St. Louis business leaders received praise, inspiration and motivation from one of the nation’s top insurance executives at the 2008 Salute to Excellence in Business Awards and Networking Luncheon, held last Thursday at the downtown Ballpark Hilton.
“The power of your one voice can never be taken,” Vikki Pryor, president and chief executive officer of SBLI USA Mutual Life Insurance Co., said in her keynote speech.
“Persist, St. Louis, you have a great future.”
Pryor took over the helm of her company nine years ago and catapulted its original business base in New York to coverage in 49 states. Under her leadership, SBLI oversees $15.8 billion of insurance with more than $1.5 billion in assets and 400,000 customers.
She congratulated 30 Salute honorees for progress made as business leaders and the opportunities opened for the community.
Describing her own life as “unplanned, unscripted, difficult, but fulfilling,” Pryor told more than 400 attendees, “There is a price we all must pay for the joy of the unexpected.”
She offered five life lessons she learned along her successful journey.
* Give back by committing to something greater than yourself. When she does that, she said, “Others benefit, but ultimately I benefit the most.”
* Get a seat at the table. Although it may be difficult, Pryor said it is up to us to continue to work toward inclusion and empowerment. She said, “If we’re not at the table, we won’t be part of the future.”
* Humble yourself. By allowing the power of the universe to work through you and allowing others to help you, she said, you will be more successful and less stressed out.
* Believe. She said, “Don’t measure yourself by conventional standards or you’ll talk yourself out of your future before you get started.”
* Persist. Pryor said never give up, adding that most people give up when success is right around the corner.
“Can we reform the parts of the American experience that kept some out?” she asked.
“If it’s possible, St. Louis will be in the middle of that success story.”
Pryor described St. Louisans as “real” and judged local business leaders and entrepreneurs as being on the right track by investing in people and investing in the economy.
“We are at the mountain top, and the Promised Land is in sight,” Pryor said “St. Louis can achieve its dreams.”
That is, she said, if the community is able to move beyond blaming and destructiveness with courage and confidence.
Pryor attributed much of her own inspiration to her parents, grandmother and to her mentor, St. Louis resident Ida J. Bohannon.
In 2002, Pryor established the Marie Nesbitt Promise Prize, an invitation-only academic scholarship award in honor of her grandmother.
The 2008 Salute to Excellence in Business was presented by The St. Louis American Foundation, St. Louis RCGA, and the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis.
