Q&A with LEE DOTSON

N. Lee Dotson, CIC, AAI is owner of Bellevue Insurance Services, a full-service independent insurance agency in Wilmington, DE. Lee has served on the IA&B Board of Directors and chaired the Delaware Association of IA&B Government Relations Committee for many years.

Q. How did you get your start in the industry and make your way to owning an independent agency?

A. When I was in high school, I wanted to be an airline pilot. I wanted to fly Eastern Airlines – I’m dating myself! Those guys made like 100 grand a year, so I said, ‘That’s what I want to do, I want to fly jets.’ My dad talked me out of it, but then I met an insurance agent and he told me what he does – took six months of vacation, played golf three days a week, had a beach house. So I said, ‘That’s what I want to do.’

So I started working for him, doing filing and taking pictures of homes three days a week. I was 17 at the time. When I turned 18, I got my license and started doing highrisk auto insurance. I was doing 120 policies a month, I was a machine. Then about a year or so after that, I met an independent agent and went to work for him, and I was just doing business insurance, cold calling businesses all day. That was how I got started.

Then in 2005 I started my own agency, and I’ve been going strong ever since. In 2010 I bought my building, and everything has been going well since then.

Q. Bellevue Insurance Services was named a Big “I” Best Practices Agency for several years. Tell us about that experience.

A. So when I did that [in 2016], I had to analyze my revenue and expenses, and for me that was eye-opening. I’m not a financial guy. I don’t do spreadsheets. But when I did it and had to put pen to paper, I thought, ‘Wow, this is a pretty good process.’

Once we were recognized by a disinterested third party – Reagan Consulting – it was just awesome. For us, that was a good reminder about the importance of hard work, and what we’re doing, and how we’re doing it.

Q. There’s a big emphasis on mentorship these days. What role has mentoring played in your career?

A. I had three mentors. My first I told you about, he took sixmonth vacations, played golf. From him, I learned what not to do in business! I quickly learned you don’t get to do that.

My second mentor taught me a lot about the business – how to grind it out, how to ask for the sales, how to get up at 7 in the morning and start cold-calling. I was 19 or 20 years old, cold-calling contractors at 6 in the morning and going to Chamber mixers at 9 at night. Those were my days.

My third mentor taught me how to deal with employees, deal with customers, and handle money. I learned about investments and the value of time – the things I base my business on today. You have to have mentors to be successful in this business.

Q. You’re very involved with IA&B’s government affairs work. What sparked your interest?

A. I was involved with NAIFA first, and those guys showed me the ways of the political system, locally and nationally. We’d go down to Dover, have a luncheon with those guys. We’d go down to D.C. and meet with Carper and Biden. They showed me how it all works, how it’s all intertwined. I met politicians, I went to fundraisers, delivered checks, testified on bills. And that was on the life and health side of everything. I had mentors there who showed me what to say and how to say it. I got involved with the PAC fundraising, and I just thought it was fun and exciting – you start seeing the changes you make when you get involved.

As far as IA&B, I gave money to AgentPAC. Then the next thing I knew, I got a letter, a thank-you, and I thought that was pretty cool. I was just doing my part.

Q. What has been most eye-opening about the legislative process?

A. That’s a very good question. The most eye-opening thing is that it’s so easy for a non-insurance person to adversely affect our industry and to do it quickly. I had to testify on the credit-scoring bill. The Insurance Department testified that they wanted to get rid of it, and I was sitting next to them testifying that we should keep it, giving them all the reasons.

I met with a legislator ahead of time about the bill that was going to be introduced. I told him, ‘Credit scoring is a good thing. You’re going to penalize your constituents who have good credit.’ He said, ‘What do you mean because right now I don’t like this credit-scoring bill.’ I said, ‘If you have people who have good credit, their insurance has been reduced drastically. If you change this, you’re going to penalize the people who are doing the right thing and paying their bills.’ He asked if I had data to prove it, and I did. He ended up voting for keeping credit scoring as a result of our meeting.*

To me that’s the most eye-opening thing – meeting with legislators and educating them. Because they have no idea what could happen. Here’s a guy who’s going to vote on something that’s going to impact the majority of his constituents in a negative way, and he doesn’t even know he’s doing it.

Q. What would you tell other agents who are on the fence about getting involved in IA&B’s advocacy efforts?

A. I’m glad you asked that question. I sum it up, ‘If you like making money, you need to get involved to protect your career.’ That’s how simple this is. I get that people don’t want to get involved to my degree, and I can respect that. Then write a check out and send in money. This is career insurance, these PACs.

Politicians are always coming at us. They don’t really understand how the business works. It’s investing to protect your career. And it’s not only principals, it’s also employees of a firm. A lot of people make money in insurance, but they have no clue how the political process works and how it could affect their jobs. You have to protect your income and your career, and that’s both state and nationally.

Q. Thank you for your generous support of IA&B’s political action committee, AgentPAC. What drives your commitment?

A. I tell people that every day I protect my clients’ assets. AgentPAC is the only type of insurance we can purchase to protect our careers. It’s career insurance. There’s no underwriting, and we can decide how much the premium costs. There’s not a policy out there we can do that with.

If they [AgentPAC] don’t have money, they can’t do their job of political advocacy. People should get involved in the political process, if not by time then by money.

Q. We understand your sons are pretty serious lacrosse players. Tell us about it!

A. My boys are 17 and 15, a junior and a freshman. They’ve been playing since first grade, and they made the varsity lacrosse team this year at Salesianum High School. We won the state championship this year, so order has been restored in the Delaware lacrosse community. At one point, our high school team was ranked 25 th in the nation.

I love it. I’m a lacrosse dad. I wear a bucket hat. I get these crazy lacrosse shorts I wear to the games, and it’s the only place I can go that people say, ‘Hey, cool outfit!’

Lee’s sons, A.J. and Elliot, after winning the 2021 Delaware State Championship for boys’ lacrosse.

* Legislation introduced in 2017 would have eliminated nearly every rating factor used in auto insurance, including credit. After vigorous opposition by insurance industry stakeholders – including IA&B – the bill was substituted with compromise language that more clearly defines how insurers may use credit information.