Investing in People, Tools and Relationships Makes a Difference

Riemer Insurance Group, with four offices in south Florida (and one in Westchester, New York), turns 50 in two years and remains family owned. Some employees have been with the agency for decades.

And, judging by responses to Insurance Journal’s survey, most of the associates really like working at the agency, making it the Bronze Award winner for the Best Agencies to Work For in the Southeast for 2026.

“There is no recognition that means more to me than one that comes from our own people,” said Paul Riemer, president of the agency, which is headquartered in Hallandale Beach, between Miami and Fort Lauderdale. “Awards from the industry are nice, but this one was decided by the people who show up every day and actually make Riemer what it is.”

Paul Riemer’s brother, Brian, is CEO of the agency. Their father, Stephen Riemer, founded the agency in 1978 and built it into a firm that now has 85 employees and serves some 8,000 clients.

Comments from producers and others at the agency suggest that an emphasis on communication with and support for employees has been a key to the agency’s success.

“We complete a producer meeting monthly. This meeting is for us as team members to discuss all goals and team performance. They give advice and never criticize. They offer us the tools to run our own business,” one producer wrote in the survey response.

Paul Riemer explained the agency’s philosophy in an interview: “What makes Riemer a great place to work comes down to our value system: family first, continuous improvement, loyalty, and always do the right thing.”

“Family first means exactly that,” he said. “We are a family business, and we treat our employees as an extension of that family. When someone has something going on at home, home comes first, and the team steps in. Continuous improvement means we invest in our people and our tools, and we expect everyone to get a little better every day. Loyalty runs both directions.”

His best advice for other agency owners: “Culture is not what you say at the holiday party. It is how you handle the tough renewal, the claim that goes sideways, or the team member who needs time away. Your team is watching how you act in those moments, and that is what they will believe about your agency.”

“Beyond that, give your people the tools and the training to win. Nothing frustrates a good employee more than being asked to deliver great service with outdated systems and no support,” he added. “Invest in technology, invest in carrier relationships that give your team real options for clients, and get out of the way. People want to work somewhere they can be proud of the work, and where they can see themselves growing.”

The management at Riemer believes that artificial intelligence, which has been a growing concern nationwide as layoff numbers grow across some industries, has a place–but not a displacement role.

“We are not using AI to replace people,” Paul Riemer noted. “We are using it to give our people the tools they need to succeed in today’s environment. Insurance is still a relationship business. Clients call us because they want someone they trust to explain a coverage form, fight for them on a claim, or find a market when nobody else can. AI does not do that. Our people do.”

“Where AI helps is in taking the grind out of the day,” he said. “We use it to support our internal processes so that fewer things fall through the cracks. That makes us more efficient, it lets us respond to clients faster and more thoroughly, and it frees our team to spend their time where it matters most, which is in front of and servicing our clients and carriers.”

“The way we see it, the agencies that will struggle are not the ones that use AI. They are the ones whose people are stuck doing manual work while their competitors are using better tools,” he said.