President's Message

A DIVERSE INDEPENDENT AGENCY CHANNEL

I recently attended our national legislative conference in Washington, D.C., along with 30 IA&B member agents. (See photos on page 20.) This event is always a highlight for IA&B – and for me. However, it had even more meaning this year. Dr. Jeffrey Benson Jr., a memberagent from Delaware, was the winner of the prestigious Dan Fulwider Award, presented at the conference to an independent agent for his commitment to community service. Get to know Jeffrey and what a wonderful representative he is of IA&B and our industry in his interview on page 8.

The legislative conference came on the heels of another highly successful IA&B Women’s Conference, where over 185 insurance professionals gathered for a day of networking, learning, and growing. The praise continues to come in that this event is both needed, and empowering, for women in our industry.

I also recently served as a volunteer judge for the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) State Leadership Conference in Hershey, PA. This event brought together nearly 5,000 high school students from across Pennsylvania to compete in a host of business-related events. I observed an extremely diverse and talented group of students, showcasing the next generation. IA&B had a booth at this event, hoping to entice this audience to consider a career in insurance.

How are these all related? Each event highlighted diversity in its own unique way – showing how diversity is a key piece to our industry’s current and future success. IA&B is committed to promoting, supporting, and highlighting a diverse independent agency channel. Not only will these efforts benefit our current member agencies, but they will allow us to expand our search for future insurance professionals. It’s a win-win situation, and one we are proud of. Enjoy this issue which celebrates, and looks at ways to grow, our industry’s diversity.

Until next time,

Jason F. Ernest, President & CEO