Daniel J. Loepp knew it wasn’t going to be easy when he took
over as president and CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan
in mid-2006. The previous president and CEO, Richard Whitmer,
was an innovative leader who took the company over when it was
in trouble and turned it around.
“Anytime you replace somebody that took the company from
being in receivership to being a very healthy company — in that
sense, it’s tough shoes to fill,” Loepp says.
Instead of ignoring Whitmer’s impact on the company, Loepp
took every opportunity possible to learn from his predecessor.
“I was very fortunate because I had the opportunity to work
very closely with (him) before I assumed my current role,” he
says. “I got to be involved in almost every meeting and had the
opportunity to become intimately familiar with our business. I
was able to glean a lot of vital information and get his perspective on our business as well as the state of health care in
Michigan. Following Mr. Whitmer set me up to succeed. He put
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan back in the black, and
working with him, I got a great understanding of what we need
to do to keep it there and how you balance that with our unique
mission and commitments to the people of Michigan.”
But there was still more work to be done at the company,
which posted $19.4 billion in 2007 consolidated revenue for the
Michigan division and has 9,000 employees.
Here’s what Loepp learned on his way to taking Blue Cross
Blue Shield of Michigan to new heights.
