Q&A with Michael Ertel, Sr.

Michael Ertel, Sr. is vice president of The Jacobs Company, an independent commercial insurance brokerage firm located in Columbia, MD. A former IA&B board member, Mike now represents our IA&B of Maryland members as a director with the National Association of Professional Insurance Agents (PIA National).

Q. You first studied engineering before spending nearly your entire career with The Jacobs Company. What drew you to insurance industry, and what prompted you to stay?

A. Most of my family was in the engineering field, and I attended an engineering high school, Poly in Baltimore. But as a freshman in college, I quickly realized that I really wanted to do something business oriented and eventually majored in finance. While finance is somewhat open ended, I never thought I’d be in insurance sales. I don’t think that universities necessarily do a good job of presenting how important insurance is and how it fits into the business world. In the end, I’m happy for my engineering background – it gave me a better understanding of the construction and contractor trades.

Q. Contractors make up much of your book of business. How has that market changed over the years, and what challenges and opportunities do you foresee?

A. The contracting side of insurance has become much more competitive and service oriented since I originally joined the business. We spend more time helping our clients with risk management, workers’ comp mods, return-to-work programs, and safety awareness and training. There seem to be more carriers that will write contractors, but that has fueled the constant pressure to keep pricing low. We also see more red tape with some of the certificate-compliance services demanding more revisions and endorsements to certificates.

Q. What has your time serving as a director with one of IA&B’s national affiliates (PIA National) taught you about our industry?

A. I’ve been the National Director for Maryland to the PIA National Board for about five years now. It’s been interesting to see the influence of insurance coverage in different states. Many agents in the Midwest are very involved in crop insurance, while agents from Florida and Louisiana are more focused on flood risks. There is even an agent who is concerned about earthquake coverage in states like Kentucky where you wouldn’t necessarily think about the risk. Then there are my colleagues from Louisiana, Florida, and Puerto Rico who have experienced catastrophic claim situations in the last few years. You see their dedication and resilience and how they advocated for and went above and beyond to help their clients. It really drives home the importance of independent agents in the United States.

Q. What’s the best professional advice you’ve ever received?

A. Two things that I learned early: First, build your business acumen – be a valuable resource to your clients by knowing different aspects of business, not just insurance. Second, keep it simple. Boil down issues and make them easy to understand, especially in the age of more email communication. When training new employees, one of our struggles is for them to remember that clients aren’t waiting around for some complex email that they have to read several times to understand.

Q. You’ve held several leadership roles within the Towson Communities Alliance. Tell us about this organization and why the work is important to you.

A. Fortunately, in the insurance business I have had the ability to be flexible with my time. I’ve always had an interest in the politics of getting things done. Being a volunteer community leader, I’ve been able to help affect change in our town, from getting a new school built, to saving a community park, to fighting overly dense development. I like being involved at a community level, especially when you realize that if there weren’t talented people willing to help, some things would never get done. I’ve also built business relationships working with various other professionals in the organization.

Q. We understand that you love sailing on the Chesapeake Bay. When did you learn to sail, and what kind of boat do you have?

A. I grew up boating on the Chesapeake Bay, which is one of the most beautiful places in the country and right here in the tristate area. My grandfather started taking me crabbing and fishing when I was 7 or 8. When I was 13, my father bought a sailboat. I learned to sail, and it’s been a lifelong love.

In 2019, I purchased a newer Beneteau 32-foot sailboat in Barnegat, N.J. We had to bring it down the Atlantic, up the Delaware River, and through the C&D Canal to the Chesapeake. It was a very cool experience. There are about 2.3 million people living in the Baltimore metro area, but you can go out on the bay some days or nights, and you’ll literally see eight other boats. It is like your own little world. It has also been fun to watch my kids grow up boating on the Chesapeake.