Future Leaders Spotlight presented by

Mac Hill • McDaniel-Whitley, Inc. - Memphis

McKenzie "Mac" Hill grew up in the Memphis area in the 90s with three sisters. Maybe having a house full of sisters is the reason he stayed outside playing most of the time as a child. He says that helped shape him into who he is today, still very involved in fitness and sports. He played linebacker at the Mac Hill of University of Memphis under McDanielWhitley Coach Fuente and left around the end of Norvell’s first year. After leaving football behind, he became a personal trainer at Orange Theory Fitness for his last couple of years in college. He is now two years out of college and recently engaged, and he has been a Christian for about 20 years now. Mac says he strives to put Christ first in everything he does.

The Insuror: Can you tell us a little about your current job title and responsibilities?

Mac: Right now, I am technically a Commercial Lines Account Executive. However, that is just a fancy word for a commercial insurance agent. My job responsibilities consist of calling on commercial accounts, servicing existing accounts, and maintaining relationships with everyone. I hope to one day work my way up into agency leadership.

The Insuror: What can you tell us about your educational background?

Mac: I started off Kindergarten at Cordova Elementary School in the Memphis area. I then moved to a small christian school in the Cordova area called Evangelical Christian School (ECS). This school molded me into the person I am today. I graduated top 10% of my class and then went on to the University of Memphis, where I got my Bachelor's degree in Accounting. I am currently in the process of obtaining my CIC designation.

The Insuror: How and why did you get your career in the insurance industry started?

Mac: It is a funny story actually. I started off as a staff accountant at a big corporation, but did not enjoy that at all. Within six months, I started going on job interviews whenever I could. I eventually had a couple of interviews to be a Financial Advisor at a company here in Memphis. For some reason, I just had a strong feeling not to take the job, so I declined very respectfully. About a week later, I got a call from my current boss and he asked me if I wanted to interview for this position. I had a couple of interviews and then I was hired within three weeks. Come to find out, the company I declined the job from referred me to my current boss. I absolutely love my job now, so it really was a God thing how it all happened. I have been here about a year and a half now, and I really could not picture being in another career.

The Insuror: Do you have any influences/role models in the industry?

Mac: As cliché as it is to say, both of the owners of my company I work for are my role models. They are some of the best insurance agents I know. They have put so much time into developing me, I cannot thank them enough. They will never realize how grateful I am for them. I am also very thankful for the account managers my agency has, they have been an integral part of my development as an agent.

The Insuror: Is there any advice you could offer Young Agents or others in the industry to achieve success in their careers?

Mac: I am not one to be giving advice – I am still very young in my career and have a lot to learn. However, there are a couple things that I have noticed that have helped me start to grow and develop faster. The main one is to build relationships. You never know when you will get an opportunity. The next thing is – and I still struggle with this sometimes – don't be afraid to walk into anybody’s office and talk to them.

The Insuror: As an independent agent, you have many partners in this industry, including carriers, MGAs and many more. How do you determine which ones are the right relationships?

Mac: I think relationships with carriers come pretty natural. You can tell which underwriters are willing to help you out here and there and which ones are not willing to help out ever. It also depends on which underwriters are willing to build a relationship with you outside of insurance talk.

The Insuror: Thank you for giving us your time, Jordan, we appreciate it and wish you continued success.