One of the things I've learned from being a lifelong resident of the great state of Louisiana has been the importance of community. Every state in the nation values it, but when you live below sea level in the path of periodic killer hurricanes, the bonds between neighbors grow even stronger in the face of adversity—no matter where that is.

As professional insurance agents, we compete with each other but are drawn together by common purposes. We need more markets. We need to partner with quality carriers. We want to be sure that legislation and regulation doesn't hurt our agencies, or give our direct-writer competitors an unfair advantage. We have an obligation to our communities to protect them.

Every decade or so, consulting firms predict the demise of the independent agency distribution system. Most recently, McKinsey proclaimed “the end of an era for the local insurance agent.” But such attempts by our competitors to sound the death knell for independent agents never succeed, because customers continue to value what we provide.

PIA conducted research in conjunction with our agency-company council, The PIA Partnership, on the preferences of personal lines insurance customers nationwide. The findings showed that we provide what these customers want. PIA is conducting similar research into the preferences of small- and midsize-commercial insurance customers, with results slated for release in 2015.

The continuing success of the agency distribution system comes down to one word: local. While banking is conducted globally because currency is fungible and can be traded around the world at a keystroke, insurance will always be local, because all insured risk is local. That's another reason why people will always value their local insurance agents.

Being a professional insurance agent is a noble calling. It is one in which we can make a good living helping our neighbors protect their property, their assets and their lives. It doesn't get any better than that.

So as I humbly but proudly accept the baton of the national PIA presidency, having been chosen by my peers to serve PIA and our profession for the next year, I find inspiration and perspective from a quote by Pope Francis: “Being elected is not a reward or honor, but a call to service.” Amen to that!