By Bill Rusteberg
Tom was an unusual character, a master salesman and world class communicator. His out-of-the-box antics were impossible to duplicate without severe consequences to anyone else who tried. He was smart, a rising star destined, as was the common belief, to be President of the company one day.
When Tom was elevated to the position of Vice President of Sales of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas back in the 70’s he decided good salesman should be paid what they were worth and poor salesmen should remain that way.
I started working as a salesman for Blue Cross in 1973 with a monthly salary of $840. We were captive agents back in the 70’s working on a straight salary plus a company car. Back in those days Blue Cross did not work with slithering bottom feeding commission driven brokers. The company had a reputation to keep.
When Tom was promoted from sales to Vice President of Blue Cross of Texas five years after I was hired things changed quickly. He added a sales incentive bonus system on top of our salaries. My income shot up to over $50,000 in short order. That was good money back in the late 70’s.
Then he added trips and other incentives. Lake Tahoe here I come! Hello Hawaii! Then whispers of Blue Cross entering the brokerage world filtered down through the ranks and in 1981 we were captive agents no more. Those wishing to remain poor stayed, the rest of us left and became slithering bottom feeding commission driven brokers.
On one occasion when we were both employed by Blue Cross I needed Tom’s help. I had a problem – a bank in Mission, Texas, owned by Lloyd. Bentsen was threatening to cancel coverage due to an enormous rate increase. “Tom, we are about to lose this account, it’s high profile. I need some underwriting consideration! Can you help?“
“Ok Bill. I’ll get back to you” Tom promised. That afternoon Tom called back, “Go to the Harlingen airport tomorrow for the 10:00 am flight and pick up an envelope from the ticket counter, it’s in your name.”
Tom sent a corporate check down on a Braniff flight the next day, in the amount of $100,000. “Tell the bank president that we want to make a deposit for a one-year Certificate of Deposit as we value his business.”
That “good will gesture” paid off.
On another occasion Tom asked me to approach a prominent businessman in McAllen, Texas to gauge his interest in becoming a member of the Blue Cross Board of Directors. He was and he accepted the honor. Years later that introduction paid off big for me in my life as an independent broker in the 80’s.
Tom subsequently left Blue Cross to become a successful broker in Tyler, Texas. I too had by that time left for greener pastures. One day he called. “Bill, we have a dental plan with an endorsement from the Texas Dental Association. Are you interested in helping us market it?” We did extremely well representing Paid Dental at the time, working with dentists in promoting a dental plan that covered things never covered before.
Then another call months later “Bill, we just received an endorsement from the Texas Association of Broadcasters for a medical plan we designed. Are you interested in helping us market it?” We sold television and radio stations across Texas, a fun and rewarding experience.
But Tom had a dark side. His ambition knew no bounds, ethics be damned. To many his good side outweighed his dark side. He was well liked and admired by many who had contact with him. All of us who knew him better were in constant wonderment at his uncommon good luck in avoiding consequences of his “missteps.”
Tom’s missteps finally caught up with him. He died by his own hand in Tyler, Texas in 2021.
