From the President

FROM THE PRESIDENT

we will continue to support the advancement and excellence of all independent agencies

RYAN BUTZKE, CIC, CISR President, PIA of Wisconsin

“WE ARE BETTER TOGETHER”

Hello, fellow PIAW members.. My name is Ryan Butzke, and I am truly honored to be elected President of the Professional Insurance Agents of Wisconsin. It seems like yesterday I was serving on the YPC committee, then elected to the board of directors, chairing our Clay Shoot event, and now serving as our President. Thank you all for your confidence in me and for allowing me the opportunity to serve you.

I would like to welcome our other PIAW Executive Committee officers to their new positions: • Vice President: Steve Clements, CPIA • Treasurer: Lacey Endres, CIC • Secretary: Jon Strom

Please welcome our newly elected PIAW Board Members: • Tracey Sabol • Mike Endres

Returning PIAW Board Members: • Ann Linstroth, CISR, PWCAM • Michael Winstanley • Bob Wolfgram • Mitch Tarras • Jeff Glass, CPIA – Past President

Liaison • Tracy Oestreich, CIC, CPIA, AU,

CPIW – National PIA Director • Julie Ulset, CPIA – Immediate Past

President

I look forward to working alongside each of them and the PIAW staff to promote and improve the independent agency channel as I believe “We Are Better Together.” As a unified TEAM together, we will continue to support the advancement and excellence of all independent agencies in Wisconsin. We will continue to provide our members elite educational events, comprehensive & competitive E&O insurance and will advance technology opportunities to help our members automate processes they use daily. To advance those technology opportunities, my focus this year will include but will not be limited to:

Bringing more third-party technology

vendors to the convention. As we all know, technology is pushing our industry now more than ever. The use of third-party technology vendors is crucial to independent agencies’ success. Whether digital marketing, website development, virtual assistants, or staff training platforms, having more technology vendors at our convention will greatly benefit PIAW members.

Focusing more on member benefits PIA National offers, specifically

The PIA Partnership. What is the PIA Partnership? It’s a joint effort between leading national & regional insurance carriers and the PIA. The PIA Partnership is committed to helping independent insurance agencies increase market share and improve profitability so they can experience long-term success. Some of the opportunities offered through the PIA Partnership are Winning@Virtual, Winning@Talent, and Agency Journey Mapping. To learn more about The PIA Partnership, please visit the website www.pianational.or/pia-partnership.

I am currently working with PIAW staff to finalize our committee structure for this upcoming year. Some of the committees’ missions look a little different than in years past, so please take a look at the brief explanation of each committee below. Joining a committee is a great way to get involved in PIA and give some of your time and talent to better the industry in 2021/2022. There is a committee sign-up form on the website (www. piaw.org) under the “About” tab and “Committees.”

Events – Planning has already begun for next year’s convention at The Osthoff Resort in Elkhart Lake, Winter GetAway in Minocqua, & PIA Scholarship Golf Outing.

Education – Responsible for evaluating and maintaining the quality of the CIC, CISR & CPIA educational programs. It also evaluates the changing educational needs of members and plans educational opportunities throughout the year. Legislative – Reviews reports from our lobbyists on current legislative actions on the state or national level, which can affect independent insurance agencies

Clay Shoot – Organizes the annual clay shoot event, which raises money for our political action committee. The PAC supports candidates for public office who support policies that help small businesses and the independent insurance industry be successful.

Young Professionals Club – This committee has a new and exciting mission for this upcoming year. Their focus will be to engage young insurance professionals here in WI and to organize a series of events/activities to help form strong relationships for years to come.

I again thank all of you for this opportunity, and I look forward to a very successful year ahead. I encourage you to get involved with other PIAW members and join a committee as we truly are “Better Together.” If you have any questions or further discussion, please feel free to email me (ryanb@northbrookins.com) or Executive Director Pete Hanson (phanson@piaw.org).

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