Magazine

Relationships have always been at the heart of Doris Zampella’s approach to insurance. As president of EAB Insurance Group, she has built her agency around personalized service and community ties.

The heroics tax is the compounding cost an organization pays when it relies on individual effort to compensate for broken or absent systems. Here’s how to stop paying it.

With commercial lines competition intensifying, the onus is on independent agents to present the best picture of a client’s risk.

Commercial operations and financial operations aren’t two separate functions. They’re one system that most agencies have split in half.

The gap between agency size and operational maturity is often where owners get stuck.

“Once I realized the magnitude of the opportunity I had to carry on the legacy, to carry on that opportunity of helping generations of families and businesses, it became more than just a job for me,” says Robert Strachan.

Whether you decide to perpetuate internally, foster a funded business handoff to your successors, or go with an external sale, one thing is certain: There are several key steps you’ll need to take to maximize your agency’s value.

Integrating another agency into your operations presents both tremendous opportunities and significant challenges for employees and management alike.

Technology, particularly artificial intelligence (AI) and automation, is now reshaping what it means to prepare an agency for transition.

Last year, Scott Gray was honored with the Barney Burns award at the 2025 Big “I” Legislative Conference for his dedication, passion and leadership in government advocacy for the independent insurance agency system.