Agency Nation Radio

On this special episode of Agency Nation Radio, Charles Symington, Big “I” president and CEO, is joined by Nathan Riedel, Big “I” senior vice president of federal government affairs, to unpack the outcome of the 2026 election and its impact on the insurance industry and independent agents.

On this two-part edition of Agency Nation Radio, Will Jones, Editor-in-Chief of Independent Agent magazine, interviews Graham Blackwell, Applied System’s new CEO, about his vision for the company, how artificial intelligence (AI) is shaping its future, and why he wants Applied to become the insurance industry’s AI transformation partner. “We think we can be the organization that works with agencies at a desk level that brings them AI automation in the tools and the workflows that they already perform,” Blackwell says. In the second part, Kasey Connors, executive director of the Big “I” Agents Council for Technology, hosts a conversation with Matt Lane, senior vice president of product management at Applied Systems. Recorded at Applied Net, they explore the digital roundtrip of insurance and how agencies can leverage AI to streamline workflows and connect processes across the insurance lifecycle. “With Epic and Applied’s breadth of offerings, the things we think we can do are really to connect those interstitial pieces where the work upstream helps the work at the next step,” Lane says. “When we think about the digital roundtrip, it’s about getting those big pieces of work off our users’ plates, but more than anything else, making sure all the steps fit together.” Agency Nation Radio is where insurance professionals turn on the mic to share unscripted stories about leadership, technology, marketing, success, and failure—stories that helped shape their careers. From Main Street USA to the pages of Independent Agent magazine, these are the stories insurance professionals want to hear.

On this episode of Agency Nation Radio, we meet Todd Dailey, president and COO of Insurance Management Group in in Indianapolis, Indiana. Dailey takes a people-first approach to technology, prioritizing people, then process, and finally technology. He believes that employees who have the right support and resources are better positioned to deliver a positive client experience. That’s why he places greater emphasis on building effective processes than on the technology itself, ensuring employees have the tools and support they need to succeed. “Technology should come last because it only magnifies the quality of the process underneath it,” Dailey says. “If the process is poor, the technology can make the problem worse, but if the process is strong, technology can make it more effective.” Agency Nation Radio is where insurance professionals turn on the mic and share unscripted stories about leadership, technology, marketing, success and failure—stories that helped make them the professionals they are today. From Main Street USA to the pages of Independent Agent magazine—we’ve got the stories you want to hear. For more, catch Agency Nation Radio on your favorite streaming platform or visit iamagazine.com/podcasts. Dailey was also featured in the October issue of Independent Agent. Check out his interview or read the full issue online. This episode is sponsored by Liberty Mutual. When your small business book is full of next chapters, write them with us. The cafe owner who just bought out her landlord. The contractor who just landed his biggest job yet. The local distributor who just hired their first employee. Every line is yours to write. Explore new products, enhanced quoting, and more than 650 classes on our small commercial agent portal.

On this episode of Agency Nation Radio, Will Jones, editor-in-chief of Independent Agent magazine chats with Kristina Witzling, executive vice president, from Zeldis Research to unpack the results of the 2026 Agency Universe Study. The study is a research initiative supported by the Big “I” Future One Coalition, a partnership of more than 15 leading insurance organizations, and conducted by Zeldis Research. The study looks at statistics about independent agencies operating in the U.S., including their numbers, revenue base and sources, number of employees, ownership, mix of business, diversification of products, technology uses, non-insurance income sources and marketing methods.  The study found that independent agencies continue to see strong revenue growth, with 3 in 4 agencies reporting increases between 2024 and 2025—consistent with the previous year’s findings. At the same time, the share of agencies reporting a decline in revenue fell from 12% in 2024 to 8% in 2025. Growth was seen across both major lines of business, with about 7 in 10 agencies reporting increases in personal lines revenue and 2 in 3 seeing growth in commercial lines. While premium increases account for some of the revenue numbers, “a lot of it is organic growth,” says Witzling. “The vast majority told us that they're growing both personal and commercial lines—they’re really targeting growth,” she says. “We're seeing more cross-selling, and more agencies tell us that they're selling cyber; that's been going up every year.” Agency Nation Radio is where insurance professionals turn on the mic to share unscripted stories about leadership, technology, marketing, success, and failure—stories that helped shape their careers. From Main Street USA to the pages of Independent Agent magazine, these are the stories insurance professionals want to hear

On this episode of Agency Nation Radio, we meet Kenneth Harper Jr., president & CEO of Harpco Benefits in in New Bern, North Carolina. Harper’s commitment to servant leadership has shaped his path in both the insurance industry and the political arena. That same commitment led him to attend the inaugural Insurance Campaign Institute, held just days before the 2026 Big “I” Legislative Conference this past April. “We had access to key strategists and deep field knowledge,” Harper says. “And then you actually could practice the skills on Capitol Hill after.” Harper ran for the U.S. Senate in 2022 and lost the Republican primary. Despite the defeat, the lessons learned and relationships built during the experience have opened new doors to serve his community. Agency Nation Radio is where insurance professionals turn on the mic and share unscripted stories about leadership, technology, marketing, success and failure—stories that helped make them the professionals they are today. From Main Street USA to the pages of Independent Agent magazine—we’ve got the stories you want to hear. For more, catch Agency Nation Radio on your favorite streaming platform or visit iamagazine.com/podcasts. Harper was also featured in the September issue of Independent Agent. Check out his interview or read the full issue online.