Community Relations

Consumers want to place their business with companies that care. Here’s why your agency should be visible and vocal about community involvement.

Born and raised on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, Courtney Jacobs began her career as a financial adviser.

Throughout his career, Elliott has played a pivotal role in the Big “I” community at both the state and national levels—from chairing the Young Agents of Kansas (YAK) and the national Young Agents Committee (YAC) to championing political advocacy in his current role as chair of the state government affairs committee.

“We need to encourage other young professionals to get into the industry and understand that it has a lot of opportunities,” says young agent Lucas Anderson. “I had the privilege of being born into it, there are a lot of people who fall backwards into it, but we need to turn it into an industry…

“My favorite part about being an agent is empowering people and letting them know that they don’t have to do this alone,” says young agent Kendra Garrett. “That empowers me when I know I’ve positively affected somebody’s life, especially when it comes to their finances.”

Elliott has been a driving force in the Big “I” community on both the state and national level, from chairing the Young Agents of Kansas (YAK) and national Young Agents Committee (YAC) to championing political advocacy in his current role as chair of the state government affairs committee.

Embedding community service into your company culture provides multiple touchpoints throughout the year to energize employees and live your values.

Gonyo has worked every role in an independent agency—from working the front desk to producing—before starting her own agency at 32 years old with “minimal money in a tiny little office,” she says. Today, Blue Line Insurance has four branches and 15 employees, 14 of whom are women.

Move beyond just sending out an occasional announcement and crossing your fingers—use these strategies to boost your reputation.