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YOUNG AGENT AWARD
Congratulations to the recipients of our inaugural IA&B Young Agent Award. These three rising stars in the independent agent community were selected by the IA&B Board of Directors for outstanding commitment to their profession and their community.
Greg Bennett Famous & Spang Associates Aberdeen, MD Carissa Bonner Gibbel Insurance Agency Lititz, PA Kevin Thomas, Jr., CPIA CBM Insurance New Castle, DE
Learn more about these exceptional young insurance professionals on the following pages, as well as the video posted on IABforME.com and IA&B’s social media accounts. And look for information about the 2021 IA&B Young gent Award in the months ahead.
Talent development is among the strategic drivers of our business. That’s why we invest in agency-partner producer programs.
Proud to support the IA&B Young Producers
Greg Bennett
Famous & Spang Associates Aberdeen, MD
What professional accomplishment are you most proud of? My story might not be unique, as many of us find ourselves drawn unknowingly into the family business. However, I feel blessed and proud to continue the legacy that my grandfather started and my father and mother continued, and to be given the opportunity to continue working side-by-side with my sister to provide a valuable service to family, friends, clients, referral partners, and other members of the community. We deal with a product that is often misunderstood by the masses, so to be a valuable resource to so many is something I am quite proud of.
What’s your favorite part of your job? My favorite part of my job is being my clients’ go-to professional advisor. When someone tells you that you’re the first person to successfully explain a coverage after they’ve purchased insurance for 20 or 30 years, it makes you feel like you’ve accomplished something. There is nothing I love more than when a client puts all of their faith into you for their current and future insurance needs because they are convinced you are the right person to provide them long-term protection and value.
How do you network? Early in my insurance career, I was fortunate to be invited to launch our local Chamber’s Young Professional committee which allowed me to meet like-minded, younger members. We networked, commiserated, and became friends which gave us a sense of comfort and a place to call home when we attended larger networking events with “seasoned” members. From there, a small group of us created a tight-knit networking/philanthropic organization outside of the sphere of the Chamber of Commerce, which we still participate in today. This group has connected me with numerous individuals and businesses and allowed me to give back to the community with greater meaning. How do you define success? Success obviously means different things to different people. My definition of success is having the ability to provide a great life for my wife and children while feeling fulfilled in choices I make during the day. My family values the ability to travel and have new experiences, to give back to those less fortunate or going through hard times or natural disasters, and to have a safe and comfortable home to live in.
What advice would you give young insurance professionals starting their career? Find a mentor, both in your office and out of it. Ask them a lot of questions about anything at all! Make sure you are also networking with your industry peers – though they may not have the breadth of experience, they will each bring a certain factor to the table, and it will be someone you can call on down the road if you need help. Make sure you are constantly educating yourself and striving to be the best version of who you can be. You are the only person holding you back!
If you’re not working, what are we most likely to find you doing? With two very active young boys, I’m likely juggling their interests and activities with my wife, Regan. During the last few months (due to COVID-19), we’ve all (kind-of) learned to fish, taken up bicycling, and spent plenty of summer weekends at the pool. I’ve also gotten back into playing in a local men’s lacrosse league – it’s fun, but the pace of play is far different than games in high school or college, and you remain sore for a few days afterwards! In the last couple of years, I’ve strived to take better care of myself, while equally balancing time with my boys, my wife, and with the rest of our family and friends.
T hank You to Our S ponsors
The Young Agent Award is made possible with the support of these generous companies.
Carissa Bonner
Gibbel Insurance Agency Lititz, PA
What sparked your interest in insurance? As many of us did, I fell into insurance by accident. I worked as a receptionist at a captive agency when I graduated high school. I liked the fast-paced nature of the industry and, above all else, helping others. As I grew in the industry, I moved into commercial lines and the independent agency side. I loved that each day presented a new set of challenges that allowed me to continue developing while still helping others.
What’s the best professional advice you ever received? My mom and my dad instilled excellent work ethics in me from a very young age. They continually reminded me that even when you don’t feel like it, you get up, put on a smile, and go to work to do your best. They also would remind me that it is not about me, it is about your team as a whole. I have carried this with me through every job I have had, and these values are one of the main reasons I have been successful.
What time-management tips can you share? Read 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey and pay attention to his chart which has four areas to help organize important, not important, urgent, and not urgent tasks. This along with self-discipline, developing processes, and continually prioritizing tasks are the best means of time management I have found. As independent agents, we are busy, and being able to prioritize and multitask is essential.
What’s your favorite part of your job? I love to mentor and teach others within our industry. There is a huge need for mentorship within our industry as many retire and take their knowledge with them. Helping others to be successful in our field is of upmost importance to me. It’s why I accepted my current position as our agency’s operation manager and why I teach continuing education in addition to my full-time agency job. I enjoy helping others to succeed and “paying it forward” from all of those who have helped me along the way. How do you network? I am a believer in Business Network International. Our agency is actively involved in this networking group, and it has done wonders for us. This group has one individual for each open category, so there is no competition among members. It helps to foster and build relationships with several different businesses, from contractors, to lawyers, and all the many areas in between. This really expands your sphere of influence and allows you to reach more prospects than only focusing within your normal network or industry.
What advice would you give young insurance professionals just starting their career? There will always be co-workers and managers that are not your favorite, but each of these difficult relationships has something to teach you. Learn what you can from those relationships, and carry the positive forward. One day you may realize that some of those hard relationships strongly influenced your career and made you more successful. I know I feel that way now.
Our industry has amazing resources for continuing education from full-blown designations to online learning, so take advantage of them! We have some wonderful instructors who will help you to build a strong foundation for your career.
Also, you learn more from your failures than you ever do your successes. Be accountable for your mistakes, but be OK when you make them and help to fix them so you don’t make them again in the future.
Where do you see yourself in 20 years? I hope to continue to grow within the insurance industry and to share with those around me all that I have learned. Continuing to grow and build relationships as an instructor is important to me, but I still see myself working in an agency and helping the agents I’m working with and the agency I’m working for be successful.
Tell us about a professional mentor you had and what you learned from him or her. I was fortunate enough to learn the insurance industry from my father, Kevin Thomas, Sr. He was a principal at my office when I first started in the mailroom many years ago. I would consider Kevin one of the brightest minds in the industry, and he has such a knack for articulating and explaining difficult material. I still rely on him today for his wealth of knowledge in the industry. We have very similar and very different skill sets. He makes me very proud to this day.
What professional accomplishment are you most proud of? I was voted Associate Supplier of the Year for Associated Builders and Contractors of DE (ABC). I was selected by my peers, and it came as a huge surprise to me. It’s not the most prestigious award or even industry specific, but it made me feel valued in an occupation that can be commoditized, especially in the trades.
What’s your favorite part of your job? My favorite thing about insurance is the people. I truly enjoy connecting and partnering with my clients. It could come in the form of solving a complex insurance issue, helping with a claim, socializing on the golf course, or simply getting that satisfaction of knowing that the other person values your time. The return of investment to me, other than revenue and security, is the value my clients find in me. I could not do any of that without my staff and my centers of influence. The inner-workings of this industry are people; if you do not take the time to appreciate, understand, and value them, you are truly missing out. How do you strike a work-life balance? Delicately. Prior to COVID, I travelled several months out of the year. I learned to work remotely years back and hold myself accountable regardless of location. I consider myself a hybrid producer. I can be anywhere in the world and, with the assistance of technology, make it feel like I am in the next office over.
Additionally, I enjoy my hobbies and have several clients that I also call friends. This allows for my balance to be somewhat intertwined and helps to develop deep, longlasting friendships and relationships.
How do you network? I was born and raised in New Castle County, DE. I have lived there my whole life and have been active throughout the community. I have several long-standing relationships dating back to when I was very young, and as I have grown, so have these relationships. I utilize these centers of influence to generate business and foster partnerships. I am very active in associations in my area and devote time to my Rotary club and community service. Most of my new business generation and networking comes from my visibility in the community and delivering quality to those I support.
What advice would you give young insurance professionals just starting their career? Take the time and learn the business. Understanding the complex nature of this industry and understanding the coverages will allow you to be confident when working with clients. Don’t take it for granted, and learn from those who have the experience to offer.
What would people be surprised to know about you? I was bitten by a barracuda on my 21st birthday cruise. I was told the chances of that happening are similar to the odds of your house being struck by lightning. Well, that has happened to me twice!
