President's Message

THE FRUITS OF OUR LABOR

Often, we become so ingrained in our day-to-day work that we fail to see the results of that work. However, this month’s Primary Agent epitomizes what IA&B and our Board of Directors have been working so hard on.

First, you will get to meet Ryan Houseknecht, a start-from-scratch agency owner. We’ve been told for many years that the independent agent is going the way of the horse-and-buggy – obsolete in the near future. We couldn’t disagree more, and Ryan is a prime example. He saw an opportunity to start an agency, and he quickly ran with that opportunity. The most rewarding part for us? Ryan credits some of his success to IA&B, stating “[w]ith support from IA&B, I was able to hire our first employees, apply for carrier appointments, and begin serving individuals and businesses in our community. I went from knowing almost nothing about insurance to becoming proficient within a few years….”

Our recently revised Vision Statement at IA&B is simplistic in word, but difficult in nature: A thriving independent insurance agent community. We are devoting everything we have to this Vision, and reading Ryan’s interview gives us hope that it's working.

Related, we are constantly looking at ways to help our members work smarter and more efficiently. Daniel Metcalf’s article on page 15 is timely and relevant – agency automation is a must in today’s marketplace. IA&B continues to sift through the chatter to find what we feel is best aligned with our member agencies, and we’ve lined up Daniel to present at this month’s Intern Day and October’s Young Agent Conference.

Finally, we have had our first graduates from our Insuring Careers Certification Program (ICCP), and we have placed another two participants that we have recruited from outside the insurance industry into member agencies. It’s happening….

Seeing fruit from your labor is rewarding and invigorating. The IA&B staff is going to carry this momentum forward, all to your benefit.

Onward and upward,Jason F. Ernest President & CEO