Young Agent Award Winner: Jim Singleton

Jim Singleton, MBA, CIC, CPIA, MLIS, CRM

Age: 40

Agency: The Glatfelter Agency

Location: York, PA

Job title: Assistant Vice President

Years in the industry: 17

Q. How did you get your start in the insurance industry, and how has your career progressed?

A. It was February of my senior year of college, and I had been working in a pizza shop full time throughout college. I had not had an internship or much other professional experience. I noticed a lot of my peers landing post-college positions at places they interned, so I went into my academic advisor’s office to see if he knew anyone looking for an intern. He pointed me to Glatfelter Insurance Group and The Glatfelter Agency. I was late to the game, but I came on board and finished out that semester as Sales & Marketing intern with The Glatfelter Agency.

The internship went well, and we discussed the possibility of a full-time position upon graduation that June, but I had also been applying to graduate school. Ultimately, I was accepted into grad school, so I paused those discussions to pursue my MBA. I stayed on as an intern with Glatfelter throughout the summer between undergraduate and graduate school. Upon completion of my MBA, I called them [The Glatfelter Agency] back and asked if they still wanted to chat. We did, and I joined shortly thereafter as a full-time associate and Account Executive. As my career progressed, I was promoted to Assistant Vice President and enjoy that role still today.

Q. What does your typical workday look like?

A. It varies depending on the day and week. I split my time between office-focused days and on-the-road, client-meeting-focused days. When I’m in the office, my day consists of virtual meetings with clients, internal meetings with fellow associates, and catching up on everyday client service. Usually, two days of the week are office-focused, and three days of the week are on-the-road, client-facing.

Q. What’s your favorite part of your job?

A. Hands down, my favorite part is helping executives and business owners. It’s fun to come alongside them – to understand their business, understand what keeps them up at night, and then to develop a solution for them. When we’re working at our highest capacity, we become part of their advisory group, and it’s very rewarding.

Q. What are your professional goals?

A. To continue to grow and improve; to hone the craft. It’s about growing my practice – not only my book of business and client base, but also the team I work with every day so that they can continue to maximize their success.

Q. What advice would you share with someone just starting out in this industry?

A. Dig into it, embrace it, and figure out how you can continuously work to improve your skillsets. I like to say, “always be on the grow,” and that can mean something different to everybody. If you’re in production, that means grow your client base. If you aspire to be in management, grow your people and leadership skills. It’s going to be different for everybody, but embrace it and figure out how to grow to the place you want to go.

Q. Tell us about a mentor you’ve had and their impact on you.

A. I’ve been fortunate to have many over the years, but two come to mind. During the early years, I spent a lot of time with a seasoned producer who taught me a lot of the nitty gritty, boots on the ground, tactical stuff. He taught me how to position myself above the competition and how to overcome obstacles.

Additionally, I spent a lot of time with our prior agency president who has since retired. He was very impactful and provided a lot of coaching. He helped me learn the art of storytelling and to speak the language of our clients. Practicing those skills was unpleasant at the time, but I still use what he taught me today.