Q&A with BILL PURDY

Bill Purdy is President of Purdy Insurance Agency. Based in Sunbury, PA, the full-service agency now includes fourth-generation family members. Bill also serves on the IA&B Board of Directors.

Insurance is obviously a family affair for your agency. How many family members work there now?

Currently, seven. It’s myself and my two brothers [Chris Purdy and Craig Purdy]. And we’re working on the next generation plans. My daughter [Season Purdy Looper], and two of Chris’s sons [Truman R. Purdy & Adam Purdy] have acquired an interest in the business and are involved with the day-to-day operations; my son in law [Andy Looper] is also in the business.

Was there any doubt that you and your brothers would follow your father and grandfather into the business?

That was something I wanted to do growing up. Both of my brothers went to Gettysburg College. My oldest brother thought about being a school teacher, and Craig thought about law school. But after they talked about the opportunities with Dad [Truman H. Purdy], they decided they were coming into the office. For me, I always wanted to work with Dad.

When I chose a college, there weren’t many with insurance programs. I chose a university that had one, but when I got there, I realized that you couldn’t get into the insurance program until you were a senior in college. So I came home and went to work in the office and took business courses at Susquehanna University.

How about the next generation – did you know all along that they would join the agency?

I would say that Adam was pretty focused on coming in and joining the business. The rest of them weren’t sure. We didn’t put pressure on anyone. We explained the positives, the responsibility, and the work that goes with it, and we let them decide what they were interested in. Everyone made their own decisions.

Many IA&B member agencies are family businesses. What’s your best advice to other agency leaders who are bringing the next generation on board?

I think it’s important to let them know what’s involved – the opportunities and responsibilities. Many of us work a lot of hours. Kids may look at it and say, I don’t know if I want to put in all of that time and have that responsibility. But if you’re going to be successful anywhere, it takes that commitment.

My dad and several business associates that have family businesses have a rule: the kids needed to work somewhere else first, before coming into the family business. I spent a year working on road construction for Faylor Middlecreek before going to work in the agency. The same applied for Truman, Adam, and Season. They all worked various jobs – at restaurants, a senator’s office, construction, and another insurance agency – before joining the business. It’s good to have some life experience, and it’s an opportunity to grow personally and professionally.

You’ve spent your career in the industry. What has changed for the better over the years? And what has become more difficult for independent agents?

Some of it is the same – the good also presents challenges. For example, the growth of technology has given us the ability to be more efficient and have information at our fingertips, but it also has changed the knowledge agents need to differentiate themselves. It’s much easier to offset that knowledge base with technology these days. To me, that’s a good thing and a bad thing.

I also think carriers have changed over the years. When I started in the business, everyone referred to “Mother Aetna.” They took care of their employees, agents, and communities. They had a great training program and experienced, knowledgeable underwriters. In today’s world, a lot of companies work on partnerships with agencies, but it’s not quite the same.

Technology again is a good thing and bad thing. Underwriters can miss out on the in-depth knowledge and personal experience because underwriting today is mostly done through the computer with the use of analytics. It’s a good thing to have those resources, but you can’t let it keep you from forming relationships and thinking and working outside the box as they underwrite an account.

What’s the best professional advice you ever received?

Two things. First. Always listen to and learn from everyone. It doesn’t matter if it’s your boss, spouse, employee, or someone you meet along the journey.

Secondly, when you’re working with a client, don’t be afraid to tell the individual that you don’t have an immediate answer for them. Then do the research and get the information. This allows you to answer the question confidently and ensures the client you are always working in their best interest.

The past two years have turned the world on its head. What permanent changes have you noted from the pandemic?

I think the remote-work/work-from-home model is here to stay in some fashion. We have a mix of employees, some like working from home and away from the day-to-day office distractions, while others like an office to go to and thrive on being in the workplace and the socialization. It’s figuring out the right mix for everyone. No matter what happens, you’re going to need remote-work availability for people in the future.

We understand you’re a Penn State sports fan. What sporting events do you attend?

I’ve been going to Penn State since I was a kid. We’re all big sports enthusiasts. When my father was getting ready for college, he went to Wyoming Seminary in Kingston, PA. It was a college prep school, so they did a lot of work with athletes who needed to build up their education before they went to college. He met a lot of people who became coaches (including many assistants and scouts for Penn State) and leaders of several of the college conferences. He made a lot of relationships there.

Our family has been a season ticket holder for Penn State Football since the 1950s; we actually have the same seats. We developed a football scholarship at Penn State in memory of my dad and mom (Truman & Kay Purdy). I also enjoy PSU wrestling and ice hockey. WE ARE Penn State Fans!

What was the best game or match you ever attended?

That’s really hard to pick. I missed a lot of big [football] games because of travel and work, but probably the one that was the most fun was the Nebraska game back in 1982 – the year they won their first national championship. Also, I would occasionally go to regional and national wrestling championships. They were a lot of fun.

In general, a favorite memory is back in the ‘60s, when I would go to State College with my father. He’d have one or two friends who’d want to go, and we’d start in the morning and stop along the way to go woodcock and grouse hunting. We’d get there in time to have a true tailgate out in the field and then watch the football game. Totally different atmosphere than it is today!

Adam Purdy, Season Purdy Looper, and Truman R. Purdy represent the fourth generation in the agency.

Bill with his wife, their children, and grandchildren

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