Agency Operations

New Big “I” Chairman Tom Minkler believes independent agents need to tread new ground in order to thrive. And for him, that’s nothing new.

As I packed up my office on October 26, 2012, I felt confident and prepared. Sandy was looming offshore and the forecast did not look good, but we had been through hurricanes before. I quickly learned that I was still not prepared.

At the heart of America’s longest-running game show “The Price is Right®” is a deceptively simple question: “What’s it worth?” If the answer was easy, the show would not have lasted 41 years. And a similar but far less entertaining contest rages among a v

It doesn’t seem possible my term as your chairman is winding down. The time has gone by so fast—but we have accomplished a lot of things that make us a better association than we were almost one year ago.

Each year, thousands of individuals become ill while employed or are injured on the job. In such circumstances, an employee may be entitled to workers compensation benefits as provided by federal and state law. And that means almost all businesses need ad

More agencies are providing value to customers by bulking up on the services they offer. A recent survey by Reagan Consulting indicates that not only is the number of agencies offering value-added services increasing, but so is their growth rate.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is warning Americans to brace for another active hurricane season along the Atlantic coast. In NOAA’s outlook for the hurricane season, forecasters predict above-average activity with 13 to 20 named stor

As I write this, my 11th Chairman’s Voice article, I am reminded just how fast this year has gone and how much I value those with whom I have had the pleasure of working on a regular basis at the Big “I” and what they mean to us as members.

Technology provides solutions for better and faster service. It also makes communicating with clients easier. But sometimes, technology makes communicating with customers too easy—and too easy to forget about the need to document communication.

August Felker doesn’t consider himself a book balancing believer. “Honestly, we don’t look at it that way,” says the CEO of The Murphy Insurance Group, a six-location firm based in Madison, Wis. “We look at each type of business differently, and we have d