Agency Operations

Building an independent insurance agency requires not just tenacity and carrier contacts, but the mindset that you’re steadfastly committed to the journey.

On this episode of Agency Nation Radio, Jill Roth, executive vice president of Ahart Frinzi and Smith hosts a conversation with Louise “BeBe” Canter, former Big “I” president, senior vice president at USI Insurance Services, and a Woodworth Memorial Award Winner, and Angela Ripely, current Big ‘I’ chair and president of VW Brown Insurance. 

Relationships will always remain the heart of the insurance business. But in today’s environment, the agencies that combine strong relationships with operational efficiency will be the ones best positioned to grow.

If insurers have better visibility into whether home devices are active and functioning, they could intervene early, resolve installation or connectivity issues and ensure credits reflect genuine mitigation.

An agency has a book of medium and large-sized commercial accounts with stable cash flow. Currently, they work with two premium finance companies and are considering handling it inside the agency in a designated department with an accounting team. What are the pros and cons of an insurance agency setting up and running its own…

As organizations move beyond experimentation, AI is beginning to reshape the underlying workflows that power insurance operations. The shift is less about adding another tool to the stack and more about fundamentally rewiring how work gets done across the industry.

On this episode of Agency Nation Radio, we meet Marissa Winkelman, managing partner of Webb + Winkelman in Grove, Oklahoma.  Winkelman entered the insurance industry in 2012 as a receptionist at Webb Insurance and quickly realized the role wasn’t the right fit. After transitioning to a back-office position, she focused on learning the business and working her way up.   By 2023, Winkelman became a…

For agency owners contemplating perpetuation, a sale or simply benchmarking their business value, understanding the four trends is critical for business planning.

Summer Cole’s insurance career began in 2003 in the commercial department of a local independent insurance agency, where she quickly fell in love with the industry. Like many in agency roles, she wore multiple hats, gaining hands-on experience in all aspects of agency operations.