From the Front Lines: Surety Bonds
Evan Swindall
Principal
Commercial Insurance Associates
Nashville, Tennessee
How did you get started at your agency?
I began my surety career at Liberty Mutual as a small to mid-commercial surety underwriter. Over a five-year period, I gained experience across a wide range of bond types—from notary and liquor bonds to large performance and payment bonds for major contractors. The surety business quickly became something I found both challenging and rewarding.
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As my book of business grew, I developed strong relationships with various agencies, learning their portfolios and understanding the types of accounts they specialized in bonding. Through those relationships and continued growth, I was fortunate to advance into my current role as surety practice leader at Commercial Insurance Associates. Since I joined in July, we’ve already grown our surety book beyond last year’s numbers and intend to continue building on that success.
Why surety bonds?
Like most people in surety, I didn’t choose this life; the bond life chose me. As the bond expert at my agency, I genuinely enjoy what I do—whether it’s discussing bonding capacity with large contractors or helping newer, growing contractors build their business through bonding.
Changes in the market?
My focus is on continually asking questions, learning how sureties view the business and understanding their ever-changing appetites for different bond types, so I can find a path to “yes” for our clients. The biggest difference in being a bond producer is that I can’t simply decline a submission; my job is to work relentlessly to find the right market and ensure it’s the perfect fit for both the client and the surety.
Future trends?
With the growing demand for artificial intelligence (AI) data centers across the U.S., I see the energy sector poised for major growth. The increased need for power generation and infrastructure to support this growth will drive significant opportunities in energy-related industries. Combined with the continued rollout of projects funded through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), there will be plenty of new bonding opportunities tied to these large-scale investments.
Advice for a fellow agent?
To understand bonds, start on the surety side and learn the business from the inside out. Sureties will teach you a tremendous amount about how they evaluate risk and knowledge that you can later use to better guide and advocate for your clients as a producer. If that’s not the route you choose, my best advice is to join National Association of Surety Bond Producers (NASBP) and attend its meetings; it’s one of the best ways to learn, connect and grow in this industry.
Olivia Overman is IA content editor.
