Who Made the Most Influential Agent List in 2003′
The Insurance Journal conducted a month-long readers’ poll to determine who’s who in the insurance world. Ballots were cast to name the most influential on the contemporary insurance scene. While the leader of our poll turned out to be the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America’s (IIABA) Virtual University, numerous nominations were submitted for the industry’s best of the best.
The nominations were so plentiful and diverse we had to limit our recognitions to the No. 1 nominee, and a few movers and shakers in the independent agent arena. These select nominations set the standard for the industry by advocating for the best interests of agents nationwide. Thanks goes to the IIABA for the following nominations, and to all who participated in our Industry’s Most Influential Web Poll.
So, who are the most influential agents across the nation?
Northeast
Thomas B. Ahart, former president of the IIABA is one of the leading independent agent and broker advocates in front of Congress promoting the association’s middle-ground approach to regulation reform. Most recently, Ahart testified before a Senate panel and again before a House committee. Ahart also is the chair of IIABA’s state government affairs committee. He is president of Ahart, Frinzi & Smith in Phillipsburg, N.J.
William F. Hofmann, is a past president of the IIABA and currently serves as chairman of the InsurPac. Under Hofmann’s leadership, InsurPac has established itself as the largest P/C insurance political action committee in the country. Hofmann is a partner in Provider Insurance Group Inc. located in Belmont, Mass.
Southeast
Alex Soto is president of InSource Inc. in Miami, Fla., and a member of the IIABA’s executive committee. Soto efforts help strengthen communications in the industry by serving as a leading communicator for young agents, urging them to help secure the future of the independent agency system.
W. Cloyce Anders is immediate past president of IIABA. An insurance professional since 1966, he is president of VFIS of North Carolina, and Anders, Ireland & Marshall Inc., both of Raleigh, N.C. Anders also is a managing partner of Independent Agency Services LLC of Durham, N.C. Anders also serves as chair of IIABA’s Professional Liability Task Force. He also is chairman of InsurBanc, the federal savings bank developed jointly by IIABA and the W.R. Berkley Corporation to serve independent agents and brokers as well as their clients.
Louise “BeBe” Canter was named the first woman ever to hold the IIABA’s top leadership position when she was inaugurated for a one-year term as president in September 2003. Canter is an unrelenting advocate for independent agents with legislators and regulators as well as the public, insurance companies and other industry organizations. As president, she is working to strengthen the competitive position of independent agencies and brokerages of all sizes. Canter is senior vice president of Patterson/Smith Associates in Falls Church, Va.
Midwest
Ronald A. Smith has been instrumental in the implementation of Trusted Choice, the consumer-marketing brand of the independent agency system. Currently, he serves as the Trusted Choice board chairman. He has also served as a past president of the IIABA. Smith is president of Smith Sawyer & Smith Insurance Agency in Rochester, Ind.
South Central
David VanDelinder, currently serves as the executive director of the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas. VanDelinder has long been one of the independent agency system’s most influential trendsetters in the area of agency education. Under his leadership, the IIAT has twice been recognized by the IIABA as having the best educational program in the U.S.
West
John A. Norwood has represented the legislative interests of IBA West and the agent and broker legislative council in California for more than 10 years. Norwood is one of California’s top legislative advocates, and his firm—Norwood & Associates—is considered a leader in the state’s insurance and financial services sector. Over the years, Norwood has earned a reputation as an expert in government relations, with access on both sides of the political aisle. His successes include leading the hard-fought campaign against state banks selling insurance products and the reform of California’s insurance agent and broker licensing laws.
Scott G. Hauge, president of CAL Insurance & Associates in San Francisco, is a leading advocate on insurance and small business issues in California. Hauge has a long list of influential positions that he has held nationally and in the San Francisco community. He is a National Small Business United board member, chair of the Small Business Workgroup of the California Workforce Investment State Board, and as founder of San Francisco Small Business Advocates, Hauge recently commissioned a major study of the economic impact of San Francisco small business. He also has been a leading advisor to the offices of the insurance commissioner and the governor on workers’ compensation reform in the state of California.