The nomination for Cratty stated, “I continue to be amazed at the talents of this year’s winner of our LAUTUM Award.  It has been a privilege to work closely with him during the most trying and “unprecedented” year of my 15 years of employment with IAMIC (Illinois Association of Mutual Insurance Companies).  He was faced with decisions that no other Chairman of the Association has ever faced.  Holding a meeting, don’t hold a meeting, invest money in a program to serve members virtually while knowing the income won’t be the same.  I could go on and on with the many difficult decisions made last year, he did them with his calm manner that helped keep me from overreacting.”

 John is a member of the Board of Directors for Svea Mutual Insurance Company in Orion, IL a position he has held for more than 14 years.  John served 31 years with the Galesburg Fire Department, 15 years as the Fire Chief.  He served six years as the Illinois Fire Chiefs regional rep & director and on the legislative committee.  John was the Branch Chief of the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) and served 18 months as the Interim City Administrator for the City of Monmouth and a two-year Interim Fire Chief.

John has served on IAMIC's education committee and government relations committee and has actively participated in the Congressional Contact Program in Washington DC for several years.

John earned is Farm Mutual Director Certification (FMDC) with the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies (NAMIC) in 2012 and earned the Merit Society award in 2014.

 One of his peers wrote how she admired his passion for promoting the farm mutual industry.  “He is very knowledgeable and has been a tremendous advocate for IAMIC.  He showed great leadership during the pandemic and is a good listener and very forward-thinking.  We are lucky to have him as a part of our organization.” 

Our industry agrees, and we are proud to recognize him with this honor.

LAUTUM is Mutual spelled backward and stands for strength, dedication, leadership, commitment, integrity and honor.  The award originated in 1972 as a measure of recognition for outstanding individual contributions to the community, the association and the mutual insurance industry. The LAUTUM Award is presented to the person who has earned the respect and esteem of his colleagues. Recipients are nominated by their peers.