Irma Award winner lauded for lifetime achievement

Kristin Smith honored for her contributions to producers and clients

By Alice Ashby Roettger

What was to be a fairly typical Friday for Kristin Smith became, instead, a day of celebration for the long-time employee of Boyd Insurance and Investment Services in Bradenton, Florida. The only unusual element in that particular workday was the prospect of a planned visit from representatives of the Florida Association of Insurance Agents (FAIA), who were going to discuss FAIA pro­grams. Employees had been encouraged to spiff up both themselves and the office in anticipation.

What Kristin didn’t know was that the visit was a setup and that plans had been afoot for some time to surprise her in the midst of the most ordinary of circumstances. Not even the Boyd employees had been let in on the secret lest someone would “spill the beans.”

During the course of the visit, FAIA’s representative, Tom Cotton, discussed IMPACT, the lobbying program for the insurance industry, and encouraged employees to attend the upcoming FAIA convention, which would feature the presentation of the prestigious Irma Platt Lifetime Achievement Award. After explaining the history of the “Irma” and what it represents, Cotton slipped in the surprise: “This year’s winner of the Irma Award is Kristin Smith.”

Established in 2001 by Cotton, president and CEO of Hugh Cotton Insurance, Inc., in Orlando, Florida, the Irma Award is named for its first recipient, Irma Platt of Cotton’s own agency. The award recognizes an insurance professional for a career’s worth of achievements in servicing his or her agency’s accounts, and for going beyond the call of duty. Kristin is the tenth recipient (co-winners were honored last year).

Cotton’s goal was to honor dedicated, long-time support staff members who contribute quietly to the success of their agency by supporting principals, producers and clients, often without recognition. Dedication and professionalism are the key words that characterize such employees. According to Cotton, Kristin, who has been with Boyd Insurance since 1983, certainly displays all of those qualities.

Born in Birmingham, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit, Kristin moved to the Bradenton area when she was 12 years old. There she attended Bay Shore Middle School and Manatee High School. In 1979, after studying music at the University of Southern Mississippi, she returned to Bradenton and began looking for a job.

Landing a position as a receptionist at Persinger Insurance, Kristin became attracted to the industry and the opportunities it presented for client contact. She found the insurance industry “challenging and changing all the time” and enjoyed “keeping up with what’s going on, and working with people.” Upon her boss’s recommendation, she applied for and obtained her property/casualty license in 1981.

Two years later, Kristin joined Boyd Insurance where she has worked in almost every capacity: as a personal lines CSR, a commercial lines CSR, bookkeeper, office manager and, now, as vice president of client relations. This position allows her to gather together and make use of all her past business experiences. In 1985, she added the Accredited Advisor of Insurance (AAI) designation to her credentials.

“Presently,” Kristin explains, “I handle a handful of the largest commercial accounts in the agency and oversee the employee training—computer, client relationship, and customer service. If there’s a difficult situation that a CSR can’t handle, it comes to me.” Kristin also handles all of the daily computer operations that don’t need to go to the company IT person.

Regarding the award, Kristin says, “It was a shock—a total shock. I was speechless, and that’s unusual for me! I had read about it in publications and thought it was great. But it never even crossed my mind that I might be eligible. Even when the agency monthly newsletter that goes out to our clients ran an article about my winning, I didn’t realize that it was a lifetime achievement award.

“It didn’t even really impact me as to what it meant until the convention, when I received the actual award. My bosses were there, along with people from the office. When I heard the things that the people in the office had written—to hear that this person said this and this person said that—it became difficult for me to look at any­one for fear of crying. I was extremely emotional. It was an incredible honor.”

Jim Boyd, the CEO of Boyd Insurance, and Pat Osburn, the firm’s president, joined Tom Cotton in presenting the award at the recent FAIA convention. Also joining in the celebration was Dick Gross, COO, who had recommended Kristin for the “Irma.”

According to Boyd: “Many days and weeks Kristin was at the office after everyone left, working to make Boyd Insurance and Investments the agency it is today.”

Adding to the accolades, Osburn observed: “Kristin’s ability to connect with clients, both on a technical and personal level, makes her a rare and exceptional member of the agency team.”

Another testimonial, this time from long-time employee Julie Boswell, echoed their sentiments: “I admire Kristin’s work ethic and loyalty and respect all that she does for the agency without a single complaint and always with a smile.”

In addition, Kristin’s three grown children, one of whom will make her a grandmother next March, confirm her qualifications for this honor. Her work in their community points up the sense of service that is part of her character. Active in Christ Episcopal Church, she has served as a Sunday School teacher and member of the vestry and choir. In her quiet times, she dabbles in gardening, home improvements and crafts.

Continuing to express her utter shock, Kristin confides, “It finally hit me when family and friends were con­gratulating me and saying, ‘Wow, you got a lifetime achievement award!’ I’ve never worked for awards; I just loved my work and wanted to do a good job.”

Kristin is quick to credit the office culture for her career success. “Rela­tionships in an office are what keep a person there for 25 years. We’re like a family at Boyd, way beyond just a work relationship. It has been an incredible experience. I wouldn’t have stayed there that long if the atmosphere had been different. And, it all starts at the top where our executives go way beyond being employers.”

Rough Notes magazine is proud to join the Florida Association of Insur­ance Agents in congratulating Kristin Smith, the latest recipient of the Irma Platt Lifetime Achievement Award.

Members of the insurance industry throughout the United States are encouraged to nominate persons whom they deem to be worthy of eligibility for the “Irma.” Candidates need not be employees of Florida agencies. For further information and/or to receive nomination forms, contact Tom Cotton at tcotton@hughcotton.com.

The author
Alice Ashby Roettger is a freelance writer based in Indianapolis, Indiana, and an editorial assistant for Rough Notes magazine.