By Laura Biddle-Bruckman laurab@in.net
Jaimee Borger typifies the busy lifestyle of the industry's young agents. She immerses herself in community activities in addition to her IIAA responsibilities and her dual roles within the Smith-Nadenbousch Agency.
You will never "find" time for anything. If you want time you must make it.
--Charles Buxton
Jaimee Borger packs a lot of activity into the average day. As a personal lines and small commercial lines producer in her family's 125-year-old agency, Jaimee's day rarely ends at 5:00. She often returns to the office in the evening or on weekends to finish her many tasks when things are quiet. "As a child, I loved coming to the agency with my dad. He dreaded returning to the office in the evening and I would be prodding him, 'C'mon, Dad! Let's go to the office!' I played office and school--there was a chalkboard in my grandfather's office."
Now, Jaimee still returns, but not to play. Lately she has been spending evening hours working toward the completion of her MBA which she will finish this spring.
Jaimee didn't always plan to be the fourth generation's contribution to the Smith-Nadenbousch Agency in Martinsburg, West Virginia. Jaimee went to Mary Baldwin College in Staunton, Virginia, with no plans to return to the agency. She graduated with degrees in marketing/
communications and print journalism. Following her graduation, she stayed at MBC for a year and worked as a resident director. She then enrolled in the University of Virginia with plans to complete a master's degree in counseling education but then seized an opportunity with a public relations firm for an internship in London through James Madison University. "While I was there, I had a lot of interaction with my father's contacts from Lloyd's. They basically convinced me that I wanted to return to the agency when I headed back to the states." That was five years ago.
Jaimee started out working in the agency in January 1993 among family members and long-time employees who seemed like family. She did mailings and clerical work and trained as a customer service associate. She completed her licensing in May 1993 and began gaining experience as a personal lines producer. She completed Aetna's home office sales course and in October 1993 began writing small commercial lines accounts. While she has taken over some accounts, Jaimee has largely built her book on her own. Her goal is to focus on the 25-35-year-old age group and write complete accounts.
While she concentrates mainly on personal lines, Jaimee also targets new small contractors and franchises that move into Berkeley County. It's a small community and the agency's storefront location in downtown Martinsburg brings business through the door, as does the company's long-standing presence in the community and its reputation. Jaimee is also active in the community, serving as the aquatics director for the Martinsburg-Berkeley County Parks and Recreation Board and as the water safety chairperson for the Berkeley County American Red Cross Board of Directors.
Jaimee strolls through the Martinsburg countryside with her father, Stew Borger.
Perhaps the activity that takes Jaimee the farthest from home but brings her immense satisfaction is her involvement with the IIAA Young Agents. At the 1996 National Young Agent Committee Educational Leadership Conference, Jaimee led West Virginia to win two awards, The Outstanding Membership Development Award and the Runner-Up for The Outstanding Young Agent Committee of the Year. Jaimee was largely responsible for reviving the Young Agents Committee in West Virginia. (See Rough Notes, "A phoenix rising in West Virginia," November 1995 for our story or visit our Web site at: http://www.roughnotes.com/rnmag/
november/p44.htm to access this back issue.)
During the 1996 annual meeting of PIIAWV, Jaimee was named the Committee Chairperson of the Year for her work with the Young Agent Committee. In 1997, Jaimee was selected by PIIAWV as the Young Agent of the Year. She will join the PIIAWV Board of Directors again in January of 1998 as a regional director in addition to serving as the IIAA National Young Agent Committee southern regional director. Says Barbara Miller-Richards, IIAA Director of InVEST and Young Agent Programs, "Jaimee's enthusiasm and commitment are the qualities that make her a great choice as a committee member. Young Agent committee members take an active role in planning and implementing the committee's mission."
Looking ahead, Jaimee hopes that she will be able to take a more active role in marketing at the agency. She has implemented a customer satisfaction survey and has been instrumental in changing the direction of the advertising for the agency. Since her target market for clients is a the 25-35 age group, her book contains the future of the agency. Jaimee sees an excellent opportunity to build on the history to create the future for Smith-Nadenbousch, Inc. *
Jaimee takes a break along the historic Appalachian Trail near her home. A system of mountain trails which extend for over 2,000 miles along the Appalachian range between Georgia and Maine, the Appalachian Trail cuts through the eastern panhandle of West Virginia. Smith-Nadenbousch insures the Appalachian Trail Conference, Inc., which maintains that segment of the trail.
©COPYRIGHT: The Rough Notes Magazine, 1998