Agents for the Community

Presented by Lipscomb & Pitts Insurance a higginbotham company • Memphis

In this series, Penn National Insurance and Insurors are recognizing some of the work our members do for their communities. During Convention, the new "Penn National Agents for the Community" Award will be presented to one of the featured agencies.

The Insuror: Why is community service such an important part of your agency?

Lipscomb & Pitts: Community service was ingrained in our DNA from the very beginning. We have a service legacy dating back to post WWll when Mat Lipscomb & John Pitts founded our company. Since then, Memphis and the Mid-South has come to be known as one of the most philanthropic and giving communities in the nation and we are a part of that fabric.

The Insuror: What are some of the main causes/ groups you support? How and why did you get started with them?

Lipscomb & Pitts: We support LOCAL groups. Knowing the philanthropic heart of Lipscomb & Pitts (L&P), many of our clients reach out to us about supporting a cause that’s very dear to them. Sometimes, it’s our own employees who get us involved in local nonprofits. Either way, it’s important to us that we support our local community and give back to the very people who have blessed us so richly.

The Insuror: Please tell us about cityCURRENT and the role it has both in your agency and for your community.

Lipscomb & Pitts: We created cityCURRENT as our philanthropic arm and privately-funded catalyst for the community. The organization has played a significant role in transforming the Mid-South and our agency as well.

cityCURRENT’s mission is to power the GOOD. We host hundreds of events each year for enrichment and collaboration, focus on volunteerism and financial giving, and produce an array of positive-oriented media. The organization is comprised of more than 100 companies that have joined forces and funds to make a difference in many ways. Our corporate partners include some of the world’s largest employers like FedEx, AutoZone, Smith+Nephew, Kroger and Verizon, along with midsize and smaller firms. cityCURRENT CEO, Jeremy C. Park, leads the organization, and we have teams working in both Memphis and Nashville.

We host more than 300 events each year, which include workshops and seminars, panel discussions, a Signature Speaker Series with national guest speakers, social mixers, executive lunches, a golf scramble and much more. Traditionally, the events would be in-person, but we’ve hosted them virtually during the pandemic, which has opened up access for even more people to participate, and that's exciting.

We financially and physically give back to support nonprofits and lift our communities. We host nonprofit and school tours and coordinate volunteer days where corporate and community leaders come together and serve. These include mentoring and tutoring, coordinating more than 12,000 volunteers to pick up litter, and having hundreds of volunteers wash the feet of 600 youth, providing them with new socks and shoes as a part of our work with Samaritan’s Feet. We’ve given a mortgage-free home to a wounded Veteran Hero, hosted a telethon for the Red Cross to help with disaster relief efforts, scrubbed graffiti off buildings and bridges, and have so many other stories of impact that warm our hearts. Overall, cityCURRENT contributes hundreds of thousands of dollars – in terms of its impact to help nonprofits.

Then, on the media side, we produce and host television and radio shows that air on PBS in Tennessee and on Cumulus Media radio stations in Memphis and Nashville. We have two books that focus on helping you achieve success in a way that benefits others and the community, and proceeds from the books support youth literacy programs. We have a weekly newspaper column, contribute to publications like Forbes, produce and host the ChangeMakers podcast, and other media that is all designed to share positive news, stories of inspiration, lessons learned and advice for getting involved and creating positive change.

In 2020, cityCURRENT launched an e-learning and online personal development platform called GROWTHcurrent. It allows individuals worldwide to subscribe and access exclusive content and invitations to our virtual events with national guest speakers, learning modules, interviews and Q&A sessions with thought leaders and more. While GROWTHcurrent gives us a powerful way to engage, help, and inspire even more people, it all comes back to support our mission to support nonprofits and the community and power the GOOD. So, as cityCURRENT continues to grow, our ability to make a difference continues to be magnified as well.

The Insuror: What do you think it means to clients to see their insurance agent involved in their community?

Lipscomb & Pitts: We believe our clients understand that L&P strives to be relational rather than transactional. We’re not just here to collect premiums, and our clients know that. We recently partnered with Higginbotham Insurance, based in Fort Worth, Texas. They also demonstrate a core value of “being generous to our community.” We love our community, and giving back on a local scale is a high priority for us. We are a part of this thriving community and seeing our team put new socks and shoes on the feet of children in need, for example, demonstrates the heart of L&P. We’re here to serve.

Johnny Pitts (far right) and staff prepare hurricane relief donations

The Insuror: Do you feel this service work adds to the "staff culture" of your agency?

Lipscomb & Pitts: Absolutely. Many of our employees are on boards of local nonprofits or serve in some capacity to support our community. That same type of service has been demonstrated again and again within our own culture. When we have an employee who experiences hardship, our team rallies around them, offering support, meals, supplies or whatever is needed. This giving culture runs in our blood and makes us even prouder to be part of the L&P family.

The Insuror: How could our industry as a whole do a better job of supporting the communities they insure?

Lipscomb & Pitts: We start by listening to the need around us. What are your clients, employees and local communities telling you? In some capacity, we have a responsibility to meet that need and pour back the support we have abundantly received.

The Insuror: Thank you for giving us your time, and we appreciate the work you're doing.

Lipscomb & Pitts: We appreciate the opportunity and all that Insurors is doing to “Power the GOOD,” as well.