If there was a single person opposed to the possible union ofNAPSLO and AAMGA, you certainly didn’t hear from them Tuesdaymorning in Fort Lauderdale.

At a Town Hall meeting hosted during NAPSLO’s Mid-YearLeadership Forum at the Marriott Resort in Harbor Beach, leadersrepresenting the two largest professional surplus linesorganizations spent 90 minutes laying out their strategy for thecoming months — including the timeline for the approval vote,details on which annual events would still take place (and when)should the merger come to pass, and a long list of additionaldetails sorted out after months of due diligence by the mergercommittee.

NAPSLO President Dave Leonard; AAMGA President Ed Levy; HankHaldeman, NAPSLO past president and chairman of the AAMGA-NAPSLOMerger Committee; AAMGA Treasurer Bobby Owens, vice chairman of theAAMGA-NAPSLO Merger Committee; and NAPSLO Executive Director BradyKelley took the dais to outline the greater purpose and finerpoints of the proposed new organization, which, should AAMGA andNAPSLO members vote to join forces, will createWSIA — the Wholesale & Specialty InsuranceAssociation.

In anticipation of the vote, a web site offering information onthe merger and an accompanying video launched today at www.wsia.org. Also on thesite for members to review is a draft Letter of Intent, whichoutlines the basic structure of the proposed merger; key elementsof the merged organization; and an outline for how the merger willbe considered, voted upon and implemented.

The AAMGA’s board of directors approved the draft Letter ofIntent on Feb. 10, and NAPSLO’s board of directors approved it onMarch 5. A final proposal will be subject to final approval by bothboards in mid-April.

In June, the full proposal would be put to a vote by bothorganizations. Should members of both organizations vote in favorof it, on or about Aug. 1 the merger could be completed.

General consensus: It’s time

“It’s time for this to occur,” Levy said to those who gatheredTuesday morning to learn more about the proposed merger. It was asentiment openly shared by many in attendance at the town hall,which also provided repeated opportunities for questions.

Both organizations invested $75,000 to support the work and duediligence in studying the risks, benefits and pure feasibility of aunion, news of which first broke last October.Recommendations were made to the boards of both organizations, witheach maintaining independent authority regarding the advancement ofa merger proposal.

In addition to Haldeman and Owens, the merger committee includesHarry Johnson of Johnson & Johnson Inc.; Corinne Jones ofAmWINS Access; Mark Maucere of Arlington/Roe; CRC Wholesale Group’sDave Obenauer; Jacque Schaendorf of Insurance House; KathySchroeder of Sierra Specialty Insurance Services; and WesternWorld’s Gary Tiepelman.

NAPSLO president Leonard praised the spirit of collaborationamong the members of the merger committee, which has seen to themyriad details of creating a rebranded group of E&Sprofessionals that he said most effectively represents theinterests and shared missions of both organizations.

Haldeman, who has led these efforts, made a point of noting thatthe committee has reached all of its conclusions andrecommendations, without exception, throughconsensus — with every vote unanimous and withoutabstention.

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Benefits to members

Among the benefits outlined to members: a single, rebrandedorganization with renewed energy and purpose; a simplified menu ofprograms and services; a larger, unified voice in its legislativeand regulatory advocacy; cost savings gained by combining themanagement of the two separate organizations; synergy in committeeand volunteer work; and refinement of existing networkingevents.

The latter point is one that will require further attention bythe committee with regard to location planning, but NAPSLO’s annualconvention this year will still take place from Sept. 10-13 in SanDiego (and will be rebranded as the first true WSIA event, shouldthe merger happen). Going forward, however, if the merger isapproved, some changes are in store from an events perspective.

NAPSLO’s annual fall convention that currentlyvacillates between Atlanta and San Diego (which would now be knownas the “Annual Marketplace,” under WSIA branding) will still beheld in venues booked through 2023. However, the annual businessmeeting, including the election of directors and officers, wouldmove to a combined event held earlier in the year that would beknown as the WSIA Spring Summit — a combination ofAAMGA’s Annual Meeting and the NAPSLO Mid-Year Leadership Forum.That event would be held in late February/early March.

Further hybridization of the two groups’ annual events wouldinclude a February Automation Conference; a Committee Day, to beheld in May; a Legislative Fly-In, in late April/early May; andconsolidated London Meetings in April.

The two organizations’ education programs would be similarlyconsolidated under the WSIA banner, but would offer a morecomprehensive slate of offerings than ever before. Where AAMGA’sprograms could be considered more technically oriented, withemphasis on underwriting, coverage analysis and market awareness,NAPSLO’s is more broadly career-focused, with attention to everystep in professional development. The combined educationalcurricula would be overseen by WSIA professionals — manyof whom already contribute to the educational efforts of bothNAPSLO and AAMGA, Levy noted.

A revised dues structure and renewal projections are in process.AAMGA’s 2016-2017 dues totaled $1.2 million, while NAPSLO’s dueswere $1.6 million. While the committee is considering options fortransitioning dues over time, 2017-2018 dues will be billed by eachorganization along existing dues structures.

“Dues parity is of importance to us,” said AAMGA treasurerOwens.

4 categories of WSIA membership proposed

During Q&A sessions throughout the town hall, more than onemember praised the idea of the merger as a “no-brainer.” It wasnoted that 76 percent of AAMGA’s 437 members are also NAPSLOmembers, and of NAPSLO’s 701 members, 48 percent are also membersof AAMGA.

Under the merger, all current members and their voting rightswill be grandfathered. Four categories of WSIA membership areproposed: U.S. wholesale members, U.S. insurance market members,associate members, and service members.

In conversation with PC360.com, Kelley praised the work of Haldeman, whomhe called the right choice for the task of leading the mergercommittee and who has been engaged in all facets of its mission.“We were very fortunate that he was willing to lead the charge,”Kelley added.

NAPSLO’s executive director also noted that the merger providesadditional leverage to its ongoing legislative efforts inWashington. AAMGA’s and NAPSLO’s interests, he said, “are 100percent aligned on legislative policies and positions.”

“I think the time is right,” Levy told PC360. “There are no egosinvolved, because everyone’s trying to do the right thing for bothorganizations. We need to continue to be transparent, andcommunicate and share our message.

“While I feel very comfortable the measure will pass,” he added,“We still have a lot of work to do.”