Agency of the Month LOOKING FOR NEW BUSINESS Northern Michigan agency turns its sights southward By Jenny Berner When Donald Bartosh established Top O’ Michigan Insurance Agency (TOMIA) in Alpena in 1974, he clearly envisioned an agency that would provide insurance solutions to the people and businesses located in northern Michigan. Today, however, the agency has developed grander plans that include moving into areas outside the state, continuing a steady
Agency of the Month
Agency of the Month EMPLOYEE OWNED, CUSTOMER CENTRIC ESOP assures succession to include members of the 50-plus person extended family By Dennis H. Pillsbury How does Bender Insurance Solutions, Roseville, California, remain independent? That was a question that had to be answered as this Sacramento-area agency doubled in size in five years. “That made succession difficult,” according to President Maggie Bender-Johnson, CIC, MLIS, one of the representatives of the third
AGENCY OF THE MONTH CREATING CUSTOMERS FOR LIFE Alabama agency hits $6.5 million in revenue after three years By Dennis H. Pillsbury In 2015, Steve Nesbitt had just completed a great year as CEO of one of the largest agencies in the Southeast. He was 56 years old and in his 16th year as CEO of the agency. Steve explains: “Life takes unexpected turns, and leaving that agency was one
Agency of the Month A REAL MOM AND POP AGENCY … becomes a high-growth operation as son implements unstoppable growth strategy By Dennis H. Pillsbury The world didn’t come to an end in2000 as many atrabilious prognosticators opined. The Millennium Bug proved less problematic than most predicted. However, it certainly was a trying year for Dan Butler, who was downsized from a Fortune 100 company. That meant finding another line
AGENCY OF THE MONTH THE FIRST AGENCY ON MARS Zinc leads the industry’s counterculture as it creates technological ways to reach “Yes” By Dennis H. Pillsbury “Will that work on Mars?” may not seem like a question that would be asked at an insurance agency, but then there aren’t many agencies like Zinc, which under the leadership of Seth Zaremba has become an incubator for technology that revolutionizes the way
