Member Spotlight Ed McLin

Ed McLin is the managing director at Larkin Addison Specialty Insurance Services. “I’m basically a one-man commercial insurance agency and I sell insurance to businesses, anything from general liability to workers comp, to commercial property,” he said.

 

The businesses which consult McLin range in both size and focus. Most of his clients are referred to him from people he knows in the business community. “Through my networking opportunities, including Rotary and other organizations I belong to, I meet people who need or want my services,” he said.

 

McLin said a lot of his knowledge about Fort Worth, he learned through going to Rotary meetings. He cited a recent meeting where he learned more about Texas Wesleyan University than he first thought to already know.

 

“Usually, I’ll think a program sounds like it might be fun and then I attend, and I’m blown away because it’s so much more incredible than I could’ve imagined. I walk away with a lot of knowledge and a full stomach,” McLin said.

 

He began going to meetings in May last year with friends Tim Halden and Kimberly Jerige. “There was a time when all three of us were on the board of the Fort Worth chapter of the UT Alumni Association,” he adds.

 

McLin met Halden and Jerige when he had first moved to Fort Worth. He was their guest to four Rotary meetings before he submitted his application to join.

 

“The people are very friendly, very welcoming. In the year I've been here, I couldn't even tell you how many people I consider friends. It's been very fulfilling on a personal level,” he said.

 

Becoming a member almost a year ago, McLin has had opportunities to see and participate in various Rotary initiatives that drive community outreach and changes that make a difference.

 

One of his favorite examples of giving back to the community was last year’s We Care holiday event where Rotarians gather to help the children of the Eastside Boys & Girls club create Christmas gifts for family and friends with food, face painting, and Christmas carolers.

 

“I was just totally taken aback by the event because I could see the impact we had on these children at the Boys and Girls Club. Seeing the children, how happy they were to be there, receive gifts, and eat pizza made the whole thing very memorable. I got to see exactly the impact of [my actions] on the recipient of goodwill and that was very moving to me,” McLin said.

 

Recently, McLin and fellow Rotarian Richard Knight, hosted an event for the Tarrant Area Food Bank (TAFB) where over 35 Rotarians helped organize frozen foods for distribution. The ‘Wine at the Warehouse’ event included a VIP tour by Rotarians Stephen Raeside and Dr. Shagranda Traveler and a happy hour.

 

“The impact that the Rotary Club of Fort Worth has on the community is immeasurable. We can say we did this, or we did that, like how on Thursday we helped to provide 6,728 meals in just one hour, but it still doesn’t capture how transformational the organization truly is,” McLin said. ***