The Changing Face of the Independent Agent
Leading a new generation
With just five years in the insurance industry, Kristen Juszczak has begun to make her mark
By Elaine Tolen
There is much talk these days about the graying of the independent agency force and the need to recruit young people to the business. Attracting younger generations to this oft-misrepresented business can be a challenge.
And how will this new agency force be characterized? Can Generation X (born roughly between 1964 and 1977) and Generation Y (born roughly between 1978 and 1994) successfully follow in the footsteps of the Baby Boomers?
If 28-year-old Kristen Juszczak, senior account executive/program manager at Chamber Insurance Agency Services in West Orange, New Jersey, is typical of young talent entering the insurance industry, the future looks bright. Energy, enthusiasm, drive, focus, and tech savvy are positive traits that youthful insurance professionals like Kristen bring to the table. During her five years in the insurance industry, her leadership qualities and can-do attitude have set Kristen on a course toward success.
Striking out on her own
Like most insurance professionals, Kristen hadn’t planned on insurance as a career; in fact, she says, “I was dead set on teaching.”
A gymnast since age three and competitive in the sport from age seven through college, she has also been active in a variety of other sports through the years. “Gymnastics requires a high level of dedication and commitment to perfection,” Kristen remembers. “It helped me grow into the person I am today.” She graduated in 2002 from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, with a bachelor’s degree in physical education.
While student teaching, Kristen began to question whether education was the right career choice. After college graduation, she moved back to her home town of Hillsborough, New Jersey, to look for a teaching position. During that time, she also worked at Global Associates, a retail agency, where her father, Ted Juszczak, is a vice president/principal.
“I had worked at the agency during summers in college,” Kristen says, “but most of my work experience up to that point was in babysitting, coaching and student teaching. I knew nothing about the corporate world.” But the longer she worked at Global Associates, the more she liked the business of insurance and the challenges it offered.
Finally, she admitted to herself and her parents, Ted and Ann Marie, that teaching wasn’t the career for her and that she wanted to pursue insurance. This career path had a familiar ring: Ted Juszczak had also intended to be a teacher but worked at Travelers during an interim period and liked it so well that he stayed in the industry.
Kristen could have continued working at Global Associates; she knew all of the employees and was learning the agency’s operations. “My dad and I are best friends, but I needed to make my own place in the industry and do my own thing,” she explains. “It has worked well—Dad has more than 35 years of experience in agencies, companies, and marketing. I can go to him with questions, and he can help me as an objective mentor who isn’t personally involved in the situation.”
Kristen began looking for insurance jobs and was offered two positions—one at a large insurance company and the other at Herbert L. Jamison & Co., LLC, a 110-year-old privately owned insurance firm that focuses on professional liability, commercial property/casualty lines, personal lines, and employee benefits.
“My dad knew that Jamison had a good reputation, so he steered me in that direction. It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made,” Kristen says. “With more than 100 employees and two other offices located in New York City and Washington, D.C., there are many opportunities to grow here.”
So at the age of 23, Kristen joined Jamison as an account executive in the Jamison Special Risk division, a wholesale operation that provides insurance services to small businesses with $5 million in revenue or less. “I worked with a variety of products which afforded me the opportunity to learn which concentrations I wanted to pursue,” she remembers.
Specializing
Two years later, in 2005, Jamison started another wholesale arm, Chamber Insurance Agency Services, which primarily offers two specialty products: storage tank liability insurance and workers compensation, as well as other insurance products on a national scale. Kristen and three others comprise the environmental group within the Chamber agency.
Kristen says, “I couldn’t have found a better specialization. Many times insureds don’t realize that they need environmental insurance. We work with airports, golf courses, gas stations, even a maple syrup manufacturer. The syrup has to be stored in a tank, and that tank needs protection.”
The environmental program (offered on an admitted basis in 48 states) is challenging, Kristen says, because in addition to federal EPA regulations, each state has unique environmental regulations. “Environmental issues will be around for generations to come, so I only see this program growing.” And in its first two years the program has seen steady growth.
Kristen’s career has grown along with the division—she now manages the national program. “I do everything I can to help our team,” she says. “Most are fairly young—not that I’m much older,” she laughs.
“The biggest challenge in this position is that I’m a ‘hands-on’ person and a perfectionist,” Kristen continues. “To improve my skills, I ask other managers for advice and am learning how to be flexible. Everyone works differently, and I’m learning to respect that. What is most important is that the job is getting done professionally and efficiently, the employees are happy, and the program is growing.”
Building bridges
After becoming licensed in 2004, Kristen began looking for a way to get involved in the insurance industry beyond the agency level. She researched two associations and decided on the Young Insurance Professionals (YIPs) of the Professional Insurance Agents of New Jersey (PIANJ).
“One of my mentors, Charles Caruso, senior vice president of Jamison’s brokerage division, encouraged me to join the YIPs,” Kristen says. “He was the YIP president in 2004. At that first meeting, Charles asked me to speak in front of the group—which I had very little experience doing. I was uncomfortable with the idea of public speaking. But I’m glad he pushed me; I wouldn’t have gotten involved had it not been for him.”
In 2005, Kristen served as events chair for the YIPs, became vice president and holiday social chair in 2006, and became the NJYIP president last year. As holiday social chair, she grew the fledgling “All-Industry Holiday Social” from its first year—when 90 people from five insurance-related associations attended—to the 2007 event when 160 professionals from 10 associations participated.
“The social has become a thriving, big-ticket, door-busting event that all the insurance associations look forward to every year,” according to Kim Voelker, director of the Young Insurance Professionals Department for the PIAs of New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and New Hampshire. “What started as a major financial risk now pays for itself and draws a good amount of attention. We’re very proud of this particular event, and Kristen is very much responsible for its success.”
Another way in which Kristen has contributed to the YIPs, according to several people associated with the PIANJ, is by being a bridge between the Gen X and Gen Y groups. “She was brought up in the organization by a number of people now in their 30s and 40s, and is now working to do the same for the younger 20-something set,” explains Kim Voelker.
“As such, she has her foot in both worlds, so to speak, and does it well,” Kim continues. “She knows when to seek counsel with the older group, and she’s comfortable enough to let newer members test the waters in their own way before intervening.”
The New Jersey YIPs have been a strong group for quite some time and, as president, Kristen strengthened the group’s unity by adding some fun rules to the monthly meetings. One is a “penalty box” for members who are late, forget to wear their name tag, and so on. Depending on the offense, members can pay a penalty of $1 to $5. The funds go to Special Olympics New Jersey, the NJYIP/PIANJ’s charity, to buy a $125 new member kit for their young athletes program. “If the member is ‘sentenced’ to $2, he or she usually gives $20,” Kristen muses. “It’s a fun way to build team spirit and raise money.”
Recruiting the younger generation
In addition to encouraging those Gen Yers already in the industry, Kristen is passionate about bringing young people into the business. “The New Jersey PIA and YIPs have been brainstorming for years about how to get young people in the industry,” Kristen explains. “Two years ago, we sat down with incoming Gen Yers and talked about what they expected in a career and in the insurance industry, what resources they needed to grow, and so on. As a result, we added a category to our YIP membership and began developing Project Y.”
Previously, the New Jersey YIPs had two types of membership—Active 1 (those under 40) and Active 2 (those older than 40). “We don’t want to lose a member just because of their age,” she states. After talking with the young YIP members, the group added a Student category, which includes a reduced membership fee and access to selected PIA services.
Project Y (www.projectynj.org) is a joint effort of the New Jersey PIA and the New Jersey YIPs, and employs a variety of methods to get young professionals’ attention. Marketing revolves around the theme of “Where do you fit in?” and uses puzzle pieces to illustrate. The Project Y Web site directs young people to the New Jersey YIPs and offers resume-posting at no charge for those who do not already work in the insurance industry. PIA members can access these resumes, which can be sorted according to region, position, salary, and other criteria.
After just a few months in operation, Kristen has gotten positive feedback on Project Y from applicants and agency owners alike.
Another part of Project Y is a trade show booth, again featuring the puzzle theme, which YIP members take to job fairs and career days at colleges. Postcards and other materials revolve around the question “Where do you fit in?”
“The answer is that almost anyone can ‘fit’ into the insurance industry,” Kristen explains. “You don’t have to be a salesperson. There are so many areas you can fit into, such as human resources, IT, and finance. The possibilities are endless, and we want young people to know that. We want them to know that they can have a career, not just a job, in this industry.”
NJYIP and PIANJ represen-tatives have visited major universities like Rutgers as well as community colleges to promote the industry through career day exhibits and by speaking in classes. “Since most of us are relatively young, it’s like talking peer to peer,” Kristen says. “We see Project Y as the beginning of something huge that will affect the industry for years to come.”
On the right path
Kristen’s leadership skills recently resulted in her being offered a second term as NJYIP president. “I was hesitant to ask my superiors at Jamison since they had already been gracious to allow me the one year as president,” Kristen says.
“When I asked John Ferreira [executive vice president and Kristen’s direct boss] and Sean Pattwell [managing director], they both basically said, ‘Why wouldn’t you do it?!’ They both encourage their employees to go for things that will help them grow; they don’t hold anyone back,” she continues. “They are unbelievably supportive.”
Kristen says of the YIPs: “Whatever we do this year, we hope to do a little better next year.” This sounds like Kristen’s personal mantra as well. A few years ago, she was reluctant to speak in public, even making a simple introduction. Now, according to PIANJ’s Kim Voelker, she communicates with PIA board members, speaks to college classes, and emcees association events “with ease.”
If the rest of Kristen Juszczak’s insurance career climbs in the direction of these first five years, her future and the future of the independent agency system look equally promising. *