Q&A with
SARAH BROWN Sarah Brown, CIC, CRM, AFIS is president & CEO of Keller-Brown Insurance Services, a full-service independent agency in Shrewsbury, PA. She also serves as chair of the IA&B Service Group, the governing arm of the IA&B state associations in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware. Her two-year term as chair began on Sept. 1, 2023. Q. How did you get your start in the insurance industry? A. Have you ever been sitting at home with nothing to do and hoping someone calls to invite you to hang out? And then you get the call and it’s not exactly what you wanted, but it’s better than sitting at home? And when you go out, it turns out to be a much better time than you were expecting? That’s basically my story. I did not always want a career in insurance, but after graduating and not finding anything for a few months, it was my first ‘big girl’ job. My parents knew of someone who worked for an insurance company and was hiring for a trainee position. I interviewed and got the job. What I liked most was that there was always something to learn and always something to achieve. And that continues through today. Q. Describe your agency, Keller-Brown Insurance Services. A. We’re old, and we’re new. We were established in 1899 in Southern York County by my great-great-grandfather, and I’m the fifth generation in my family to run the business. On our backs, we carry nearly 125 years of history, trust, culture, and service to the community. But we face the same uncertainties as everyone else, and that makes us try new things. We embrace change and are constantly finding ways to operate more efficiently, to provide the products and services our customers want when they want them, to be a place where people want to come to work, and to make an impact. 8
We have a staff of over 20 people – some who have been with us over 20 years, and before that, some who retired after 37 years. And just this month, we hired our youngest employee, who is from GenZ. We still meet face to face with customers in our building that was constructed in 1853, but we also have a hybrid work environment and can meet virtually with customers or take our laptops to meet anywhere a customer wants. A customer can come to the office to pick up an auto ID card, or they can pull it from their smartphone at 3 in the morning. Our core values of Family, Integrity, Diligence, and Loyalty do not change … but we’re always questioning how we deploy them to meet the needs of our customers and our staff. Q. What’s the best thing about being an independent insurance agent? A. Having something to offer our customers. So many times, our prospects and customers come to us with problems (and it could be anything – price, coverage, service, claims), and because we’re independent, we can almost always help. We don’t have to turn people away. We can listen to their situation and, based on our knowledge of offerings, put together a program that fits their needs and can help.
DECEMBER 2023
