“In many ways,” says Nora Stransky, CIC, CPIW, founder and president of Special Markets Insurance Consultants, “we view ourselves as an agent’s best friend. We help them open the door with new and unique types of coverages, and we help them close the door by having all the products they need right here.”

Special Markets Insurance Consultants is a 25-year-old national managing general underwriter focused on accident and health business. “We market accident and medical programs, primarily—anything from a one-day event to annual policies for churches, camps, clinics and other organizations,” Stransky explains. The firm also offers general liability along with participant accident coverage.

Coverage for youth and adult sports, recreational and leisure endeavors, and student activities are a big part of what the company offers. “We do K-12 students in anything from a home school situation to a private, public or parochial school,” Stransky says. “We have several national programs, and we’re pretty flexible in the types of programs we can offer.”

That flexibility is driven, in large part, by the trust placed in Stransky’s firm by its carrier partners. “We have underwriting authority with several ‘A’ rated carriers,” she notes.

The trust grows out of the many years of industry experience found within organization. “We bring knowledge of the program business from both the carrier side and the brokerage side,” Stransky explains. “Special Markets was designed to be like the back room of an insurance company, and because of our background, we bring a special knowledge of what’s important from both the carrier and agent perspective.”

The combination seems to have worked. “We are still here in business, while some of our competitors are long gone,” Stransky adds. Other changes have taken place, as well.

Take student accident insurance, for example. “When I first started, it was all done on a voluntary basis,” she recalls. “Mom and dad would get a brochure the first day of school and were told that, if they didn’t have insurance, they should buy this for their children. It offered pretty broad benefits and few limits.” Over time, though, fewer parents bought the coverage, costs rose and internal limits were put in place.

“Then, about ten years ago, we started working with schools that wanted to purchase the coverage directly,” Stransky notes. “Christian schools and other private schools had it right from the beginning. They cover all of their students for everything, and by doing that, they spread the risk.” Other schools followed suit and the business grew.

Today, Special Markets supports the approach with an easy to use online enrollment process agents can use to sign up students. The company also maintains online enrollment portals serving other groups, including churches, Christian schools and private schools.

Stransky views participation in Target Markets Program Administrators Association (TMPAA) as a great way to strengthen existing relationships and extend her firm’s reach. “The association brings together an incredible number of carriers and producers we can meet with, especially at their annual summit,” she explains. “It has been a very beneficial affiliation for us.” Stransky has given back to TMPAA, serving on its charities committee.

What drives Special Markets Insurance Consultants is found in their tagline: Accidents aren’t supposed to happen…but they do. “That has been with us for a number of years, and that is what we try to protect,” she explains. “We are quite strong in what we do. Right from the initial request, we work with agents to make sure they have the best program for their clients. We really are the agent’s best friend, because we help them sell more business.”