Declaration of Independents: Tony Ambush

Tony Ambush

President
Ambush Associates Inc.
Silver Spring, Maryland

Tony Ambush, the first and only African-American Big “I” national director, believes that while “we can’t change the injustices of our country’s ­history, we can change the future.”

Ambush says history still influences his every working day, even as he leads change. He’s a charter member of the Big “I” Diversity Task Force and a former D.C. InVEST® state champion, and he’s served on the Metro Washington Independent Insurance Agents Association board since 1998.

CHALLENGES?

African-American business people say we have to be 150% perfect to get 75–80% of results. It’s frustrating sometimes to join fellow agents at ­conferences for lunch or read about them in publications—they mention incomes I can never reach, and nine times out of 10, a photo of their staff shows not a single minority. They don’t understand they have an advantage: They can walk into any office and be considered by the prospect. When I go to a client’s office, they may be looking for a new agent, but they’re not looking for an African-American agent. That still happens every day.

Even minorities are only receptive to each other about half the time. We don’t support each other, for a variety of reasons. That needs to change.

SOLUTIONS?

We need to try harder to get the real diversity picture out there—get that information to national directors, and go into hand-to-hand combat to find minority-run agencies to assist. But there may not be enough out there to assist. African Americans represent 12–15% of the population, but we’re not accurately represented in the insurance industry. There should be more of us.

NIGHT-TIME WORRIES?

I used to be concerned about my customers leaving me for some reason other than my ability to provide superior service, or about that morning phone call that would say ‘We have a claim,’ but then I’d find out I didn’t provide the adequate coverage to cover the claim. So I changed my approach. Prospects feel the confidence and the calmness in me, and that makes a difference. They’ll say, ‘This insurance professional is not concerned about whether he writes our business or not. He’s more concerned about providing us service.’ Now I sleep well.

WHAT’S NEXT?

I’m 65 and starting to slow down psychologically. I’ll be at half speed by 70, and I’m not going to be the D.C. national director forever. I’d like to help bring more diversity to the Big ‘I.’

YOUR SAY?

I am not a big deal and want credit for nothing. But that the Big ‘I’ is 120 years old and has its first black national director as of Sept. 1, 2014—that is a big deal. I want our members to understand that.