Aetna Small Group Announces Southwest Region Winner of the Small Business of the Year Contest
Lane's Dairy Ltd. of El Paso, TX receives honor
HARTFORD, Conn., June 2, 2003 — Aetna (NYSE: ΑET) today announced Lane’s Dairy, located in El Paso, TX, as the Southwest Region winner of the Small Business of the Year
contest. The contest, which began in January 2003, celebrated the value and impact of small businesses in America and was open to
companies with two to 50 eligible employees who currently offer an Aetna Small Group (ASG) health benefits plan.
"Lane’s Dairy is a great example of how small business owners can achieve profitable growth and become leaders in local
communities like El Paso," said Regina Hunter, general manager of Aetna Small Group’s Southwest Region. "We’re
pleased that we received so many entries from brokers, general agents and customers for the Small Business of the Year contest. This
contest provided us with an opportunity to honor those customers and let others know about their achievements."
In 1928, John and Hilda Lane established Lane’s Dairy. The company, now run by John Jr., Hilda and Chris Lane, has over 2,700
head of cattle and employs 35 people. Lane’s Dairy is the only producer-handler in the state of Texas, producing milk and bottling
it for the residents of the El Paso area. "As a company, we’ve tried to take care of our employees and give back to the
community; we’re delighted that Aetna has recognized us for our efforts," said Chris Lane.
The panel of judges who selected Lane’s Dairy included Regina Hunter, Sharon Kushner, Aetna vice president, head of sales,
Theresa Lee, Southern Dallas Development Corporation vice president and chief loan officer, Joe Lopez, Texas Association of Mexican
American Chambers of Commerce board chair and Paula Dewitt, HealthLeaders reporter. The judges evaluated each nominated small business
based on a variety of factors including:
- Exemplary community involvement
- A unique start-up story
- Overcoming significant business obstacles
- Outstanding earnings growth and profitability
"Lane’s Dairy has been an important part of the El Paso community for many years, they are highly respected for their
quality products, business ethics and family values," said Bill Johnson of Ron Whitehead Insurance Services, the broker who
nominated the company.
Small businesses themselves, as well as licensed brokers and general agents selling Aetna’s medical, life and disability products,
were eligible to submit nominations. In addition to Lane’s Dairy, the other regional winners are Coffee By Design, Inc.,
Portland, ME, Chicago Steaks, Chicago, Ill., Miller Fire Protection, Forestville, Md., Mathews Construction, Tampa, Fla. and Arizona
Building Systems, Phoenix, Ariz.
ASG was established to meet the unique needs of companies with two to 50 eligible employees. In the past year, ASG introduced a
simplified product portfolio including several HMO, PPO, dental, life and short-term disability products and prescription drug
coverage, in several states.
Aetna is one of the nation’s leading providers of health care, dental, pharmacy, group life, disability and long-term care
products, serving more than 13.0 million medical members, 11.4 million dental members and 11.8 million group insurance customers,
as of March 31, 2003. The company has expansive nationwide networks of more than 562,000 health care services providers, including
over 337,000 primary care and specialist physicians and 3,387 hospitals. For more information about Aetna, please visit the
company’s website at www.aetna.com.
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