Declaration of Independents

By: williamjones
December 2, 2014

By: Sheryl Feminis

Alexander Dopazo, CIC

Vice President
Dopazo & Associates Insurance Services
Miami

As the son of a small business owner who emigrated from Cuba, Alex Dopazo, 36, has a connection with his agency’s commercial clients in South Florida’s multicultural milieu. And as an American born just ahead of the millennial generation, Dopazo also understands that the benefits of digital communication transcend cultural barriers.

COMMERCIAL NICHE?

By the time I joined the agency, my dad, Maximo, had taken a special interest in small business owners because he had brought his family’s clothing manufacturing business when he moved to South Florida. Economic realities had closed that business, and he became an independent agent to help other small business owners.

MULTICULTURAL EXPERIENCE?

We have amazing opportunities to see the business landscape through the eyes of clients who come from all over the world. Our own experience as small business owners lets us know who they are and what they’re going through.

COMMUNICATION?

I’m obligated to understand how clients want to communicate, and then to communicate with them in that way. Not all of them care about Facebook—but they all have smartphones!

ADVISOR ROLE?

We often find ourselves advising small commercial clients of the importance of risk management and where insurance fits in that plan. We might have a small manufacturer of Turkish bathrobes selling product to Amazon and needing to understand product liability. We provide the insurance information, and they tend to stick with us. We want to help people grow successful businesses, and we want to grow with them.

DIGITAL OUTREACH?

Most of our advertising is online. No matter what their cultural background, people love that they can fill out a form on the web and get information that way. They also love that they can request text messages for various reasons—even reminders that their premium payment is due. Contractors can take care of it from a jobsite, or salon owners can do it between customer appointments.