The Insurance Chatter with Reghan Brandt

Today I am sitting down with Mark Smith, 🎉 President of K2 Insurance Services a specialty MGA that is set to write nearly $1.5 Billion dollars of premium this year! 💵Mark has spent over 30 years in the insurance industry, and as he states, "life has been good to me." 🎯 Over his 30 years, he's gone coast to coast, and he's been successful at every step of his career.He started out as an actuary geek, 📝 then developed a deep skill set to manage and run teams and divisions of insurance with a focus on loss ratios and profitability.He's innovative and proactive, 🔌 with an approach that's led him to develop many strategies for K2 to drive profitable revenue and develop over 7 start ups in the last 18 months.It has been fun to get to know him, work closely with him, and be a small part of the K2 rocket ship's journey.🙌🚀

Today I'm sitting down with 💪 Abraham Boling, CEO and founder of Insurance Professionals, a cluster group with over 600 independent agents.Abe is the true definition of 💥 self-made, self-built, and determined to work his way out of poverty to the top. He knew he wanted to create a legacy and revenue stream that could give his family of six the life they deserved. 🚨He got his start with Aflac and quickly pivoted to founding his own independent agency called Contractors Insurance NW INC. 🙌 He successfully sold and exited that company at the start of the pandemic, and has been off to the races ever since.Now, Abe is building a reputation as a leader in the industry 📈—based on trust, decisiveness, and open communication with his brokers and carrier partners. His fundamental insurance background and entrepreneurial spirit is setting him apart. 🗣️ Listen in as he shares the grit and grind needed to thrive in this industry!

🙋Today, I'm sitting down with Kevin, the president of Cover Whale. I've been following their company for a while and have been impressed; They've already written 💰$100 million in premiums so far this year, and they're aiming to double that in the second half of the year.Listen 🎧 in as he tells us how they're insurtech 2.0—driving growth while maintaining market-leading loss ratios, focusing on profitability and leveraging data to make roads safer and save lives! 🙌Kevin has grown up in the insurance industry, surrounded by legends like Peter Hearn, Rod Fox, and Rob Bredahl  —the list goes on 📄; all of whom have helped shape his dynamic and aggressive approach to business.And now, he's building a reputation🗣 for himself as a leader in the insurance world, 💬 based on trust, decisiveness, and open communication with his brokers, carrier & re-insurance partners and capital markets 💫. He's using his fundamental insurance background and pairing it with propriety tech solutions to better utilize data to better price risk 💥.I can't wait to see where these guys are in the next few years...the 🚀rocket ship is just getting loaded!

🌞We're back with another Chatter episode!Today I'm sitting down with Troy Korsgaden—a highly sought-after insurance and financial services consultant. 🥇 Troy is a man who never stops innovating and learning. 🎙️ He's got a lot of energy, a ton of charisma, and a real gift for connecting with his audience and moving the insurance industry forward—🌟and now he's sharing his best tips with you!Troy is known for being a man who can make a room full of people laugh. But he's also a man who can make that same room full of people think, and change their lives for the better. 📣 What sets Troy apart from other speakers is his ability to connect with his audience—😄you can tell he really cares about helping carriers and agency owners better communicate with consumers so that those consumers develop a higher appreciation for the value of insurance products.In this special episode, Troy shares his "lightbulb moment"💡 that helped him triple his growth and overhaul his agency in less than 18 months!

 Today I'm sitting down with Adam Keifer, CEO & Co-Founder of Talage.You may have seen him ripping it up on the University of 🏈Nevada football team—he was shooting for the NFL, but he ended up landing in the second-best career: 💲Insurance!He got his start at a local independent agency in Reno that was eventually acquired by Wells Fargo. He credits his agency roots and mentor, Dave Strickler, with helping him realize that there was a huge opportunity to revolutionize small business insurance for agents and carriers.🗣🎤 At 6 ft 5 inches with a ponytail, he might not look like your standard insurance agent or tech entrepreneur, but he's revolutionizing small insurance alongside his childhood best friend. 💪What I love most about Adam and Talage is that he's revolutionizing small insurance by pulling the best practices of Silicon Valley startup life into humble Reno roots to give people a great career. 📰 He takes it as a big responsibility to guide them and mentor them to excel in their careers and build something really special.He's put together a team of top-notch experts — all of whom share his vision — and they're already making waves in the industry. Listen in and keep an eye out for Talage as they are working with dozens of carrier and agencies across the nation.💥His commitment to making small business insurance easy and efficient is unmatched in the industry. The talage team is full of top-notch experts — all of whom share his vision — and they're already making waves in the industry.🙌 Listen in and keep an eye out for Talage.

Dan Keough is a man of many talents 🙌 . But that's not the only thing that sets him apart —it's his WHY. Dan strives to contribute something bigger than himself, and he owes much of his success to this principle.Growing up in Chicago, IL, 👨Dan's baseball career brought him to the University of Iowa and kept him there until he decided to take a shot at the insurance industry.His father's cousin was working for Arthur J. Gallagher, so Dan was able to get an internship that eventually led to an opportunity to get involved with the captive business. 👨‍👩‍👧In 1999, he took his entrepreneurial and competitive spirit and created Innovative Captive Strategies, a company dedicated to creating innovative risk solutions for business owners. 🏋️ This company has since grown into one of the most successful captive management companies in the country and won multiple awards for its innovative approach to risk management solutions.With nearly 30 years under his belt, 🏅Dan currently serves as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at Holmes Murphy & Associates and Co-CEO/Co-Founder at BrokerTech Ventures.It's no surprise that Dan has taken his success so far🔥—and now he has a clear vision: become the example in the industry that allows a platform for people to stay private. I am looking forward to seeing him lead Holmes Murphy to being the 💵 1st Billion Dollar Broker that is private!

💭Caleb Whitehouse is the Master of Solutions at Scottish American, a Managing General Agent (MGA) in the insurance industry. Caleb's journey from the basement to the ground floor to the top floor is an inspiring one that has taught him how to truly master his craft, empower and mentor others, and believe in himself. 🙏 He has always been guided by a higher power and now he is paying it forward in creating an entrepreneurial culture that helps his team members do their best work possible and be passionate about what they do. 🤝About a decade ago, Caleb met Paul Thomson and 🗣 quickly realized that Scottish American—an MGA that wanted to be different and think differently than its competitors—was a place where he wanted to be. Caleb jumped in full force and embraced the entrepreneurial model that Scottish was building.Talking with Caleb is refreshing 😍 because he cares about empowering, mentoring, and developing his team. He believes that we are put on this earth to make a difference, and regardless of what you are selling 📘 —people are the core blessing. He has always followed his motto: "Hire good people, let them do good stuff, and get out of their way."🚀 Listen in as Caleb shares the Scottish way!#culture #team #work #people #power #building #mentoring 

🔥Today I am sitting down with Scott Carpinteri; a true maverick in the insurance industry, driven to change its perception and bring it into the future.Scott Carpinteri was ahead of his time, pursuing a degree in the insurance field (Actuarial Science) when it was a relatively new thing to do so. 📚He jokingly laughs that he is tired of insurance being the redheaded stepchild of the financial industry and actively works with many risk management programs around the US to bring young talent🎓 into the industry.Scott is the kind of person who makes other people want to be in insurance💎 . I first got to know him at Year End K2 Insurance Services Planning Session and I knew he was someone special.To me, Scott embodies all that's good about insurance: hard work, dedication, and a passion for solving complex problems. 🏆He worked his way up through the ranks of the industry—from actuarial analyst to Senior Vice President at Swiss Re—but rather than rest on his laurels, he has moved on to making waves in the world of parametric insurance.🙌Scott founded 🌟K2 Parametric Insurance Services, LLC in 2021 as a way to put his spin on things and make a lasting, positive mark on the industry. He isn't just about himself—he's about the industry as a whole, and his new program is making a big impact. His ability to take otherwise complex topics or concepts and frame them in an easy-to-digest framework is one thing that makes him unique.🚀K2 Parametric Insurance Services, LLC is helping advance parametric insurance at the intersection of technology, data science, and insurance. The company focuses on creating parametric products to help companies manage their risks better and provide more value to clients.Listen in as he shares his valuable 👉insights The Insurance Chatter!

Today's guest is Jeremy Gluck, president of AEGIS General Insurance Agency 🏡 where he manages nearly $200 Million of annual affordable housing premium. Jeremy Gluck 🎓 graduated from Western Colorado University and at the last minute pivoted from ski bum ⛷ to the reinsurance industry. He was fortunate enough to start his career 💼 under Rod Fox (founder of TigerRisk Partners🦊) and credits Rod with instilling a winning attitude, grinding harder than anyone else, and above all advocating and putting your customers first.🥇Jeremy Gluck is refreshing to talk to because he genuinely loves this insurance business and stated 💯"This is an industry that if you work hard and you care about your partners and your customers, you're going to do really well financially 💵. It's not the geeky old insurance of yesteryear, this is a real deal business and there are a lot of people making significant amounts of money." 👀Listen in as we discuss:💡How he landed in insurance💡Pandemic Pros & Cons💡A new approach to recruiting talent💡 What he believes you need to thrive in the industry💡 Organizations near and dear to his heart **hint hint Community Incident Response💡And so much more!Reflecting on our ⏰ time on The Insurance Chatter; it is clear his dynamic personality, work ethic, and his ability to 👏 connect with people; advocate for his employees, carrier partners, and customers has helped him thrive! 🙌That's a wrap for the Chatter!#insurance #business #work #people #podcast #future #interviewing #insurtech #growth #markets #insurancechatter #insurancelove

👍 Bell graduated from the University of Montana in 1996 and began his career with Chubb. Shortly after 9-11 Bell was recruited by Chubb to help found Allied World Assurance Company, a publicly-traded global (re)insurance company that Chubb capitalized in conjunction with AIG and Gold Sachs Capital Partners. 📈  He launched Allied Worlds Professional Lines, ultimately becoming the Chief Operating Officer.After 10 years of leadership at AWAC David was given the opportunity to move back home to Montana and take over as President & CEO of ALPS—a company that's been disrupting the legal malpractice insurance industry for over 30 years.  🎬 Since his arrival at Alps, he has been rolling up his sleeves and getting to work with his highly skilled team.   Bell comes to the table ✍ with a wide-ranging background in insurance and finance, a drive to make things happen, and a down-to-earth attitude that has helped him lead the way for ALPS' tech-forward model that keeps up with what clients need in today's market!📊💼Listen to him share his thoughts on:👉Small vs large insurance organizations👉Why Alps really is an “insurtech”👉Where the future of distribution is headedHis perspective on the insurance industry is refreshing and inspiring—honored to have him on the podcast, and lucky to have such an awesome man in my own backyard of Missoula, MT!

Today's guest is 🕴Robert Kimmel, CEO and Co-Founder of K2 Insurance Services, the sleeper general insurance agency in the country, has been on a roll since he launched this business in 2011. K2 Insurance Services has grown from $0 to $1.4 billion🚀🚀 of annual premium written and he's done it by being different and creating a culture that attracts top talent to K2 Insurance Services.Robert Kimmel had always been an entrepreneur at heart. When he was in college, his roommates father offered him an internship at EW Blanche, a reinsurance broker. Robert Kimmel quickly 📑 learned the basics of the insurance industry and was ready to start his own business when the opportunity presented itself.The end of the 🎢 09' financial crisis presented a unique opportunity in the general agency market. Robert Kimmel reached out to his mentor Pat Kilkenny for advice, and Pat simply said "lets roll em up" and K2 was born 📈. Over the next few years, K2 Insurance Services became one of the most successful general agencies in the country specializing in a wide range of markets.Listen in as Robert Kimmel shares how he is always on the road making connections, deals, and driving new opportunities to K2 Insurance Services.That's a wrap for the Insurance Chatter!#insurance #business #work #people #podcast #future #interviews #insurtech #growth #markets #insurancechatter #insurancelove #b

Have you ever wondered what it takes to succeed in the insurance industry?I sat down with the perpetually driven Rod Fox to talk about his success story—and trust me, you don't want to miss this one! It involves a cabin in the woods, horses, and fire!Rod Fox is the real deal and he lives with a healthy dose of risk, an unrelenting drive, and a passion to lead a great life capitalizing on hard fought victories.He's one of the most competitive people you'll ever meet, and he's got the accolades to prove it. Rod started his career at E.W. Blanch due to a twist of fate—he was horseback riding next to Ted Blanch during his sophomore year of college and landed an entry level position. Rod quickly rose through the ranks becoming the CEO and helping to take the company public.After that, Rod founded Benfield Group’s US reinsurance platform, and served as CEO of Praetorian Financial Group until he led the restructuring and successful sale of the $2B specialty property and casualty insurer to QBE.In 2008, Rod founded TigerRisk where he is currently the managing partner and executive chairmen. Rod's work has led him all over the world and TigerRisk currently has offices in London, Bermuda, Ireland, and Australia. TigerRisk has over 300 employees and hundreds of millions of dollars of revenue.So, how does Rod do all this? He explains: "I look for people that want to lead a great life," he says, "and lead by example." Rod Fox has successfully built multiple companies, serves on numerous industry boards, and has completed half and full Ironman endurance races.So press play and get ready for some laughs and some serious motivation from a very interesting guy. If you are a young person; hungry to win and learn- connect with Rod today!

🙋Today I am honored to sit down with a truly exceptional man.Garrett Droege is not your typical insurance guru🌐 . He rose to fame as an actor, making an appearance in shows like Dawson Creek and One Tree Hill but Garrett quickly learned that stand-in cameos wouldn't pay the bills 🎬 for his new family. So he temporarily took a position at his father-in-law's insurance agency. After scratching his head over the way they did business, faxing and mailing correspondence, he knew there had to be a better way.😼😼😼 Garrett has an infinite mindset and knew that if the agency didn't innovate, its status quo would become a threat. So what started as a temporary job with his father in law, turned into 7.5 years of learning best practices and streamlining their processes with innovative and creative technologies. This mindset landed him as the CEO and Executive Director of TechAssure: a global network of independent agencies that includes specialists who collaborate to provide training, educational services, and exclusive insurance products and risk management services to over 4,000 clients globally.⬅️As you might expect, 💪 Garrett is obsessed with finding ways to improve and automate processes; where he can help increase profitability and efficiency through technological innovations; as well as ultimately serve their insureds with better and more efficient products.🚩Last year Garrett was recruited by Mark Ware at IMA; where he is proud to help one of the most innovative independent, employee-owned brokerages in the US build the best insurance and risk management solution for tech-enabled businesses.🙌Listen along as Garret shares his insights on:⏩💵Web 3⏩💵NFT's⏩💵Crypto⏩💵Insurtech Mentorship/Investments⏩💵ActingI am thrilled to have him with us today!

Peter MacDonald has been a part of the insurance industry since birth.🤓His father started his own agency in the early 80s, and Peter worked there throughout high school and college. He quickly became fascinated with all things insurance, and after graduating from Wheaton College in 2010 and traveling around the world 📍, he officially joined forces with his father to help grow their family business.It was at this point that Peter began meeting with other successful MarshBerry agencies and learning about their growth strategies💸. This experience helped him gain valuable insights into the industry and sparked his interest in creating tools that empower independent agents to work more efficiently.⏰In 2019, he co-founded Wunderrite knowing there had to be a better way for insurance agents to conduct business. He's been head down in the grind ever since: 🌟 Growing and developing the best software for independent insurance agents and their customers.Peter is smart, creative 🎧, and has the perfect background to really make an industry change. Listen in as he shares his insights on true insurance disruption, bed frames that can rise, and of course—zombie burger.🍔 

Today I'm really excited to sit down with 🌟 Grace Meek, the CEO of Homesite Underwriting Managers LLC; a wholly owned subsidiary of Homesite Insurance. Grace is a powerhouse who has risen through the ranks at some of the world's top insurance companies, from actuary to managing large books of business to forming entire specialty insurance programs 🙌 . I can say without a doubt that she is a woman who knows what she wants and is willing to work hard for it.🏆Grace graduated from Stony Brook University with a degree in mathematics and statistics, and quickly learned she was destined for greater things 💯. She started out as an actuary, moved up the ladder, and was soon helping manage big books of business with very high-powered CEOs. It was a lot of responsibility, but she quickly learned the ropes and realized she loved putting together specialty insurance programs. 💁🏽🙋‍♀️And now, her latest venture: Homesite has looked to her to build out new specialty insurance programs to complement their suite of products 💪. In just two short years the program has exploded in growth.  Grace has made a career of breaking barriers so it's not surprising that she creates growth opportunities for the diverse and collaborative teams that she leads, bringing more talent and grit to the industry.🐳We were lucky enough for Grace to take a break from all that awesome work to join us today!😉

Today I am sitting down with Peter Hearn, the Chief Executive Officer of Guy Carpenter and a member of the Marsh McLennan Companies Executive Committee.👔 After his Sophomore year of college, Peter opted out of playing hockey🏑 and pounding nails🦺 to study abroad and work as an intern at Willis Faber Dumas in London. He has spent the next 44 years working with other high-profile insurance companies such as Towers Perrin Forster & Crosby (Tower Watson), Willis Re and Guy Carpenter & Company.He is a man who exemplifies what it means to be an engaged and deeply involved leader🌎, one who values every relationship he makes and knows that trust, respect, and integrity will get you far 🛣.Peter isn't just a leader who expects to be followed—he's a mentor who inspires his employees to do their best work 🥇. When talking with former coworkers and colleagues, their descriptions are always peppered with words like "humble," "gracious," "trustworthy," "respectful," and "integrity." Peter has taught them that defeat is an opportunity to learn more about themselves.However modestly he may describe his own accomplishments, you can tell that Peter has earned the respect of those around him through his hard work ethic and willingness to help others succeed.  Peter has impacted countless lives through his dedication to the insurance industry🏢.Listen in as he shares incredible insights on:💡Finding and fostering mentors in the insurance industry💡What job taught him the most for his career success (hint hint it involves a white ball)💡How the insurance industry oils the wheels of capitalism💡How Ivy Kusinga words have stuck in his mind about Diversity, Equity, and inclusion***Full episode in the comments***#insurance #insuranceindustry #career #like #podcast

I'm Reghan Brandt, and this is the Insurance Chatter - an insurance industry podcast that identifies market trends, insurtech tools, and ways to recruit new talent to the industry.  I take a love for the insurance industry, mix it with excitement and enthusiasm and stir in a bunch of sarcasm and "crass humor." We all know the insuran is one of the oldest industries on the planet. We also know it's not cool right? I mean, who wants to go into a career that their Dad or Grandpa went into but i am here to tell you that all of that is changing.  From the young guns gaming the job market to the VCs, they're all up in insurance. Big banks, startups and seasoned entrepreneurs are investing big.. The giants stepping on a new frontier;  insurtech & insurance distribution. They're all looking to disrupt the industry and it's more exciting than ever to be in insurance. Follow along as I meet with high level executives, tech nerds, average joes and jills, to discuss market trends, future of the industry, marketing tactics, mergers and acquisitions,  captive and independent agents, aggregators and clusters, re-insurance, loss rations, excess and surplus lines markets and so much more. 

Bill Cotter is a man who has seen it all. 🌍He's been around the world, and he's no stranger to success. There's not much that can take this man by surprise, but when it comes to his📊 leadership and management of Physicians Insurance A Mutual Company and its subsidiaries and affiliates, he's got an eye for detail that shows in everything he does.Bill has led a nomadic life- 🙌from New York to Hong Kong to Seattle he brings a wealth of experience and institutional knowledge to his team. 🚁He credits his father 👨for getting him into the industry through a funny twist of fait that allowed AIG to take a chance on him nearly 30 years ago! Today, Bill is focused on fulfilling Physicians mission which is protecting defending and serving their members with a major focus on claims management. 📌They do claims differently, they don't just support the individual physician—they treat everyone involved with respect and empathy.☝️Bill has achieved incredible things in his career and he is looking forward to the next🚀 30 years :) 

Chris Senskible is no stranger to success 💯. He is one of the top talents to come out of the Silicon Prairie, and today I could not be more excited to share his story🏰.Chris is a man who knows his purpose, and he's not afraid to pursue it with everything that he has. He is a competitor who lives for the thrill of competition—whether it's on the football field 🏈(glory days at University of Nebraska at Kearney) or in business, he's always going hard.About a decade ago, Chris would take his work stress out on the basketball court and found out his pick up ball team🏀 was a group of top notch producers an Unico. The quickly filled him in on the industry and Chris was all in on Insurance.Chris is a great communicator 🎥with a laser focus on detail. He is an excellent advocate for both his clients and colleagues alike—you'll often hear him say that "it's all about the people." 💪 As he was winning middle market clients he knew there had to be a better way to reduce the work load on his customers and enhance their customer experience….he knew the status quo could continue but that is not in his DNA - he had to give his customers the best. 🙌 This led him to found Ferro - 📝 Ferro was born to speed up renewals by 75% by giving producers and policy holders a single source of truth for schedules and other policy-related information 💵so they could actually ENJOY the insurance process!Follow his journey and listen to what he has to say- this man is on fire🥊!

🌟Let's get to it.Today I am so excited to sit down with Dr. Billy R Williams today. He’s a true genius, mentor, investor and leader in the insurance industry. 🔥 We are grateful for his military service and when he was getting ready to retire from the military in 1999; 💯he knew he was ready to dive into his true entrepreneurial spirit and make his family generational wealth. 💪 Listen to him share how he did not “land” in insurance but chose it because he knew insurance drives the entire economy and is SO important to our entire financial model.He is the CEO of the Williams Family Investment Group,💵 a group of more than 160 partner insurance agencies that produce almost a billion dollars a year in new and renewal insurance premiums. 🏆He is also the founder and president of Inspire a Nation Business Mentoring Services, 📱America’s best insurance agent and Small Business coaching and mentoring company. LRP, The Loss Run Pro is so honored to be sponsoring his 📍 “Fix My Insurance Agency Process Implementation Workshop” next week that is teaching every agent how to Build a $10 Million Revenue Insurance Agency- 💻 if you have not registered check out this podcast and go register!