IIAT Traditions Run Deep at Convention in Austin

Reynolds sworn in as president, McCain wins Drex Foreman Award.

Among the many highlights of the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas’ 108th IIAT Conference and Trade Show, held June 16 and 17 in Austin, were the installation of Randy Reynolds, managing partner of Texas Associates Insurors, Austin, as president of IIAT for 2005-2006, and the awarding of the association’s 2005 Drex G. Foreman Award to Marietta McCain, president of Luhn-McCain Insurance Agency in San Antonio.

Reynolds, whose term begins Sept. 1, is also vice president of the Insurors Group, an alliance of insurance agencies located throughout Texas. He began his insurance career with the American General Fire & Casualty Co. where he worked for six years and served as regional marketing manager before entering the agency business in his hometown of Odessa.

“Randy’s first-hand experience and proven successes in the areas of finance, budgeting, policy-making and business development will be a key asset to the IIAT Board of Directors. He has clearly proved his leadership skill as a member of the IIAT executive committee. He has distinguished himself at the local level and as a highly capable board member at the state level. We eagerly anticipate his contributions as president,” said David VanDelinder, IIAT executive director.

Robert W. Hempkins, founding principal of Hempkins Insurance in Denison, was installed as president-elect and Frank Swingle, president of Swingle, Collins & Associates, Dallas, was elected vice president of the IIAT for 2005-2006.

Hempkins served as vice president last year and before that was a member of the board of directors for three years. He has also served in many capacities on IIAT committees including service as chairman of the Committee on Small and Rural Agencies. He is a member of Grayson County Local Insurance Association.

Hempkins began his insurance career as a representative of the Employers of Texas Company. He founded the Hempkins Insurance Agency in 1981.

Swingle started his independent agency in 1982 following a stint with Arthur Gallagher in Dallas. Having served as president of the Independent Insurance Agents of Dallas, he was then elected to the IIAT board of directors in 2002 after serving in numerous committee cap-acities. Swingle was an IIAT IMPACT regional vice president for six years.

Drex G. Foreman Award
Marietta McCain accepted the 2005 Drex G. Foreman award to the sound of thunderous applause and a long, standing ovation. The award is named for Drex Foreman, who served as executive director of IIAT for 30 years.

Jim Berger, IIAT immediate past president, in presenting the award told nearly 400 guests at the Wade F. Spilman Political Action/Drex Foreman Luncheon on June 17, that McCain began her relationship with insurance associations when she was elected president of the Independent Insurance Agents of San Antonio in 1980. She was elected to the IIAT Board of Directors in 1986 and served in that capacity through 1989. In 1990 she was elected president, the only female to serve in that office.

Berger said McCain recognized early in her career the value of a solid insurance education when there was little to encourage women to go forward in the profession. She received her education through local and state Big “I” associations, as well as the Society of Insurance Coun-selors. McCain served on the Society’s Board of Directors from 1993 through 1996 and chaired the board during 1998-99.

“Most recently she was honored at the National Legislative Conference with the Barny Burns award for significant fundraising, setting an all-time record of InsurPac fundraising for any state association, and more than doubling the Texas contributions,” Berger said.

Summing up, Berger said McCain is, “a woman who is a friend of every insurance agent struggling to build a business, and a world class individual.”

In receiving her award McCain said she hoped her accomplishments would serve as an example for other insurance professionals and especially for women that it is possible to reach the highest levels of success.

Young Agent of the Year
At the June 16 luncheon IIAT named Patrick Watkins, president of the Watkins Insurance Group in Austin, as the association’s Young Agent of the Year. Clyde Fitch of St. Paul Travelers, which sponsored the award, presented Watkins with the honor.

In making the presentation, Fitch said Watkins runs a family agency that has grown from a single location with five employees to a nine-location agency with more than 60 employees. Noting that Watkins is an “excellent example of involvement and contribution for young agents everywhere,” Fitch said Wat-kins has served in a number of industry roles.

His committee work has included IIAT’s young agents, finance, and legislative committees, as well as the Marketing Task Force.

Watkins has served as president of his local association where he was recognized with the President’s award. He has been chairman of five different committees of his local association, and has been on agent councils for Safeco, Hartford, Unitrin and Myron Steves.

In accepting the Young Agent of the Year award, Watkins said it has “been a tremendous ride over the last 11 years,” that he has worked in the insurance business. He thanked his co-workers and mentors, his wife, Misty, and his father, David Watkins, who told him upon entering the business that, “the sky was the limit.”

ASCR of the Year
Also at the June 16 luncheon, Kelly McCoy, senior commercial accounts manager at McQueary, Henry, Bowles, Troy in Dallas, was honored as IIAT’s Accredited Customer Service Rep-resentative of the Year.

Fred Steves, executive director of Myron F. Steves, award sponsor, presented the ASCR of the Year award to McCoy.

“Kelly has demonstrated exceptional skill in servicing the renewal process for her clients, working with them with loss control measures, and in marketing and presenting proposals,” Steves said. “She considers being thought of as the “go to” person for her customers as the most valuable contribution she makes to her agency’s success,” he added.

McCoy has held the ACSR designation in personal lines since 1991 and in commercial lines since 1994. She is currently working on her CIC.

Steves said McCoy has been recognized repeatedly within her agency and added that her exemplary qualities were highlighted in a letter from one of her customers, who said of McCoy: She is “knowledgeable, responsive, personable, service-minded, and most importantly, she cares.”

McCoy received a cash prize of $1,500 and attended the conference and trade show with a complimentary registration as a guest of IIAT. McCoy also received complimentary study materials from the American Institute for IIA/CPCU and has the opportunity to enter the National ACSR of the Year contest sponsored by IIABA.

New hiring, training tools released
IIAT unveiled at the convention new tools to help independent agent members find and keep the best employees: the Hiring Tool Kit and the New Employee Orientation Guide. IIAT said the tools offer a wide range of step-by-step, practical resources covering nearly all aspects of the hiring process–recruiting, assessment, selection and a measured approach to getting new employees off to a fast and good start.

“These tools address a large need among independent agents–that of attracting and retaining the very best employees out there,” said IIAT president Bill Harrison Jr. He noted that the hiring process coupled with increasingly complex provisions of employment law have moved finding and keeping top employees into the realm of a specialty.

The Hiring Tool Kit includes strategies for marketing, qualifying and closing. It takes a six-step approach: Define your product, analyze the market, identify the target segment, establish a positioning strategy, design an inducement strategy and create a promotional strategy.

The New Employee Orientation Guide is intended to suggest structured approaches for getting a new employee settled in and onto an accelerated learning track.