Q&A with Candi Shoupe

Candi Shoupe is COO / Partner of CBM Insurance, a full-service independent agency in New Castle, DE. She also serves on the IA&B Board of Directors.

Q. Tell us about your career path. What triggered your interest in the insurance industry, and what led you to an independent agency?

A. I started working part time at a small, independent insurance agency during my freshman year of college. Due to a family hardship, I was not able to return to school my sophomore year. At that point I had the insurance “bug” and began my full-time career in insurance.

Over the years I held many positions in the agency, from Personal Lines CSR to Commercial Lines CSR to Agency Claims Manager. Then I spent nine years managing a wholesale agency underwriting surplus lines policies. In 2008, I decided to give the company side a try and accepted a position with Main Street America Group.

One of my first agency appointments with MSA Group was a start-up operation, Clark Baffone & Matthews (now CBM Insurance). I met with Brandon Baffone & Drue Matthews and was inspired by their agency vision. I left MSA Group to join Brandon and Drue and manage their new agency in May 2009. Drue decided to leave the insurance industry in 2015 to pursue a calling to pastor a church. Shortly after that, Brandon put a plan in motion to have me join him as a partner in the agency. It has been an amazing adventure working with Brandon to build CBM Insurance.

Q. The last two years have been a wild ride for employers. From management to agency operations, what lessons have you learned?

A. The past two years have been an incredible challenge for so many reasons. In March 2020 when I sent our staff home with laptops, I very naively told them it would be for two weeks. Two years later, we are still learning lessons of this changed world.

At CBM we invest a lot of time in our agency culture. We always tell our employees that family comes first, and we try every day to live by these words. At no time has this been more important than during the struggles of the past two years.

We had just purchased a small personal lines agency on March 1, 2020 and were in the process of acquiring IFS Insurance on Dec. 31, 2020. Onboarding two agencies during the pandemic, while trying to maintain our agency culture, took an enormous amount of planning. Keeping the lines of communication open is so important to make sure that everyone has the tools they need to be successful. Half our staff is working hybrid/remote with no plans to change in the near future. Our employees love the flexibility, and our agency service levels have all increased.

Q. Your background is in commercial lines. What advice would you give to new producers just getting their start in the industry?

A. I think learning to read a policy and understanding policy forms is so important. It always amazes me how many insurance agents have never read a policy form. Taking the time to really understand what you are selling and the limitations of coverage will prevent many errors.

The other thing I really stress is getting to know your company underwriters. In this day of technology and email, it’s easy to forget that insurance is a people business. Take the time to form a relationship with your underwriters. That relationship could mean the difference in getting a deal across the finish line.

Q. What do you consider your biggest professional accomplishment, and why?

A. My biggest professional accomplishment is working with Brandon Baffone and being his partner in CBM Insurance. Growing CBM Insurance from a small start-up to one of the leading agencies in Delaware in 13 years is incredible. I am so thankful for the many blessing that we have had along the way. We have a great team at CBM!

Q. What are the independent agency system’s biggest challenges? And how do you think we can overcome them?

A. We are living in the world of instant gratification. Everyone is becoming accustomed to going online and ordering whatever they want to have it delivered to their doorstep. We are seeing more customers take this same approach with insurance. Our challenge is to make sure our clients understand the benefits of working with an independent agent and how valuable that service is to their insurance program.

Q. We understand you’re a long-time volunteer with Boy Scouts of America. Tell us about your involvement!

A. My youngest son joined scouting in 2013, and I signed up to help. Since then, I have held several positions: Den Leader, Assistant Scoutmaster, Treasurer, Merit Badge Counselor, and currently Committee Chair for his troop. I really believe in the scouting experience and the leadership opportunities it provides for our youth. During my time with Troop 239, we have had five boys, including my son, earn their Eagle Scout. We have two more boys who are close, and I hope to stick around to see them complete this honor. Our troop recently chartered a girls’ unit, and I am looking forward to seeing these young women embrace the many advantages that scouting offers.

Q. When this issue of Primary Agent magazine arrives, summer will be right around the corner. What plans do you have?

A. This summer will be very busy for our family. My husband and I have four children. Our youngest son will graduate high school in June and is preparing to attend California University of Pennsylvania in August. Our oldest son is purchasing his first home and has a few projects we will be helping him with this summer. Our middle son lives in Montana with his wife. They just had our first grandchild, a little boy. We are planning a family road trip to Montana this summer to visit them and see Yellowstone and Mount Rushmore along the way. We will finish out with our daughter getting married in September. I love to kayak, so among all of our adventures, I am hoping to find time to get my boat in the water as much as possible.