Alabama young pro leaves captive world and starts
agency from scratch after switching career path from nursing
“[T]he more education you have, the better you can help your clients.
There wasn’t one time that I left a [CIC] class and
didn’t think to check on so-and-so’s account.”
—Torie Rinehart Nix
Principal
The Rinehart Insurance Agency
By Christopher W. Cook
In the insurance industry, certain dedicated young
professionals stand out among their peers and are members
of an elite squad of individuals. These are their stories. “Dun dun.”
When I was in my late grade school years, I wrote my first short story for fun. It was a parody of the ’80s movie Clue and even included poorly drawn No. 2 pencil illustrations. Long story short (too late), I’ve known since I was in my single digits that I wanted to be a writer, and somehow I’ve managed to become one.
For others, particularly when it comes to the insurance industry, they find a way to their career by accident or chance. Torie Rinehart Nix, principal of The Rinehart Insurance Agency, which has locations in Columbiana and Clanton, Alabama, had a different plan for her career path originally; but there was one aspect of the job that led her to shift gears.
“I started out studying nursing at Central Alabama Community College and was working a customer service job,” she says. “I talked with a lady who worked for Alfa Insurance, who praised my customer service skills and put a ‘bug in my ear’ about the insurance industry. I’ve always loved to help people and quickly found out that it was not in the nursing world because I don’t like blood.
“I was offered an opportunity that made me curious and eager to learn more and wound up falling in love with insurance.”
Rinehart Nix took a job at Allstate while she was still in school, switching her focus of study to business. After two years on the captive side, she started her own agency from scratch in December 2015.
With the industry ever-changing, Rinehart Nix continues to learn, having received her Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) designation and recently completing her first course toward her Certified Risk Manager (CRM).
“The CIC was a phenomenal experience,” Rinehart Nix says. “A lot of people would call me an insurance nerd for thinking that, but the more education you have, the better you can help your clients. There wasn’t one time that I left a class and didn’t think to check on so-and-so’s account.
“The classes were also about building relationships and finding a mentor who you could bounce ideas off, because there are several ways that you can look at coverages and scenarios.”
Prioritizing continuing education and earning designations, The Rinehart Agency has created an agency education fund for team members to pursue knowledge.
“If you have the opportunity [to earn a designation] take it; I find them extremely valuable,” Rinehart Nix says. “There’s so much I’ve learned from these classes. I feel like the insurance industry is changing continuously. Every day there’s something new and something to learn.”
According to Rinehart Nix, being involved is equally important to staying up-to-date and educated on happenings in the industry. “I’m on the Board for the Alabama Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers and have been involved with the group for four years,” she says. “It’s a big community of people in the industry; we all help each other along the way. Without the Big ‘I,’ we would not have met many of our competitors in the area who have become friends.
“Everybody is out to help everybody; [insurance] is not a cutthroat industry like many people think it is.”
Rinehart Nix also keeps busy with other volunteer endeavors, including serving on the Board for the Chilton County Chamber of Commerce and other initiatives in the community. “Through the Women’s Business Alliance, we’re trying to help high school kids realize that there are options out there if they do not have the opportunity to go to college,” she says. “We mentor them and have started bringing a few into the office for internships.”
While she is thankful for the plethora of individuals who have helped throughout her career, Rinehart Nix names Mike Stromsoe, founder of the Unstoppable Profit Producer training program (and the April 2016 Rough Notes cover agent), as an important figure in her success.
“Mike tremendously helped us with creating the structures and procedures in the office and helped us when it came to staffing and putting those processes and procedures in place,” she says. “As someone who did not come from a large agency but from the captive world, Mike’s program has been helpful and valuable for my agency.”
As for her career, receiving the CIC designation is at the top of Rinehart Nix’s personal list of accomplishments. “It’s hard for me to sit [and celebrate accomplishments] because once I achieve something it’s on to the next goal.”
For young or new insurance professionals starting out their careers, Rinehart Nix advises to “get involved in any insurance association you can. This industry is more than just an 8-to-5 job. Also, never feel like you’re in a place where you’ve become stagnant. Always continue to move forward when it comes to education; there’s so much to learn in this industry.”
When she isn’t doing “insurance stuff,” Rinehart Nix enjoys spending time with her family and traveling. “I have a wonderful husband and two children, plus two nieces and a nephew who live with me, so my life is very involved in my children’s lives. They’re a part of my identity,” she says.
“I love to travel and see new places. I make it happen that my husband and I go somewhere new each year to relax and unplug. Some of my favorite places I’ve been to are Switzerland, Italy, Greece, and Hawaii,” she concludes.
