If NAPSLO’s Next Generation initiative illustrated before thatit was committed to attracting and cultivating young talent intothe P&C insurance industry, the restructuring of the Next Gencommittee in 2016 has taken things even further.

This year, through the work of Next Generation’s leadership withthe support of NAPSLO’s executive team, the surplus linesorganization has accelerated the involvement of Next Gen members byincorporating these young professionals into high-level committees,rather than existing as its own entity.

Davis Moore, CEO of Worldwide Facilities in Los Angeles andchair of the Career Development and Next Generation Committee, saidthis restructuring process began with asking, “How can we betteralign our Next Gen group of members with NAPSLO’s committees andinitiatives?” Now, he adds, having Next Gen members integrated intomore seasoned committees not only serves as an ideal educationalopportunity for them, but also enables seasoned veterans to betterunderstand the needs of the next generation.

“We used to have a separate Next Generation board, withcorresponding layers to it,” says John T. Farrey, an attorney atEast Coast firm Burns & Farrey who co-chairs the newlyestablished Next Gen Leadership Council (NGLC) with Robert SandersJr., CPCU, ASLI President/Managing Member of Preferred SpecialtyLLC in Columbia, S.C.

“Before, you had a lot of great ideas being generated at theNext Gen level that then had to be brought to the NAPSLO board inan approval process,” Farrey says. “Now we get to work side-by-sidewith some incredibly smart people in the business. You’re sittingnext to them at a fly-in, for example. Next Gen memberscan have the opportunity to say right then, ‘What do you thinkabout this …’ and it’s a lot more streamlined.

“You really are hand-in-hand with all these people who have beenin the industry for decades, who are gracious enough to let us workwith them,” he added.

“NAPSLO is extremely supportive of us that our members beinvolved and stay involved. They want us to be a part ofwhat they’re doing, to be active participants in the work that’sbeing done,” says Sanders.

The restructuring also involved the creation of the NGLC, whichalso includes previously mentioned co-chairs Sanders and Farrey(Career Development & Next Generation Committee) as well asfellow Next Gen members Josh Ammons, who works on NAPSLO’s PACCommittee; Steve Eilers, Convention Committee; Jennifer Kessel,Internship Committee; and Melissa Mears, Education Committee.

The NGLC coordinates the efforts of Next Gen, which now includeinteractive webinars and a quarterly newsletter as well asrecruiting outreach to universities that have insurance and riskmanagement majors.

The student outreach is a key component of NAPSLO’s CareerDevelopment efforts. The Association works tirelessly to develop instudents a greater awareness of rewarding career opportunities inE&S lines. Much of that outreach is done in classrooms oncollege campuses; throughout the year, NAPSLO members present tostudents, Gamma Iota Sigma chapters and insurance symposiums tospread the word that the surplus lines industry offers challenging,dynamic professional development. Much of this work also fallsunder the mission of and is strongly supported by the Derek Hughes/NAPSLO Educational Foundation.

“Statistically, we reached out to 1,400 students in 2016,including symposiums, career fairs and college visits,” says Moore.NAPSLO’s membership benefits greatly from increasing that awarenesslevel, he adds, and those outreach efforts create a new-talentpipeline for the next generation for the surplus lines industry andfor NAPSLO’s Internship Committee (see page 14).

NAPSLO’s Next Gen has around 800 members. This group includesindividuals from NAPSLO-member firms who are under the age of 40,representing the millennial and late Gen-X set. Fifty-six of itsmembers participate on NAPSLO Committees, and Next Gen makes up 25%of NAPSLO’s Committee Members. This percentage continues to groweach year.

“I give a lot of credit to the board for allowing us to interactwith them on a consistent basis now,” adds Farrey. “It’s a greatlearning opportunity for our younger members. You can read andstudy this business all you want, but if I’m sitting next to thepeople who have helped shape the industry over the last 20 years,I’ll take that any day.”

Those attending NAPSLO in Atlanta beginning Sunday can check outthe following Next Gen-hosted events:

Sunday, September26

3:00-6:00 p.m.

"Surplus Lines Issues & Trends" andreception

Presented by Randy Jones

Panelists: Josh Ammons (AmWINS), Steve Eilers (Gen Re),and Robert Sanders, Jr. (Preferred Specialty)

Hyatt – Regency Ballroom VI – Ballroom Level

Monday, September26

2:00-3:30 p.m.

"Leading with Certainty in Uncertain Times"

Presented by Emily Huling, Selling Strategies, Inc.

Hyatt – Regency Ballroom VI – Ballroom Level

Tuesday, September27

3:00-4:00 p.m.

"Executive Panel"

Panelists:

Tom Clark (Nationwide E&S/Specialty); Dave Obenauer(CRC Wholesale Group); Bryan Sanders (Markel); JacqueSchaendorf (Insurance House)

Hyatt – Regency Ballroom VII – Ballroom Level