During the MAIA’s Annual Meeting this year, Lee Gaudette of Gaudette Insurance Agency was recognized with the MAIA’s highest award, The Henry F. Barry, Jr. Memorial Pacesetter Award. The Pacesetter of the Year Award is presented annually to an MAIA member agent or local association who through both their personal and professional life set an example for their fellow independent agents. The Pacesetter Award is named after former MAIA President and staff member Henry F. Barry, Jr., who both in his personal and professional life “…set an example of hard work, perseverance, compassion, and charity, at a level matched by few in the insurance industry.”
Mr. Gaudette is the President and Treasurer of Gaudette Insurance Agency, based in Whitinsville. Founded in 1926 by Mr. Gaudette’s great-uncle, Roy Gaudette, Lee represent the third generation to own and operate the family business. Lee joined the agency in 1990 as a Commercial Account Executive, going on to become a Sales Manager in 1996 and Vice President of Sales in 1997. In 1999, he became the President of the agency. He officially acquired ownership of Gaudette Insurance in 2003 and since then has led the agency to triple in size. In 2018, Gaudette Insurance earned the MAIA Five-Star Designation for the fourth time in a row and was recognized as a Big I Best Practices Agency for nine years between 2001 and 2009.
In addition to his insurance career, Mr. Gaudette is an active member in the Whitinsville community including acting as a Trustee of the Whitinsville Christian School, a Past Chairman of the Greater Worcester Community Foundation and of the Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce. He also is a founding member of the Blackstone Valley Education Foundation.
Mr. Gaudette also been an active member in the MAIA in various capacities over the years. From 2007 until 2017, he served on the Board of Directors, serving as Chairman in 2016. Since 2018, he also has chaired the MAIA Investment Committee as well as served on the Number One Insurance Agency Board of Directors.
In commenting on Mr. Gaudette’s achievements, Mr. Jensen said the following, “I know I speak for my colleagues who had served with him that Lee’s intellect and passion for advancing in the independent agency system are second to none. We think it runs in the family by the way, because Lee’s father was also a Pacesetter winner in 1988. And It’s my honor to recognize Lee in the 2019 Pacesetter Award.”
