TIDA Member Spotlight

The TIDA Member Spotlight will feature one member each month. The spotlighted member will share responses to interesting questions and non-work related photos to build connections among new and seasoned members. Anyone may propose a member to be spotlighted. The committee will alternate each month between industry and legal professionals to increase engagement among our organization. Members can nominate themselves or another member to be featured by submitting a recommendation form.

November 2023

Brian Wymer, The Kenan Advantage Group, Inc.

I was born, raised and still reside in North Canton, Ohio. I am the oldest of three children and have identical twin sisters. I graduated from Heidelberg University with a degree in Sports Medicine. I began my Risk Management career with Nationwide Insurance in 2000 and started working at The Kenan Advantage Group, Inc. in 2004.

My lovely wife Stacey and I just celebrated our 20^th anniversary in early November. We have three boys, Zack (18 yrs) is a freshman at Ohio University, Brody (15yrs) is a freshman in high school and Tyson (11 yrs) is in 5^th grade. A lot of my free time is devoted to coaching the many sports they are involved in. I am an avid Cleveland and Ohio State sports fan and my absolute favorite time of the year is football season.

How long have you been a member of TIDA and why is it important to you to be a member?

I have been a member of TIDA since 2005 when I was first introduced to the organization by John Pion. I have had the opportunity to meet so many wonderful people at the various TIDA events. The educational opportunities, networking and collaboration has been very impactful in the development of my career.

If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be? Why?

If I could collaborate with one person, it would be the late Pat Tillman. For those not familiar, Pat Tillman was a stand-out football player for Arizona State University and the Arizona Cardinals in the NFL. Following the terrorist attacks in 2001, he made the decision to leave the NFL where he was making millions of dollars and enlist in the Army. Unfortunately, Pat Tillman paid the ultimate price and was killed during a combat mission in Afghanistan in 2004. His decision to put his love of our country over himself is something that resonates with me to this day.  

To date, what has been the most memorable case you have been involved? Why?

The case that immediately comes to mind is memorable due to the disappointing outcome we were dealt.  One winter evening, one of our drivers encountered a sudden snow squall and deteriorating road conditions. As the driver did not feel it was safe to continue driving, he pulled to the shoulder of the highway. While our driver was in the process of deploying his emergency triangles, a BMW with two occupants was traveling at an unsafe speed and the driver lost control. The BMW struck the rear end of our trailer that was completely on the shoulder of the roadway. Sadly, both occupants in the BMW were killed. The investigation revealed that the driver of the BMW had a blood alcohol content well above the legal limit. Further, toxicology showed that he had significant traces of other illegal drugs in his system.  The estates of both of these individuals filed suit. We were successful in resolving the claim of the BMW passenger for a nominal amount. The demand from the estate of the driver of the BMW was excessive in our opinion and we elected to take the case to trial. Defense counsel did an excellent job in presenting our case to the jury. However, in this venue, the negligence standards for the state are explained in detail to the jury and it was made clear to them that if they applied 51% or greater on the BMW driver that the estate would not collect. After a long deliberation, the jury came back with a 50-50 liability split and we were forced to pay a seven figure judgment. This was obviously difficult for us to accept considering the facts of this accident.

What advice would give to your 25-year old self?

You will be remembered most for the positive impact you have on the lives of others and how you treat them. The lyrics to the recent Tim McGraw song Standing Room Only sums it up best. “Stop judging my life by my possessions, Start thinking about how many headlights will be in my procession.”

What is a fun fact that people probably don't know about you?

While completely lacking any sort of singing talent, I have been known to get up on a karaoke stage and belt out some of my favorite country tunes. A few of our fellow TIDA members may have been lucky enough to witness it live. Yee Haw!

Past Member Spotlights

2023

October
September
June
May
April
March
February
January