American Enterprise Group (AEG), parent company of Great Western Insurance Company, reported record growth of its preneed business in 2022, with its sales volume topping $200 million, a 10% increase over 2021. AEG attributes this performance to its dedicated team, which has found innovative approaches to grow organically while building strong relationships. The unsurpassed year in sales resulted in a record number of preneed agents qualifying to attend the company’s 2023 sales conference in Costa Rica.

To support its continued growth, AEG promoted Allen Whitmer to director of national sales distribution for preneed. In this role, he will oversee the company’s preneed regional sales managers and continue to report to Aubrey Ryan, assistant vice president of national sales distribution.

Whitmer joined AEG in March 2020 as a regional sales manager and was promoted two years later to national sales distribution manager. The third generation of his family to work in funeral service, he has 13 years of industry experience and a passion for the profession.

“The pandemic hit right after I joined AEG,” Whitmer said. “Given the depressed sales the preneed industry experienced in 2020, it’s rewarding to see sales continuing to rebound – first in 2021 and especially now, having achieved our biggest year ever.” americanenterprise.com