HIN 2023-2024 3rd Edition

CHARITABLE

COMMITTEE SPOTLIGHT

WHAT WE DO:

Rai e Fund to be donated to Hou ton area C aritie

Select local c aritie to receive fund

Organize and o t c aritable event

Support t e Hou ton Fire Departmen

Promote Fire Prevention in local c ool

The Charitable Projects Committee’s main function is to raise funds to be donated to local Houston area charities. The committee also supports the Houston Fire Department and promotes fire prevention in local schools. Throughout the year the committee organizes and hosts many memorable functions including One Pot Cook Off, Charity Benefit Crawfish Boil, Charity Bowling tournament, and the Fire Poster Contest. New committee members with a heart for charity and an enthusiastic attitude are always a welcome addition!

The Committee selected three charities to receive funds from this year’s charitable activities. The organizations are: Literacy Now, Big Love Cancer Care, & Dream Catcher Stables . The committees are determined to find creative ways to hold successful events to benefit these outstanding and deserving organizations.

MEETING

WHEN: Monthly @ 8:30 AM

WHERE: IIAH Offices 3 rd Floor Conference Room

EMAIL: ayla@iiah.org

3RD EDITION

Charity Crawfish Boil

IIAH GIVES BACK 30

02 COMMITTEE SPOTLIGHT

UPCOMING EVENTS

ANNUAL SPONSORS & BOARD

CHARITABLE BENEFACTOR

AFFILIATE SPOTLIGHT 14 CHAIRMAN MESSAGE

HAVE YOU HEARD

UPCOMING VOLUTEER PROJECTS

MAY 16 th

JUN 6 th

JUL 13 th

ELITExas-IIAH Happy Hour

Spring Golf Classic

Out of this World Charity Bowl

Centennial Events

Centennial

Centennial

Centennial Gala

COMMITTEES

are what breaths life into our association. With 9 active committees there are at least 100 people actively serving the association with their unique skills. We are always looking to put your skills to use, to further drive the association’s mission forward. No matter what your skills are, or what you are passionate about, we likely have something of interest to you. The end result is to better the industry we all serve. Join a Committee today and become part of the mission.

2023 - 2024

Charitable Projects/ Fire Poster

Vice Chairman: Sarah Beck

Education, I.T., CE

Chairman: Michelle Dennis

Vice Chairman: Katrina Masek

Houston Insurance Day

Chairman: Ashley Giglio

Vice Chairman: Nancy Euginio

Vice Chairman: Matt Romano

Legislative

Chairman: Kyle Dean

Vice Chairman: Wes Kurtz

IMPACT

Chairman: Wes Kurtz

Recreation

Chairman: Amber Stevenson

Vice Chairman: Carisa Cole

Young Insurance Professionals

Chairman: Derek Pierce

Vice Chairman: Grant Pierce

PR/Media Matters

Chairman: Scott West

Social Media

Chairman: Daphne Clark

Vice Chairman: Cassie Shanks

Houston Insurance News

Chairman: Amy Weimer

Vice Chairman: Cassie Shanks

David

I can’t believe that it is already the end of April.

Where does the time go?

Thanks to all of you that were able to come and enjoy the good weather and the even better crawfish at our annual Crawfish Boil.  We raised some money for our charity partners which is what it is all about!  Thanks to all who donated items for our raffle.  It is always one of the highlights of the day along with the crawfish races.  Sorry that our last race was cancelled, seems someone threw our LIVE crawfish away and they had already boiled all of the others!!!  Ha ha   Just another reason to get in on the crawfish races early next year!

We have our annual Golf Classic coming up in June.  Please help us get to 50 teams so that we can play on two courses.  As those of you who attended last year, it is no fun to have over 40 teams on one course.  It takes forever to play and that is never fun.  So get your team signed up soon to enjoy a wonderful day of golf and networking.

As always, if there is anything that your staff at the IIAH can do to help, please let me know.  Renne, Ayla and I are here for each and every one of you.

Last but not least, our Centennial Gala is right around the corner in October.  Please get your requests for tables and tickets in to us soon so that we can plan a wonderful party for everyone to celebrate 100 years of insurance in Houston.

David Wuthrich

IIAH President & CEO

ANNUAL SPONSORS

Titanium Elite Sponsors

Imperial PFS

Burns & Wilcox, Ltd.

CRC Group

Vintage Underwriters

Brown & Riding

Platinum Partners for Excellence

RT Specialty

Texas Mutual Insurance

WSG Specialty Underwriters

Gold Patron Sponsors

Chubb

CNA Insurance Companies

Jencap

Travelers

UFG Insurance Company

WRIGHT Flood

NEW MEMBERS

Agency:

Affiliate: Horswell Insurance

Salgado Insurance

CRCL, Inc.

Adam Harris

Jason Knecht

Susan Zipperer

Jesse Sanchez

John Collado

David Wuthrich

Jason Nybakken

Tom Fitzpatrick  Chairman Chairman Elect Vice Chairman Treasurer Treasurer Elect President & CEO Past Chairman Affiliate Liaison

Ryan Beavers

Kevin Comiskey

Laurie Dempsey

Matt Leicht

William Peachey

Wes Weatherred

Record Guardian Technologies, Inc.

PPCLOAN

Commonwealth Insurance

VIVA

BOARD OF DIRECTORS STAFF

David Wuthrich

Renee Stager

Ayla Benavides

Deb McRae

Sarah Beck

Tom Fitzpatrick

Robert Oncken

Dalton Humphries

& CEO

Director

CHARITABLE BENEFACTOR

“To empower children and families through literacy and life skills.”

Literacy Now (originally known as Making It Better) was founded in 2006 with a vision to help children rise above their circumstances through tutoring, mentoring, and other services. Since its founding, our organization has grown from serving one school with 91 students to serving 2,500 children and their parents on 16 Houston and 4 Aldine ISD Title I elementary campuses and in multiple low-income community sites during the 2022-2023 school year. Literacy Now has empowered more than 24,000 children and their parents, and our impact continues to grow.

AFFILIATE SPOTLIGHT

By: Jaymee Young

PPC LOAN has provided industry leading financing options to cash flow-based businesses since 1998, and specializes in M&A transactions, equity purchases, and debt consolidation. At PPC LOAN, we pride ourselves in working in just a few select industries including independent investment advisory firms and independent insurance agencies. Most traditional lenders will prioritize asset-based lending where there is a very clear path towards collateral, but PPC LOAN was founded on the idea that cash flow-based businesses also hold a substantial amount of value. This market was severely underserved, so for the last twenty-five years our team members have become experts in lending to recurring cash flow-based businesses.

More than two decades ago, PPC LOAN became the first conventional lender to finance Allstate agencies. Since that time, we have developed programs for other captive carriers and the independent insurance market. Our team operates out of The Woodlands, TX and provides funding to agency owners across the country. Our consultative approach to the financing process creates a unique experience for each customer, and our knowledge of the industries we lend in gives us the ability to assist in long-term planning and optimizing deal structure. Below you will find a summary of our independent insurance lending program, which outlines our standard terms and areas of expertise. We’d welcome the opportunity to assist your business and are available to answer any questions. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to Travis Dibble at travis@ppcloan.com or through our main office line at 281-419-0400.

CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE

To our esteemed members,

Q1 is done and has really flown by! I hope your Spring is off to a good start with minimal allergies and a chance to enjoy some beautiful weather lately. This year’s crawfish boil was a blast and despite a bit of wind, was a perfect day to hang with colleagues of the industry.

Our 100th year continues to go strong and I want to thank those of you who have jumped in to help sponsor the event. John Collado, Tom Fitzpatrick and the rest of the Centennial committee have done a great job reaching out to continue drumming up support for the annual festivities and I look forward to continuing the celebration with all of our members.

Registration is available now for the ELITexas YIP’s Happy Hour on May 16th over at Ducky McSweeney’s for the young and young-at-heart. The YIPs know how to put on a great event, so I hope to see you all there. Of course, we also have registration up for the June 6th IIAH Golf Classic at Black Horse Country Club, so get your teams together for what is always a fun time.

Wishing you all the best as we continue to work through the insurance market and keep our sanity in place! Come join us at an event or two to share your war stories.

Thanks for all you do to support the organization!

The 32nd Annual Charity Benefit Crawfish Boil, held on April 6, 2024, at the Powder Keg, brought together over 200 insurance professionals for an afternoon of camaraderie, delicious food, and most importantly, giving back to the community.

One of the most anticipated aspects of the event was undoubtedly the crawfish provided by Clutch City Crawfish. Renowned for their freshness and flavor, the crawfish did not disappoint. Attendees were treated to a feast of these delectable crustaceans, cooked to perfection, and generously served.

However, the true heart of the Charity Benefit Crawfish Boil lies in its mission to support charitable organizations. This year, the event proudly partnered with three deserving charities: B.I.G Love Cancer Care, Dreamcatchers Stables, and Literacy Now. These organizations work tirelessly to make a positive impact in the community and IIAH is proud to support their efforts.

Thanks to the generosity of attendees and sponsors, the event successfully raised $5,000 for these charities. This significant contribution will enable the partner organizations to continue their vital work, providing support to cancer patients and their families, therapeutic horseback riding for individuals with disabilities, and promoting literacy among youth.

In addition to the sumptuous food and meaningful cause, the Charity Benefit Crawfish Boil also featured a variety of entertainment options. Attendees were thrilled to participate in crawfish races, adding an element of excitement and friendly competition. Raffle tickets were sold for coveted prizes, with all proceeds going towards the charitable beneficiaries.

The 32nd IIAH Charity Benefit Crawfish Boil serves as a shining example of how a community can come together to create positive change, one crawfish at a time.  A HUGE thank you to all of our members, sponsors, the generous donations for our raffle and our volunteers for making this event a resounding success.

On March 25, 2024, at Las Colinas Country Club in Irving, Texas, the Hotchkiss Helps 2024 Charity Golf Tournament brought together a day of golf, camaraderie, and support for our true heroes! The tournament proudly backed Operation Finally Home, an organization dedicated to providing mortgage-free homes, home modifications, and transitional housing to wounded, ill, and injured military veterans, first responders, and their families. Together, amidst the scenic greens, Hotchkiss Helps raised over $100,000 for this cause!

Founded in 2005 by a Texas home builder, an industry Hotchkiss Helps is honored to be a part of, Operation Finally Home is a non-partisan/non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. To date, they have completed over 389 home projects in more than 33 states, honoring the service and sacrifice of our heroes. By partnering with corporate sponsors, builders, remodelers, and volunteers, Operation Finally Home addresses one of the most pressing needs of our veterans and first responders—a safe place to call home.

By: Regan Ellmer

I know many of our IIAT members don’t sell many (or any) TWIA policies, but for those who do, this edition of ‘IMPACT in the Know’ will put a smile on your face (again).

First – what is TWIA? TWIA stands for Texas Windstorm Insurance Association, the carrier of last resort for coastal Texans who can’t otherwise get wind and hail insurance. Their coverage map includes 100% of each of the 13 counties bordering the Gulf of Mexico and part of Harris County bordering Galveston Bay.

The Texas Legislature sets TWIA’s parameters, and the Texas Department of Insurance selects board members who make the bulk of the “day-to-day” decisions. One of those board decisions is setting the commission percentage for insurance agents selling TWIA policies. Currently, insurance agents earn 16% for both new and renewal business.

Over the last two or three years, one of the TWIA board members urged other board members to join him in voting to lower agent commissions. His first attempt spurred the board to pass a measure whereby TWIA staff would complete a commission comparison. TWIA’s internal research concluded their 16% commission was in-line with other carriers.

Even after that research, one board member still insisted that commissions were too high. This spurred the board to conduct an external audit of the amount of time it takes an agent to sell a TWIA policy versus other garden-variety types of policies. This outside vendor concluded that the workload is about the same, except that selling a TWIA policy requires an agent to take a few extra steps (flood plain maps, building standards, declinations).

Agent commissions were again on the agenda at the December 2023 board meeting. Armed with the TWIA study on commissions, the external audit on workload, and our own research on agent commissions, we approached members of the Texas Legislature to support IIAT’s position that agent commissions should not be lowered.

Before the December 2023 meeting, State Representatives Mary Ann Perez and Ed Thompson, who are insurance agents and sell a hefty amount of TWIA, jointly penned a letter asking the board to take no action on agent commissions. State Representative Tom Oliverson, who chairs the House Insurance Committee (which has TWIA oversight), wrote a similar letter. Both Mary Ann Perez and Ed Thompson also testified during the meeting.

Ultimately, only one board member, the gentleman who originally suggested it, voted to lower agent commissions. This was a huge win for agents.

Our strong relationship with all three legislators started with an IMPACT contribution to their campaigns. Without IMPACT, who knows what our relationship would be? However, because of IMPACT, we were able to block a change that would have been detrimental to all agents who sell TWIA.

Thank you so much to everyone who volunteered and helped us put together fun Easter Baskets for the 72 families at MD Anderson. We are so grateful to partner with BIG Love Cancer Care. This is always such a wonderful way to give back. We’ll see you at the next one! Thanks so much to Pathfinder/LL&D Insurance Group for hosting.

Independent Insurance Agents of Texas

COVERAGE SPOTLIGHT

By: Trava Security

Artificial intelligence (AI) holds a multifaceted role in the world of cybersecurity. It’s a tool that promises significant benefits, including improved threat detection, enhanced malware identification, and efficient vulnerability assessment. However, it also brings complexities and considerations. In this blog post, we’ll explore the dual nature of AI in cybersecurity, recognizing both its advantages and the need for careful consideration.

The Positive Impact of AI in Cybersecurity

Advanced Threat Detection

AI, driven by machine learning and deep learning, excels at analyzing vast data sets quickly. This enables the identification of patterns and anomalies that may signal potential security threats or intrusions. The result is faster and more precise threat detection, ultimately reducing the risk of security breaches.

Effective Malware Detection

The ever-present threat of malware finds a formidable adversary in AI-based algorithms. These algorithms can be trained to detect and classify malware based on behavior, characteristics, or signatures. Whether it’s analyzing code samples, scrutinizing network traffic, or observing system behavior, AI aids in identifying known malware and even detecting previously unseen or zero-day attacks, thus bolstering defenses against evolving threats.

Efficient Vulnerability Assessment

AI streamlines the process of identifying vulnerabilities in systems and applications. By examining code, configurations, and security patches, machine learning algorithms automate vulnerability scanning. They also prioritize high-risk vulnerabilities and recommend appropriate patches or remediation actions, reducing the window of exposure and minimizing the potential for exploitation.

Balancing the Use of AI in Cybersecurity Automation and Speed

AI’s automation capabilities are valuable, but they should complement human decision-making rather than replace it entirely. Striking the right balance ensures that security teams can leverage AI’s speed and accuracy while maintaining human oversight and judgment.

Enhanced Accuracy and Scalability

AI’s ability to analyze vast datasets is a strength but also requires vigilance. Inaccurate data or biased algorithms can lead to errors. Ongoing monitoring and adjustments are essential to maintain AI’s effectiveness and fairness.

Future Readiness

AI’s adaptability to evolving threats is advantageous, but it also raises concerns. It’s essential for organizations to anticipate the potential for AI-driven attacks and consider the ethical implications of using AI in cybersecurity.

In the realm of cybersecurity, AI is a versatile tool that brings both promise and complexity. Its advantages in threat detection, malware identification, and vulnerability assessment are undeniable. However, organizations must navigate the challenges and ethical considerations that come with its use. Striking a harmonious balance between leveraging AI’s benefits and addressing its potential risks is vital to maintaining a secure digital landscape. As AI continues to evolve, it remains an indispensable ally in safeguarding digital assets effectively.

WHO HAS... THE LAST WORD

Tom Fitzpatrick

Where do you work?

Chubb

What sound do you love?

My family coming through the front door.

If you could paint a picture of any scenery, you’ve seen before, what would you paint?

Sunset on Smith Lake, Alabama

What was the first thing you bought with your own money?

Records (they’re round things that spin around on a device called a record player for listening to music….)

If you could choose to stay a certain age forever, what age would it be?

35

What did you do growing up that got you into trouble?

What is your pet peeve in traffic?

Too many to name but if I had to pick two I’d go with staring at your phone instead of moving when the light turns green and driving slowly in the left lane.

Do you have any hidden talents?

If so they’re so hidden that even I don’t know about them.

What is your favorite flavor of jellybeans?

Don’t know if red qualifies as a flavor but that’s my answer.

What is your LEAST favorite electronic device?

There are definitely times when I wish I could get rid of my cell phone.

What is the longest car trip you have ever taken?

Artesia, New Mexico to Kennebunkport, Maine

Can vegetarians eat animal crackers?

Absolutely.

Ninjas or pirates?

Ninjas

What is something you learned in the last week?

That cell phone towers are disguised as cacti in Arizona (just got back from a meeting in Tucson..)

Weirdest thing you have ever eaten?

Picking up bad habits from my 5 older siblings! Pigs’ ears

What was your favorite childhood television program? Are you a collector of anything?

Seriously dating myself but let’s go with MASH, Happy Days & the Jeffersons!

Not sure it qualifies as a collection but I have a lot of books.

At a movie theater, which arm rest is yours?

Both.