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All about Bob (well, maybe not all) Bob Rusbuldt is perfect as the leading spokesman for independent agents By Dennis H. Pillsbury In a recent visit with Rough Notes magazine,Robert Rusbuldt, chief executive officer of the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (IIABA), discussed everything and anything about the state of the association and the independent agency system. Bob was affable as he highlighted the list of issues that face the association and its members and what the association is doing to handle them. It’s an impressive list. At the top of that list, of course, is the remarkable lobbying prowess of the Big “I.” Much of that lobbying strength comes from the active participation of its members in the political process. Agents representing every congressional district are on hand at the IIABA’s National Legislative Conference, held in the first quarter of the year, to personally lobby their representatives and senators. The “Leg” Conference also offers meetings that detail the concerns of agents and feature speakers that have included every modern president. The fact that IIABA represents more than 300,000 employees in some 23,500 agencies is not lost on congressional representatives. The long list of victories that have protected small businesses and allowed independent agents to continue to operate on a level playing field can be attributed to IIABA efforts on behalf of its members. The association’s lobbying office is only one block from Capitol Hill, making it closer to Congress than any other, Bob points out. So, it’s a short walk for any of the 16 people employed in the office to reach out and talk to a representative, senator or staffer and explain the issues as a critical matter nears a final vote. But the federal victories are just a small part of the lobbying success. The grassroots activities at the local and state levels are what send ripples to Washington, D.C., as some 540 employees at the state Big “I” organizations coordinate the efforts to maintain a favorable legislative environment for independent agents. Bob readily admits that the strength comes from the local and state associations in this federation structure under which the national association’s board consists of representatives from each of the state associations. The big effort this year is to begin the groundwork for true uniform agency licensing. After years of working with the NAIC, Bob says, “the Big ‘I’ is lobbying for federal legislation to create a regulatory board that would act as a licensing arm for agents that already are licensed in a state.” Under the proposal, dubbed NARAB II, “agents would need to meet the licensing requirements of their state of domicile and then meet the requirements of the regulatory board,” says Charles Symington, senior vice president of government affairs and federal relations. “Once they have met both sets of requirements, they would be able to conduct business in all states.” Symington says that the Big “I” hopes to get the bill introduced this year, although definitive action certainly won’t occur until next year at the earliest. “The plethora of licensing requirements has been very expensive for agencies that want to operate in several states,” Bob explains, noting that “the NAIC has made efforts to establish uniform licensing, but the lack of action by some states has frustrated agents. This is a core issue for our members and we intend to see uniform licensing achieved in the near future.” Supporting the grassroots efforts is the IIABA political action fund, InsurPAC, which, Bob notes, “has been growing rapidly. The fund has reached the level where it is able to contribute $1 million per congressional cycle (two years) and soon we expect to be at $2 million per cycle.” Of course, the other 69 people employed at the IIABA headquarters office in Alexandria, Virginia, aren’t just sitting around with nothing to do. The association has been extremely active in providing support and assistance to its membership. Among the accomplishments mentioned by Bob are: InsurBanc, which was established by W. R. Berkley and the Big “I” to assist agents with perpetuation, mergers and acquisitions, and other business development needs, recently passed $100 million in assets. The bank employs about 30 people at its office in Connecticut. Bob serves on the bank board with Bill Berkley. Globalization has become an increasingly important factor in the independent agency world, where agencies of all sizes have clients with overseas operations. And the Big “I” hasn’t missed this trend. In addition to attracting new members from all parts of the globe, the Big “I” also is a member of the World Federation of Insurance Intermediaries. “We have about 30 members in Japan, some from Ghana, New Zealand, Taiwan, Italy, the Dominican Republic, and other areas around the globe,” Bob points out, noting that the Virtual University and Best Practices programs are two of the most important reasons that agents from overseas have joined the association. “Ownership of expirations is unique to the United States,” Bob added. “Agents from around the world want to learn more about the leading insurance marketing system in the leading insurance market in the world.” Agents Council for Technology (ACT) was established in 1999 by the Big “I” to work with agents, companies, vendors, user groups, and associations dedicated to enhancing the use of technology and improved workflows within the independent agency system. Jeff Yates, who has been with the IIABA for 31 years, serves as the executive director of ACT. At the ACT Web site, there are a variety of free tools, reports, and articles to assist in improving their internal and external electronic communication efforts. And, of course, no discussion would be complete without a discussion of the branding effort that is bringing the independent agency system message into households across the country. “Six thousand two hundred agencies are members of Trusted Choice® and almost 40 companies,” Bob noted. “Each agent signs a pledge of performance. One of the most important things our distribution system can do is be a cut above the competition. Trusted Choice is designed to point out the fact that we are.” He goes on to point out that “Independent agents write only about 36% of personal lines and 80% of commercial lines. I would like to see us reach 50% of personal lines and I think we can do it. Trusted Choice is helping that effort. It’s designed to help agents get new business, but equally important, it’s also designed to help them retain business, which, as we all know, is key to success in an independent agency. We have heard from many agents who show the Trusted Choice pledge to clients so that the client understands what he or she can expect from the agent in terms of service and integrity. We also have heard already of cases where people who move ask for a referral to a Trusted Choice agency because they were so satisfied with their previous Trusted Choice agent. It’s really starting to build. More and more people are seeing the ads on TV. “The Big ‘I’ of New Jersey is so committed to the program that it is going to start including Trusted Choice membership as part of its dues,” Bob says. “Each agent would still have to sign the pledge of performance before they could be identified as a Trusted Choice agent, however. It’s an interesting experiment and we are looking forward to evaluating the results. It points out just how our structure helps us improve and change. The ability to evaluate and incorporate successful state experiments is reminiscent of what is good about the state regulatory system where worthwhile efforts can be exported to other states, while those that didn’t work out quite as planned can be quietly eliminated or changed without having a serious negative impact on the entire system.” Clearly, this is only a brief summary of the wide array of services that the Big “I” provides to members and the system in general. It is clear that Bob could have gone on discussing the Big “I” for quite some time longer, but he did have a plane to catch. It is indeed inspiring that Bob continues to have the passion for the system after being at the IIABA for 20 years. And it is why he is indeed the perfect spokesman for the system and why the Big “I” continues to be the leading organization representing independent agents. * |
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