with art (choice for Don--either adapt a mug of Gray McCaskillfrom 10/18/04 edition--cover or page 5), or just pick up logo from10/11/04, page 14, or pick up (and blow up) billboard from10/11/04, page 15)

Senn Dunn Keeps Growing, But Carefully

2004 'NU Agency Of The Year' builds book organically rather thanvia mergers

One year after being named the "National Underwriter CommercialInsurance Agency Of The Year" for 2004, T. Gray McCaskill,president of Senn Dunn, said the philosophy on which his firm builtits success and earned its award--providing service above andbeyond the customer's expectation--remains central to the agency'sculture.

"We still feel that the independent agency system is a fabuloussystem," said Mr. McCaskill. "There will always be competition, butyou have got to keep looking and trying to make sure you arelistening, and doing, and asking your clients what theirexpectations are, and hopefully, you are exceeding thoseexpectations."

Mr. McCaskill said his Greensboro, N.C.-based agency has"continued to grow" over the past year, in terms of volume, thenumber of employees, number of offices and physical office space inSenn Dunn's home base.

"We've had tremendous growth as far as new people coming here,"he said. "To a small degree, it continues to be our field ofdreams. We continue to have all these great systems in place, andmore and more people want to have the opportunity toparticipate."

The agency has added a total of 15 people, including fourproducers, a full-time claims professional and support personnel,bringing the agency's total number of employees--producers andsupport staff--to 100.

Senn Dunn's growth prompted expansion of its physical plant thispast year. To expand its office facilities, the agency took overavailable space in the downstairs portion of its headquartersbuilding, ultimately boosting its total work space from 20,000square feet to approximately 27,000 square feet.

The agency added two new partners in the past year and hasenjoyed watching its young producers "come into their own,"according to Mr. McCaskill. The books of business of the youngerproducers have grown--and so, in turn, has the need for supportpersonnel.

Senn Dunn also added a third office--in Cary, N.C., known as theTriangle part of the state (the cities comprised of Raleigh, Durhamand Chapel Hill), outside of its predominate geographic region inthe Piedmont Triad area (a 12-county section comprised of the threemajor cities of Greensboro, High Point, and Winston-Salem).

But while Senn Dunn is eager to keep its momentum going, thefirm isn't about to rush into mergers with other agencies just toadd volume arbitrarily, despite overtures from many, noted Mr.McCaskill.

The cultural fit still needs to be right, he emphasized, notingthat one of the big reasons Senn Dunn was chosen by NU last yearwas that employees cited the agency as an outstanding place towork.

"We're always concerned about the culture," he explained. "Wewant to make sure we keep this culture synergistic. We want to keepworking together. It may sound hokey, but it works."

The softening market has had an effect on business as pricecompetition has entered the picture in a bigger way.

Some accounts inevitably moved their business over price,according to Mr. McCaskill--only to come back after realizing thatthe value-added services the agency provides were worth more thanthe dollars they saved on their premium.

For example, he cited a major account that was lost on pricethat came back to the firm within six months. The client discoveredthat the agency they moved to was not willing to provide thevalue-added support Senn Dunn had routinely offered them foryears.

"That's one of those good stories, where if you are doing theright thing, you normally get rewarded for it," he observed. "Folksare looking for value other than price. We have to be competitive,but we also have to make sure we are telling the story that, 'Hey,we are more than competitive and we are bringing somethingadditional to the table.'"

One major step taken by Senn Dunn was to become a member ofAssurex Global Partners, the Columbus, Ohio-based agencyaffiliation group with international brokerage ties.

The exclusive Assurex connection in their area gives Senn Dunnthe ability to compare notes with "the best of the best" agenciesfrom around the country and abroad--to "share and learn" more aboutwhat makes an agency successful, which will "help us grow" for thefuture, said Mr. McCaskill.

With international connections, Senn Dunn can now reach out tonew accounts with global exposures and offer more advice andservices, while capturing additional business referred throughtheir new-found agency partners, Mr. McCaskill noted.

Quotebox: (if we use is a McCaskill mug):

"We're always concerned about the culture. We want to make surewe keep this culture synergistic. We want to keep working together.It may sound hokey, but it works."

T. Gray McCaskill, President

Senn Dunn

Caption if we use the Senn Dunn logo or billboard shot:

Senn Dunn remains committed to its motto--"We'll HandleIt"--emphasizing value-added services over price competition.