Communications Association (IMCA), where she served in leadership roles including chairing its strategic planning committee and annual meeting, as well as serving as its President and member of the IMCA Board of Directors.
In addition to her professional career, Nanci was a long-term member of the Harborlights chorus which won first place in the 2007 International Competition, in Calgary, Canada and is competing again in October. She was also a member of a number of competitive quartets over a 40+ year association with Sweet Adelines International. Her passion for singing was surpassed only by devotion to her family and friends.
She is survived by her mother, Fern Hoffman; husband, Bill Evarts; son Jeffrey Hoffman, daughter Kimberly Hobscheid, son Jeff Evarts and grandchildren Emma, Drew and Alex, and daughter in law, Jennifer and son in law Mark.
Arrangements for a forthcoming memorial service are in preparation. For more information when preparations are completed, please send an e-mail to nevarts@verizon.net with “service” in the subject line. Contributions in Nanci’s memory may be made to: Sweet Adelines International PO Box 470168, Tulsa OK 74147.and The Cancer Fund.