[our role]

Hurricane Katrina has tested the people and businesses of this city in a way that has never been experienced in this country. While it is impossible to forget what has happened since August 29, 2005, it is likewise impossible to predict what the future holds for us - as individuals, as a business, or as a city.

This much we do know. This corporation can have an influence on making New Orleans better than it is and better than it was. Think about what we do for a living. We facilitate the taking of risk. Every day, standard risks such as owning a home or operating a business could not happen without the insurance industry. The agent plays a significant role in the industry.

Gillis, Ellis & Baker, Inc. was founded in 1933 and has played a key role in the growth of Greater New Orleans since then. It is time for us to do what we do better than anyone else in the city. We must redouble our efforts to help our current and new clients take the risks necessary to rebuild their lives, their businesses, and their city.

There will be obstacles. Nothing will be easy. Coverage terms will be narrower. Premiums will be higher. But we must present meaningful solutions to our clients that address their needs to the greatest extent possible.

We must work corporately and individually to be catalysts for the rebirth of this wonderful city. This will call for the hard work of all members of our team. It will require the use of our time and effort, in combination with the same input from others in the community, to redevelop our cultural, civic, and economic vibrancy.

Gillis, Ellis and Baker, Inc. shall encourage its directors, officers, and employees to become active participants in the efforts to bring this area back from the depths of destruction caused by Katrina. As an insurance agency, Gillis, Ellis & Baker, Inc. shall work tirelessly to present solutions to the risk management and insurance needs of its clients. As a corporate citizen, Gillis, Ellis & Baker, Inc. shall, through its directors, officers and employees, play an active role in working with others in the area to form the lever that will return this city to its rightful place as one of the great cities in the nation and the world.

Growth requires risk. We will do all we are capable of to mitigate that risk for our clients and to ensure their success and the success of a greater Greater New Orleans.

At no other time have these words been truer or more important: "If we don't do it, who will?"