INSURANCE OFFICE of America is an agency that has always placed a strong emphasis on growth. Since starting out in 1988 at a single location in Florida, IOA has grown into an organization with 22 offices throughout the Southeast, the Mid-Atlantic and California, according to Bruce Berthelsen, the agency's chief operating officer. The agency ranks 49th in Business Insurance's latest survey of the nation's 100 largest agencies and brokerages. Its 2004 premium volume was over $465 million and its gross revenues exceeded $47 million, according to the survey.

To maintain growth, however, one must constantly look for opportunities. Last year, IOA decided it had spotted one in the form of golf courses and country clubs. The niche really was a natural for IOA, Berthelsen said. Most of the agency's branch offices are located in prime golf-course country, he observed, although IOA can write such risks anywhere. Golf courses and country clubs tend to make sizable accounts, he added, generating roughly $50,000 to $100,000 in annual premium, and the agency already had some on the books; all it really needed to do was bring some focus to its marketing efforts.

IOA places golf courses and country clubs with a number of carriers that have developed products for this niche, including Fireman's Fund, CNA and American International Group. As IOA began concentrating on this specialty, it developed a particularly close relationship with St. Paul Travelers, said Berthelsen, who once worked for the carrier and is on good terms with the director of its national golf program.