Agency Profile: Culture of Innovation

Ansay & Associates

Port Washington, Wisconsin
Founded: 1946
Employees: 202

Whether it’s branding, prospecting, company culture, employee road shows or job titles, Ansay & Associates is dialed in on the word “innovation.”

The second-generation family firm expects to book $30 million in revenue in 2015, with 60% in commercial lines, 20% in personal lines and 20% in benefits. Niches and programs include municipalities, transportation, health care and schools, among others.

An “innovation team” meets weekly. New to the team are Chairman & CEO Mike Ansay’s daughter Rachel, who uses her ad agency experience to lead brand strategy, and Erik Mikkelson, who joined from the carrier side.

Ansay & Associates also innovates how it integrates its various offices around Wisconsin. A key piece is the “culture audit,” says Rachel Ansay, director of brand marketing & business development, who explains that Angela Sikowski, CFO, oversees a team that visits each branch office to assess how the building looks, how staff handles clients calls and uses branding materials and more. “We want to make sure everybody is communicating the Ansay Way,” she says. “It’s about doing things right.”

Mikkelson, vice president of strategic relationships and innovation, joined the agency earlier in 2015 from an underwriting position at ACUITY. He says he worked with many agencies throughout country and none have had Ansay’s consistency amongst offices in look and feel. “It’s very specific to even to desk furniture, conference room tables, the type of chairs in waiting areas, the color of the carpet and walls, the artwork,” he says. “When the Ansay team goes out to do the audits, they’re looking for specific things. It’s very unique.”

Mike Ansay says the culture goes back to his father, who lived through the Great Depression and started the agency with a strong work ethic. The culture audit makes things consistent, he says. But at the end of the day, “it’s still about performance,” he says. “I have a high expectation of work in this company—doing things right on behalf of the customer. It’s a family model of accountability.”

RACHEL ANSAY, DIRECTOR OF BRAND MARKETING & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

The Ansay Way has always been a part of my life. It’s about taking care of the customer and being compassionate. I joined Ansay after working on travel accounts in an advertising firm in Milwaukee. Insurance marketing is different. It has become more about the experience than the visual, and it’s more challenging to tell people about experience. In order for us to communicate the Ansay Way experience to others, we team up with our current clients and have them give their side of the story. We highlight those testimonials through our radio ads and website videos.

MIKE ANSAY, CHAIRMAN & CEO

The Ansay Way is to be relevant 24/7/365 to customers. Relevancy today is completely different than it was 10 years ago. It’s driven by technology. It’s products and people and politics. Two cornerstones in our growth and sustainability are Tom Schaetz, president & COO, who leads our strategic mergers and acquisitions, and Angela Sikowski, CFO—our backroom financial brain whose financial models allow us to be successful. My employees are the future. Unless I continue to grow, innovate and drive—unless I keep challenging them to be more creative—I’m not giving them a future. It’s the discipline of continuing to invest beyond yourself for the benefit of others.

ERIK MIKKELSON, VICE PRESIDENT OF STRATEGIC RELATIONSHIPS AND INNOVATION

Multiple industries have embraced technology to change their business models. We fully expect the insurance industry to follow—it already is. We want to be on the forefront, working with our innovation team and marketing ourselves as one of the leaders when it comes to branding. My carrier background gives me some structure and an analytical approach to innovation in customer and prospect marketing. For example, our call center focuses on commercial niches, includes each of our nine locations and sets up producer appointments. I like the sense of urgency on the agency side—it’s all about now. It’s real time.