Eugene Michael Goforth

Birchwood, Tennessee

E-mail: goforthcreek@mindspring.com

Summary

E. Michael Goforth is an experienced marketing communications professional. He has vast experience in personally producing creative work, as well as directing others. He is proficient in both journalistic and promotional styles of writing and is an expert in insurance and managed care marketing and administrative communications.  

Education

High School: Brainerd High School, Chattanooga, Tennessee; graduated in 1966. Majors: science and art.

College: Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, Tennessee; graduated in 1972. Major: social science – emphasis American history. Minors: sociology and journalism.

Experience

April 1995 to October 2003, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee, Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Served as Customer Advocate for the company’s Marketing Division. In this capacity he represented the company’s clients on numerous standing operational committees, resolved complex customer complaints sent to senior management and was responsible for developing specialized marketing materials and specialized executive level communications. He was responsible for developing and maintaining communications with the Tennessee insurance agent and broker community. He retired due to health reasons.

January 1991 to December 1994, Benefit Explanations, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee.

Position at this full-service marketing communications agency designed primarily for the insurance industry was founder and president. The agency’s work included: developing and marketing throughout the nation in partnership with LTC Consultants a line of audio/visual and print sales aids for long-term care insurance agents; producing marketing materials for clients – CIGNA, LTC Consultants, Benefit Solutions, Inc., National HealthCorp, ProDental, Inc., Middle Tennessee Association of Health Underwriters, HEALTH NET Inc. and TVA’s Land Between the Lakes. 

November 1985 to December 1990, HCA Health Plans/EQUICOR, Nashville, Tennessee and New York, New York.

Position at this major national employee benefits company was Manager of Managed Care Communications in the company’s Marketing Division. EQUICOR was formed in October 1987 as a result of a joint venture between the nation’s largest health care company — Hospital Corporation of America (Nashville) — and the nation’s third largest insurance company — The Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States (New York). Responsibilities included: creating collateral advertising materials for the company’s managed care products; supplying collateral advertising and educational materials to over 30 HMOs and PPOs throughout the nation; developing, administering and controlling annual collateral advertising material budget and managing a 4-person Nashville-based in-house creative and production staff and outside vendors. In January 1990, the CIGNA Corporation purchased EQUICOR. This purchase resulted in the abolishment of positions in EQUICOR’s Nashville headquarters which were duplicated in CIGNA’s national headquarters in Hartford, Connecticut. The department was abolished in December 1990.

October 1972 to October 1985, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee, Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Began career as a copywriter and advanced to Manager of the Communications Division in 1976. The division was an in-house advertising and public relations agency for Tennessee’s largest provider of health insurance benefits. Responsibilities included the day-to-day management of the advertising, public relations and pre-print production operations; creating and administering corporate advertising and public relations programs without the assistance of an outside advertising agency until 1983; writing and editing various company publications; administering and controlling advertising and public relations budget; managing an 11-person creative and production staff. From 1983 to 1985, selected and managed relationship with Carden & Cherry Advertising Agency of Nashville.

1969 through 1971, Various Middle Tennessee Newspapers

While a student at Middle Tennessee State University, served as associate editor of The Rutherford Courier (Smyrna); Murfreesboro correspondent for The Tennessean (Nashville); summer intern for The Shelbyville Times-Gazette; and various positions on The Sidelines, MTSU campus newspaper, including Editor-in-Chief, summer and fall 1969.

Interests

Represented Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee in the state and local organizations of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors and served on the Chattanooga association’s board of directors. Was a member of Chattanooga Association of Health Underwriters. Is a member of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity and a member of the MTSU Blue Raider Athletic Association. An avid history buff, his hobbies include amateur archaeology, genealogy research, historical tourism and outdoor photography.