"I almost left the industry out of frustration," says young agent Jeb Blazevich. "I was fed up with our healthcare system and lack of transparency, but I started strategizing ways to simultaneously serve my clients’ budgets and the well-being of their employees."
Jeb Blazevich
Client Advisor
Atlanta
Age: 27
Go-to drink order: Cream with a little coffee—or bourbon on the rocks
Desired superpower: Teleportation
Favorite candy: Not a candy guy
Why did you choose insurance as a career?
When I was recruited to play football at the University of Georgia, I had no idea what I wanted to study—I just knew I wanted to do something in business. My adviser suggested exploring the risk management insurance program, but I didn't pick it as a career until I worked in account management for several years.
I almost left the industry out of frustration. I was fed up with our healthcare system and lack of transparency, but I started strategizing ways to simultaneously serve my clients' budgets and the well-being of their employees. That was when I chose insurance as a career because I felt like I could tie my values to my professional work.
Biggest health insurance challenges?
Trying to find workarounds. There is no transparency and the high costs of pharmacy claims are ever-increasing. If we had more transparency in our healthcare system, it would solve a lot of problems.
Pros and cons of multiple generations in the workplace?
The gray wave is here. I saw that as an advantage: To be a young guy in an older game. I can learn from those more senior in the industry and relate to people across different generations in the workforce. As long as you have respectful, open-minded people willing to improve their craft, there is no con to having too many perspectives in the room.
Work-life balance?
I've learned to protect the weekends and hold boundaries where possible. The hard part about producing is, theoretically, if it's revenue-generating work, I want to work nights and weekends because that means more money and opportunities for my wife and me. I've recently implemented Tuesday date night with my wife, so if I need to work late any other night, we know we have Tuesdays to look forward to. And weekend work is just for emergencies—thankfully, those are few and far between.
Role model or mentor?
I want to give a special shout-out to one of the partner producers at our firm, Laura Delavan. She's gifted at mentorship and has done a tremendous job. Everyone on the Sterling Seacrest Pritchard team has mentored me in some way. There is something you can gather from everyone you come into contact with, whether it's an account manager, somebody new, or the more seasoned producers. The industry has an absolute wealth of knowledge, and we'll serve our clients best by taking in as much of that as possible.
AnneMarie McPherson Spears is IA news editor.
