THE DIRECTOR’S CORNER
BIG I OREGON: WITHSTANDING THE TEST OF TIME By: Tyra Dressel Executive Director of Big I Oregon
Sports have always been a personal passion of mine as well as my family’s. I have missed watching our youngest son playing football, as well as the other misses during the season of COVID-19. While middle and high school have not able to partake in football in most of Oregon, we managed to have Superbowl Sunday. While so much has changed this past 12 months; the way we work, educate and network; the Superbowl has proven to be an institution that withstood the COVID-19 test and the game convened on February 7th without a hitch. It struck me that the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of Oregon has both stood the COVID-19 test, and the test of time, not unlike the game of football. The first U.S. insurance company, The Philadelphia Contributionship was co-founded by Ben Franklin in 1752. While the types of insurance have expanded in reaction to our world such as disability, business, auto and cyber; the idea that sprung over 200 years ago is still alive and thriving through war, disaster and pandemics. Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers began in 1896 as a national organization to provide resources, education and advocacy to the independent agency. And the same mission continues today with the dedicated expansion of benefits and resources to meet the needs of our agency members. At the state level, this past year I have seen our association come together on the “field” with each fine-tuned position to execute plays that have been adjusted to meet the moment. Our Associate and Allied Members have stepped up (what I would refer to as special teams) to support, connect and engage with the association in meaningful ways to differentiate our association as the oldest and most responsive in the state. As we look ahead to the many plays ahead of us and our goals firmly in mind, your association staff is your front line offensive, dedicated to bringing you the latest news, changes, information, legislative advocacy and a plethora of resources that impact your way of doing business.
10 | SPRING 2021 |
As we head into our membership renewal period, I’ve asked myself the “Why?” Why would an agency member continue on the Big I Oregon Team or sign up for the first time? My answer is simple, because Big I Oregon has your back in good times and in bad. We have proven that we are adaptive through virtual interactive events and education, pro-active through weekly e-newsletters containing vital information for your business and communities you serve, as well as being an association you can count on when the chips are down. We “stomped out the flames” and raised over $10,000 to give back to our agency’s communities during the disastrous fires during the fall of 2020. Additionally, our members join in gratitude as they give back to Make A Wish Oregon, totaling $14,000 in 2020. We are dedicated to bringing your voice to the halls of the capitol in Salem as well as the steps of D.C. We have realigned our event/education pricing to enhance our membership benefits, giving our members deep discounts or complimentary access through the generous underwriting of our 2021 Premier Partners. Big I Markets, RLI, Diversity Council, Ask An Expert, ACT and Trusted Choice Brand are all available with your membership without any additional fees or qualifications. E&O, Education, Virtual University, Legislative Advocacy, ACT, TrustedChoice.com, Big I Hires are just a few of the resources that you can access with deeply discounted membership pricing. As your Executive Director, I can honestly say I feel as though we are just warming up, and the best is yet to come as we plan for Educate & Connect Virtual Symposium March 9th and 10th and hold tight to the excitement of gathering in October for our “All In” Big I Oregon Connect, in person. We are your front line and no matter the play, at the end of the day our passion and dedication for the independent agency channel drives everything we do. We promise to continue to find new ways to support the independent agent and drive value to your membership by exploring programs and resources that will enhance your agency, so you continue to make positive gains and eventually 1st downs, never loosing site of the goal line. We will be reaching out this year, to our agency members, to assist you in expanding the value you receive belonging to Big I Oregon and I look forward to connecting with you!
