About the Northwestern Mutual agents ribbons

They only surface for one week.

But for that one week, they’re everywhere.

They are the ribbons worn by Northwestern Mutual agents during the company’s annual gathering in downtown Milwaukee.

Each summer, the Milwaukee insurance and financial services company brings more than 12,000 employees and agents together for a week of meetings and events; ground zero is usually the Baird Center and Fiserv Forum, but they can be seen all over downtown.

And every agent wears a nametag lanyard with attached ribbons denoting sales goals achieved, landmarks passed, accomplishments reached.

Some agents have two or three ribbons. A few sport a ribbon that goes down to the floor.

To outsiders, the ribbons might look like scout badges or sashes from a secret society — swag from a party they weren’t invited to.

To the agents, the ribbons are an expression of how far they’ve come in the business — and where they rank among their colleagues. After the week’s meetings are over, they’re put away.

In a way, they’re like cicadas: They swarm the city for a brief period, and then they’re gone.

But we know they’ll be back.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: About the Northwestern Mutual agents ribbons