Building in brick

"I got started in the business when I was in college," she said. "At the time, my mom worked for an independent insurance agency, and my dad was a branch manager for a regional company. I always said I wouldn't go into insurance as that was all they talked about."

But Frank changed her mind after she began to work part-time at her mother's agency while attending a local college. "I got hooked on a paycheck and I really started to enjoy the business," she said.

After graduation, Frank applied for a full-time position at a different independent insurance agency working in personal lines. She obtained her license at that agency.

When Donald Frank bought Tri County in 1988, the agency only had a few carriers, less employees and no producers. Today, Tri County has 14 carriers, 9 employees (7 full-time workers and 2 part-timers) and producers. The longest employee has served Tri County for 16 years, and the average for the others is now 8 years. Frank explained that even though they are business associates, Tri County employees also are friends, and she believes that is why they work well together and are successful as an agency.

Tri County's top carriers include Selective Insurance Co., Harleysville Insurance Co., Farmers Insurance Co. of Flemington and Palisades Insurance Co. The agency's volume has tripled over the years, making it around $4.9 million.

"We were slightly over that when the recession hit. We write a lot of contractors, so that has impacted our volume," Frank said.

The agency writes 55 percent commercial and 45 percent personal lines business. It also writes for coastal homeowners because two carriers Tri County represents specialize in coastal business.

Frank runs the office from commercial lines new business, renewals and some accounting reconciliation to obtaining supplies for the office. "I put in about 55-plus hours a week," she said.

The number does not seem surprising because Tri County provides regular hours Monday through Friday, including weekend and evening hours available by appointment. It also offers a 24/7 emergency claim/customer service contact number service for customers.

"Price is price," said Frank, "so we try to be there for our clients as much as possible."

The agency runs on Applied System's TAM automation system, and Tri County also is focused on going paperless, communicating with its clients via e-mail instead of traditional mail. The agency recently updated its Web site and also has a presence on Facebook.

Tri County acquired additional carriers that provide competitive pricing in the New Jersey area to be more competitive in the industry. A range of the agency's business comes from coastal areas, so an emphasis on working with carriers that specialize in this coverage gives the agency an edge in the region. Tri County wrote with Proformance Insurance Co., an agent-owned company that wrote personal and commercial business, along with coastal, for 10 years, and when Proformance was purchased by another New Jersey carrier, the new company provided Tri County with a different carrier to enhance the coastal business. Tri County trusts that it is an important market for the agency, and it strives to preserve the coastal business. "Now we have a nice competitive market for coastal homeowners. We constantly keep up with our carriers to make sure we are competitive on pricing and coverage's in this market place," Frank said.

In 2003, the New Jersey legislature passed the state's long overdue auto reform, which opened the door for more insurers to write coverage in the state. Tri County jumped at the opportunity and hired an employee specifically for quoting personal line's new accounts. Frank claimed that she believed it would be more beneficial to have one person focus on quoting and writing without interruption from general customer service and day to day procedures. She was right. The agency added two new auto markets and began to actively promote auto coverage.

Regarding the ongoing soft market, Tri County is still in control. Client retention is more than 90 percent, and the agency concentrates on providing service and account rounding. According to Frank, Tri County focuses on personal lines at this time to balance the soft commercial lines premiums.

To stay on track with others in the industry, Tri County uses the IIABA Best Practices study regularly. "Sometimes I may think our office is paying too much in producer commissions, but then I look at the Best Practices study, and I see I am really in line," Frank said. "We have really analyzed our expenses this past year with the weakened economy, and feel we are right on track with our fellow peers. I think the Best Practices study is a valuable tool to let you know that you are on track; that you are doing the same if not better than your peers."

Back in 1990, Frank became involved with the Independent Agents & Brokers of New Jersey, and brought those experiences and opportunities to her agency. She recently was chairman of IIABNJ, and conveyed value to herself and her office. "We continue to grow every year," she said. Frank is also active with the community, and is involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ocean County, Brick Lions Club and Brick Chamber of Commerce. Tri County continues to advertise in local newspapers and radio, along with having attended a few Chamber Expo events to promote the agency. "We just try to convey to our clients that we understand the declining economy," Frank said. "We are here to help them as best we can."

To learn more about Tri County and its services, log onto its Web site at www.tri-countyinsurance.com.