How the best agencies
are building talent in 2026
The agencies winning the talent game in 2026 are the ones
willing to rethink what “qualified” looks like and to use their
own employees and clients as conduits to that talent.
By Carolyn Smith, APR, CRA, TRA
One of the most common questions that come to Beyond Insurance is: “Where are we going to find the right people?”
Not just licensed bodies. Not just résumés with the right acronyms. But people who can grow a book, earn trust faster than the competition, and operate as risk advisors in a market that no longer rewards generalists or order takers.
Unfortunately, the talent you’re looking for is probably not applying to your job postings.
- They’re already working.
- They’re already trusted.
- They’re already solving complex problems—just not inside an insurance agency.
The agencies winning the talent game in 2026 are the ones willing to rethink what “qualified” looks like and to use their own employees and clients as conduits to that talent. One agency doing this exceptionally well is Sterling Thompson Company, and its approach offers a playbook worth studying.
For decades, hiring in insurance followed a predictable pattern: Find someone with industry experience, plug them into a producer role, and hope they figure it out. That model is breaking down.
The work has changed. Clients expect to work with advisors who understand their industry, their operational risks, and their financial pressures. This requires more than product knowledge; it involves pattern recognition, credibility, and the ability to translate complexity into action.
At Sterling Thompson Company, hiring starts with understanding how a person is wired, not just what they’ve done. They start with behavioral and cognitive assessments because when you understand how someone naturally operates and what a role truly requires, you dramatically improve your odds of making the right hire. These assessments clear the fog so that the interview process can focus on what matters most at any job: culture fit, learning velocity, and the ability to execute.
One theme that comes up repeatedly when you look at the firm’s hiring decisions is specialization.
Kevin Woodward, vice president of business development there, explained that they are not hiring “producers.” They are hiring future specialists.
Before extending an offer, Woodward asks one question: “What will this person specialize in, and how does it fit with our growth strategy?” That clarity changes everything. It shortens learning curves, accelerates credibility with clients and carriers, and gives new hires a runway instead of a maze. Even more, it opens the door to candidates who may never have considered a career in insurance and risk management until the role is designed around what they already know and do well.
Establishing mutual trust
One of Sterling Thompson Company’s most reliable talent pipelines didn’t come from recruiters, résumés, or job boards; it came from long-standing trust.
Its Business Insurance Advisors do more than manage accounts. They build relationships deep enough to reveal how people operate under pressure, uncertainty, and change. That kind of mutual respect turns clients into collaborators, and occasionally into future leaders.
Jamie Eysenbach is a case in point. Before joining the company, Eysenbach owned a health and wellness business and had developed a strong professional relationship with his Sterling Thompson Company business insurance advisor, Benton Keith. Over time, Keith came to understand how Eysenbach thought, executed, and approached growth.
So, when Eysenbach began considering a career pivot into insurance and risk management, alongside a planned move from Kentucky to Florida, Keith was the person he trusted enough to ask whether the transition made sense.
Keith didn’t hesitate. He saw an entrepreneur with discipline, momentum, and a proven ability to build. He encouraged his employer to take a look.
Rather than forcing Eysenbach into a generic role, the firm designed one around his strengths. After immersing himself in the firm’s culture and operations, he relocated to Miami to specialize in health and wellness while also expanding into marine, a line not previously emphasized by the firm.
This wasn’t a gamble. It was a calculated investment.
Eysenbach arrived with industry credibility, an entrepreneurial mindset, and a bias toward execution. He didn’t talk about growth in abstractions; he mapped it. His business plan was operational, with clear milestones and measurable outcomes.
“One thing was clear from the moment I met the leadership team: They were doing things differently,” Eysenbach said. “From a niche-based interview process with cognitive and behavioral assessments to structuring meetings around research-backed business models, the agency has an incredible growth mindset. The results speak for themselves.”
What made this hire successful wasn’t luck. It was pattern recognition. Leadership identified Eysenbach’s superpower—the ability to learn quickly and apply knowledge immediately—and gave it a clear direction.
The hidden talent sitting in plain sight
Another hire tells a different but equally instructive story.
Blair Bell joined Sterling Thompson Company after 15 years in commercial real estate and property management. She had no prior insurance experience, but she had something far more valuable: trust equity. Everyone knew Bell. Owners, vendors, contractors. She had spent years solving real-world problems, navigating complex property issues, and building lasting relationships. When she moved into an advisory role, those skills transferred seamlessly.
Specialization again played a critical role. Bell didn’t have to learn all of insurance. She focused on multi-family and real estate, an area she already understood deeply. That narrowed focus shortened her learning curve and allowed her to deliver value almost immediately.
“I didn’t come into insurance with technical expertise, but I came with relationships, real world experience, and a deep understanding of the problems property owners face every day. The insurance part I could learn. The trust was already built,” Bell explained.
Thinking beyond producers: The Nathan Mulvey story
Perhaps the boldest example of out-of-the-box thinking came with the decision to hire Nathan Mulvey, a retiring fire chief. Many agencies would have sent him a thank-you note and wished him well. Sterling Thompson Company did something different. They saw decades of experience assessing hazards, enforcing codes, implementing prevention strategies, and responding to emergencies. They saw instant credibility with clients and carriers. They saw a way to shift the conversation from “policy seller” to proactive risk partner.
Mulvey stepped into a role focused on loss control, risk mitigation, and on-site assessments. He began accompanying producers immediately—not as a trainee, but as an authority.
Clients noticed. Carriers noticed. Prospects noticed. His presence strengthened underwriting conversations and reinforced confidence that risks were being actively managed, not just transferred.
“What drew me to this role wasn’t the chance to reinvent anything—it was the chance to apply decades of real-world experience in a way that makes businesses and our communities safer,” says Mulvey. “Sterling Thompson Company understands that risk is best managed up close, with leadership and on the ground, where the work is happening. Risk management isn’t theoretical; it’s practical and operational, something you only truly grasp through experience. My job is to bring that experience to clients so they can make safer, smarter decisions.”
What’s striking about this hire isn’t just the creativity; it’s the intention. It was about deliberately placing a high-caliber professional into a niche where his expertise could change outcomes.
Employees as talent scouts
There’s another quiet strategy at work here: Sterling Thompson Company doesn’t rely solely on leadership to identify talent. They encourage employees to think about who’s in their network: clients, industry contacts, professionals nearing a career transition.
The question isn’t, “Do you want to work in insurance?” It’s, “Where does your expertise create leverage?” When your culture is strong and your vision is clear, those conversations happen naturally. People want to bring great people into environments they’re proud of.
Culture is the multiplier
All of this—assessments, specialization, creative roles—works only if culture supports it.
One of the most telling insights, shared by Woodward, came from a college basketball practice he attended at the University of Louisville under new head coach Pat Kelsey. When Woodward asked the coach whether his early successes had shifted his goals toward chasing championships, the answer was simple and direct: The focus wasn’t on wins; it was on building the best culture in the country.
“We don’t chase wins. We build culture, and the wins take care of themselves,” Kelsey told Woodward. Woodward says the same principle applies to agencies. When you build the strongest culture in your market, everything else follows: lower turnover, higher collaboration, stronger production, and the ability to attract the kind of talent that accelerates growth.
The 2026 hiring imperative
The future of hiring isn’t about finding people who already look like you. It’s about recognizing potential where others don’t and giving it structure.
- Define your niches.
- Identify the superpowers you need.
- Look to your colleagues and people as talent sources.
- Build roles with intention, not convenience.
The agencies that win the next decade won’t be the ones who hire the most people. They’ll be the ones who hire the right people, often from places no one else thought to look.
The author
Carolyn Smith, APR, CRA, TRA, chief training officer for Beyond Insurance, creates and delivers transformative programs, including the Trusted Risk Advisor certification, BIGN Producer Boot Camp, and Quest for Success, that have positively impacted the lives and careers of countless professionals. These programs help industry professionals build a career that they love and achieve the success they deserve.
