For the ninth-consecutive year, National Underwriter has named a “Commercial Insurance Agency of the Year,” along with winners in four additional categories. The winners and finalists share the secrets of their success in this week's edition.

The “Commercial Insurance Agency of the Year Award” program was launched by NU in 2002 to spotlight outstanding agencies that serve as role models for their peers.

This year, the program was expanded to include our sister publication in Summit Business Media's Property & Casualty Media Group, American Agent & Broker.

In addition, the program was reorganized to not only recognize a “Commercial Insurance Agency of the Year,” but to hand out “Commercial Agency Awards for Excellence” in four categories: Sales & Marketing, Customer Service, Technology & Operations, as well as Recruitment & Training.

The 2010 “Commercial Insurance Agency of the Year” award goes to Denver-based IMA Financial Group, which also earned two “Commercial Agency Awards for Excellence”–for sales and marketing, as well as for customer service.

The Eagan Insurance Agency Inc., based in Metairie, La., earned the other two “Commercial Agency Awards for Excellence”–for technology and operations, as well as for recruitment and training.

In addition, three other agency finalists deserve a share of the spotlight for their submissions. This top-notch trio were focused on the future, providing robust recruitment and retention programs and emphasizing “high-tech, high-touch” efforts to craft individualized service for their clients.

The other three finalists being spotlighted are:

o AH&T Insurance of Leesburg, Va. (AH&T was also the “Champion” in the 2009 NU P&C Agency Technology Achievement Award program. See http://bit.ly/bQ6PYM to see how they achieved that distinction.)

o Hugh Cotton Insurance Agency, based in Orlando, Fla.

o Lapre Scali & Company, in Scottsdale, Ariz.

The winners and finalists are profiled in the Oct. 4 edition of NU and the upcoming November issue of AA&B.

In addition, all five finalists took part in a virtual Roundtable on “The State of the Independent Agent,” with highlights to appear in the Nov. 1 edition of NU and the December issue of AA&B.

All independent agencies are welcome to enter the award program each year, describing their unique approaches and success stories. NU and AA&B editors chose five finalists, and the individual winners were determined by an outside panel of independent judges from leading insurance groups.

For more information about the 2011 award program, contact AA&B Editor Laura Toops, at ltoops@sbmedia.com.

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And The Agency Winners Are...

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