Jay Nadler
Jay joined the insurance industry in 2002 following the diagnosis of his wife’s brain tumor (when she was just 29 years old). From this experience, Jay’s mission became: Helping others avoid the financial stresses that come from illness & injury.
Jay has had many careers. Prior to entering the insurance world, he was an elementary school teacher. Jay’s business background also includes: managing retail stores and movie theatres, working with a circus where he flew on the flying trapeze, driving courier trucks & limousines, running the commercial sales department for MEC, and he spent many years selling enterprise level IT systems and support services. For a few years, Jay was even the Culligan Man.
Jay’s business background enables him to understand many types of business. As a result, Jay has become more like a business consultant. He helps his clients develop reasons and goals for their benefit-plans. He also helps them understand the associated HR responsibilities and liabilities.
In 2017 Jay opened Naviguide. Before Naviguide, Jay owned Marathon Benefits, right here in Calgary.
Jay is a co-founder of National Group Benefits Meeting (NGBM). NGBM is a free platform dedicated to helping group benefit brokers become better advisors.
In 2024, Jay was selected as a top 20 Advisor in Canada by Benefits Pension Monitor Magazine.
In his spare time, Jay is very physically active. In the summer, you’ll find him on the trails in and around Cumberland BC, either running or mountain biking. You might also find him kayaking or riding his motorcycle. In winter, he can be spotted on skis up on Mount Washington.
Dave Patriarche
Mainstay Insurance BrokerageDave Patriarche founded Mainstay Insurance Brokerage in 1996 as a one-person shop specializing in providing employee benefits to small and mid-sized businesses in the Greater Toronto Area.
Dave is a strong believer in continuing education and recognized the need for the group insurance industry to broaden its efforts in this area. In 2003 he started a small networking group, which evolved into regular breakfast meetings across the GTA, then into regular educational seminars beginning in 2009.
Dave is recognized as a leader in the group benefits industry, an accomplished speaker at industry events and a contributor to various industry publications. He mentors and acts as an informal resource to benefit brokers, participates in industry think tank groups as well as panels such as; the Benefits Advisors’ Drug Plan Outlook, the Canadian Leadership Council on Drug Plan Partnerships.
Dave spends his spare time with his family and also enjoys taking groups sailing on Lake Ontario, the Caribbean and Mediterranean seas and has even crossed the Atlantic ocean in 2019.