For Ryan Parks, Small Business Account Executive for UnitedHealthcare, turning a passion for wellness into an interesting, lifelong career runs in the family. With both his father and sister working in healthcare, when the time came for Parks to begin thinking of a career, the choice was easy.
“Going into my senior year at the University of Dayton, I knew I wanted to go into healthcare,” Parks said. “I’ve always been interested in wellness, something I share with my father and sister who both work in healthcare ensuring people have access to services and resources to live happy and healthy lives.”
After graduating from University of Dayton, Parks entered into the job search stage, eventually landing a job with an insurance company in Chicago. But when the chance to work as a Small Business Account Executive with UnitedHealthcare came up a year later, Parks knew he found the position that best suited not only his skills, but also the passion he has for educating the public about their healthcare options.
“My position is about education,” Parks said. “I work with businesses who have anywhere between two to one hundred employees, and I help them pick a plan that is best for that group. We go through different options, which could be an HMO, PPO, or our fully-insured option compared to our self-funded options.”
“Education on what a group’s options are is the most important thing I can do for brokers and groups right now,” Parks said. “With COVID-19 and the lack of face-to-face contact, I think focusing on teaching groups what they can do to help their employees and their businesses, how insurance can work for them, and how they can live healthier lives is why I enjoy this job so much.”
The COVID-19 pandemic, while taxing on companies and workers, didn’t stop Parks from connecting with clients—both old and new—in a fun way.
“I’ve started doing trivia with companies during our Webex meetings,” Parks said. “For our NW Indiana broker partners, I’ll dress up, adopt an ‘alter-ego,’ and say, ‘My name is Brian Sparks and I’m the host of Trivia Show.’”
That approach to connecting and engaging with others can be found in UnitedHealthcare’s company culture. In the year that Parks has been with UnitedHealthcare, he has worked with a tight-knit group of people who help and support each other.
“It’s great to work with like minds who have these creative, innovative solutions to insurance,” Parks said. “Not a lot of people can say that insurance is a fun thing to talk about it. But we really think it can be, because it’s helping people prevent and prepare for life’s obstacles so that they are financially stable in case a tragedy does happen.”
In his free time, Parks is an avid Chicago Cubs fan and hopes to be able to attend a game in the near future. He can also be found traveling whenever he can or on the green golfing with his friends.
For more information about UnitedHealthcare, please visit their website at uhc.com.
