NU Names 'Agency Of The Year'
NU Online News Service, Sept. 23, 9:00 a.m. EST, NEW ORLEANS–National Underwriter's Property & Casualty/Risk & Benefits Management Edition yesterday presented its first "NU Commercial Insurance Agency of the Year" award to Higginbotham & Associates of Fort Worth, Texas.
Higginbotham received its award here, during the opening general session of the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America annual conference.
In addition, four agencies cited for "Honorable Mention" received their plaques yesterday at a cocktail reception to honor the five finalists, sponsored by The National Underwriter Company, the parent company of National Underwriter.
The four agencies named as "Honorable Mentions" were:
? Dodge, Warren & Peters Insurance Services of Los Angeles.
? Grace Group of Little Rock, Ark.
? Insurance Management Company in Erie, Pa.
? HNI Risk Services of New Berlin, Wis.
"It was not easy picking a 'winner' from so many worthy entries," according to Sam Friedman, NU's editor-in-chief. "Everyone who entered justifiably had a lot of pride in how they help their clients survive this difficult hard market."
Mr. Friedman said that he chose the five finalists out of the pack because "they are role models for their agency colleagues. All have a very disciplined, professional approach. All are fanatical about customer service. All serve as risk managers for their clients, focusing more on loss control than on policy peddling and price shopping."
The five finalists then went before a Blue Ribbon panel of judges, including:
? Madelyn Flannagan, vice president of research and education for the IIABA, based in Alexandria, Va.
? Bobby Reagan, president and chief executive officer of Reagan & Associates, an independent Atlanta-based management consulting firm working with insurance agents, brokers and companies. Reagan & Associates developed and produces the IIABA's "Best Practices" study.
? Peggy Walker, vice president and group publisher of The National Underwriter Company in Erlanger, Ky., and publisher of NU.
"Higginbotham was chosen as the winner because they best exemplify everything a growing and successful agency must offer to excel in this competitive environment," said Mr. Friedman. "They are multi-talented–as comfortable handling employee benefits and loss control surveys as they are in placing property-casualty insurance. They are techno-savvy, making use of the Web to expand their business beyond their state line and improve service to clients. They are also true risk managers, concerned not just with the price of insurance, but with the overall cost of risk."
Mr. Friedman said that Higginbotham was also singled out because "they are driven to add more clients, products and services, motivated in large part by an Employee Stock Ownership Plan that gives everyone in the agency an incentive to improve sales, customer satisfaction, and profitability."
Mr. Friedman said that other agencies "undoubtedly will see elements of their own operations reflected in the profiles of the five finalists we published in our Sept. 23 edition. Or, better yet, their agencies might feature unique products, services or approaches that they feel put their firm in the same class or even higher as the five cited this year."
He said that "if this is the case, by all means, enter the award program next year! The 2003 competition will open shortly after the new year."
© Arc, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to TMSalesOperations@arc-network.com. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.