A student of the industry brings other students into his agency From day one at the agency, I have been a student of the insurance business,” says Ben Patterson, CIC, CRM, who joined Patterson & Associates Insurance Agency, Inc., Richardson, Texas, as its fifth employee in 1996. “I joined the agency straight out of college. It was started in 1983 by my father, Ron, and was still a relatively small
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TECHNOLOGY Why independent agents and their business partners need to support this process Imagine you went to Rocket Electronics to purchase that big screen of your dreams for a Super Bowl party, saw a row of TVs on the shelf, but were told: “You can’t buy this today; after we do a credit check I’ll call you and tell you when you can come back and pick it up.” Just
A strong dollar and low interest rates, fuel prices, and unemployment spell good news for the recreational marine business The tide has turned for the recreational boating industry. In 2016, the number of new powerboats sold in the United States increased by almost 7%, according to the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA). The organization estimates that annual sales of boats, marine products, and services in the U.S. will have grown
A new administration poses fresh challenges for D&O carriers and their insureds “Yankee, stay home!” In light of recent political developments, directors and officers of U.S. corporations might be inclined to take that imperative as good advice. The British referendum vote to leave the European Union, Donald Trump’s election as president of the United States, and the rise of nationalist political parties in Europe all share a common driver: popular
Tactical Tech Catch-up time is over; it’s time to move into the mobile app world Statistically, most of those who are reading this article have used an app on a mobile device—a smartphone or tablet. Therefore, it’s safe to say that your (and your customers’) mobile interactions with more progressive companies in banking and retail, as well as digital native companies, are conditioning you and property and casualty policyholders to
