Jeff Menary

Jeff Menary joined Grinnell Mutual in 1980 and has served in leadership roles at the company for over 25 years. Starting as a marketing representative, Menary has spent his entire 44-year insurance career at Grinnell Mutual.

He worked his way up through the company, holding positions as a marketing and reinsurance manager of the Iowa/Wisconsin Region; director of underwriting and production; assistant vice president of commercial lines; vice president of direct underwriting/production; and vice president of reinsurance before being appointed to take the helm at Grinnell Mutual as president and CEO at the end of 2017, succeeding the late Larry Jansen.

In September 2017, just a few months before Jansen’s retirement, Menary became gravely ill with West Nile virus and spent nearly six months in the hospital and in rehabilitation.

But he always intended to return to Grinnell Mutual as its leader, and in June 2018, he made that happen. Since 2020, Menary has proved his mettle repeatedly as a compassionate and effective leader, steering the company through a global pandemic, historic losses from a derecho, and some of the toughest years the insurance industry has ever seen.

In January 2024, with his sights on the future of the company and an orderly succession, Menary stepped out of the president’s role, but remains CEO until his retirement within the next few years.

As a staunch supporter of Grinnell Mutual’s employees, one of Menary’s proudest accomplishments is the creation of the company’s Care & Share program. Through a local 501(c)(3), the program disburses funds to employees to help cover unexpected needs such as medical bills and emergencies. The funds come from an annual employee fundraiser and the company matches what employees contribute. Since 2018, the program has distributed nearly $400,000.

Menary holds a Master of Business Leadership degree from William Penn University and a bachelor’s degree from Central College. He has also earned several insurance designations: Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU), Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC), Associate in Risk Management (ARM), Certified Risk Manager (CRM), Associate in Reinsurance (ARe), and Contractors Risk and Insurance Specialist (CRIS).

Menary has also been active in the insurance industry and his community, serving with the Poweshiek Iowa Development organization for 10 years, five as the chairperson; serving on the Iowa Fair Plan Association governing committee since 2012 and currently as vice chairperson; serving as a director and chairperson of the Iowa Automobile Insurance Plan; and coaching high school sports in Montezuma, Iowa.

He lives in Grinnell, Iowa, with his wife Renee. They have two children and two grandchildren.