Diversity in the Industry

I had an interesting conversation this past weekend with an agent I met at the American Agents Alliance conference in Indian Wells, California. The agent asked me, “Why don’t you write about Armenian agents?” It took me a moment to fully comprehend his question; one, because it wasn’t one of the more obvious questions I am usually asked, and two, because I couldn’t immediately think of a good answer.

The agent reminded me of the hundreds of agents and brokers in the Los Angeles and San Fernando counties, agents and brokers who are of Armenian or another Middle Eastern descent. And those agents readily serve the large population of Middle Easterners who inhabit the area. Having spent several years in Los Angeles, I vividly recalled the many diverse communities of the area in addition to the large Armenian community.

His question made me wonder, do some of our readers perceive Insurance Journal as unintentionally omitting their demographic population in the magazine? As a person who has a tremendous appreciation for culture and diversity, I want to assure you that we are committed to providing coverage for all agents and brokers throughout the Western states. I appreciate the feedback from this agent, and look forward to providing more coverage of the Armenian community, and other diverse populations that serve our industry.

The Alliance conference itself was well attended by a diverse population of agents and brokers from both California and Nevada, with a surprising number of young professionals in attendance. The conference featured California Senator Jackie Speier (D-Hillsborough) as the keynote speaker in the opening session, followed by a carrier CEO panel and a speech by Senator Chuck Poochigian (R-Fresno), who authored SB 899, the workers’ compensation reform package that recently passed in the legislature and is backed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. More on the Alliance convention will be featured in the Oct. 11 issue of IJ West.

I welcome your comments, ideas and criticisms on diversity in the industry, our coverage of agents and brokers who target and serve specific ethnic communities, the Alliance conference and the IJ Web site. Do those advertising pop-up ads bother you, as they did several of the agents I talked to?