Agency Nation Radio
Agency Nation is the leading digital publication helping insurance professionals dominate marketing, sales and technology in the modern marketplace.
Episodes
April 30, 2025 • 46 mins
On this episode of Agency Nation Radio, Peter Van Aartrijk, executive vice president with insurance branding firm Aartrijk, hosts a discussion with Ryan Towle, vice president of Davis & Towle Insurance Group in Concord, New Hampshire, and Keith J. Mangini, vice president and commercial team leader at InsurBanc in Farmington, Connecticut, on best practices when making an agency acquisition—whether it’s your first pu...
Mark as Played
April 9, 2025 • 17 mins
On this episode of Agency Nation Radio, we meet Michelle O'Connor, president of O'Connor Insurance Associates in Charlotte, North Carolina.
When O'Connor and her husband started their insurance agency 25 years ago, they knew from the very beginning that joining the Independent Insurance Agents of North Carolina (IIANC) was a must. Michelle knew of other successful agents that belonged to the Big “I" and also kne...
Mark as Played
March 26, 2025 • 46 mins
On this episode of Agency Nation Radio, Susan Bonner, Big “I” vice president of marketing and communications, chats with Denise Johnson, president and CEO of Big I Oklahoma, and Jill Epstein, CEO of Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of California (IIABCal), about their achievements as women in the independent insurance agency channel and how they’re shaping the industry by offering more women-led events and hi...
Mark as Played
March 12, 2025 • 16 mins
On this episode of Agency Nation Radio, we meet Kelly Gonyo, owner and agent of Blue Line Insurance in Lake Placid, New York.
Gonyo worked every role in an independent agency—from working the front desk to producing—before starting her own agency at 32 years old with “minimal money in a tiny little office," she says. Today, Blue Line Insurance has four branches and 15 employees, 14 of whom are women.
“I'm pro...
Mark as Played
February 26, 2025 • 19 mins
On this episode of Agency Nation Radio, Johanna Holling, volunteer relations program manager at National Invest Program, hosts a conversation about attracting young talent to the insurance industry with Ashley Engl, business development manager at Jencap, and Hal Soden, Jr., principal and risk management advisor at Oliver L.E. Soden Agency Corp. Together, they discuss what Invest is, how they got involved with the ...
Mark as Played
February 12, 2025 • 23 mins
On this episode of Agency Nation Radio, we meet Megan Carroll, president of Stein Insurance in Lindstrom, Minnesota.
“I worked as a property & casualty reinsurance broker at Willis Re," explains Megan Carroll. “That was my first 'big kid' job."
However, the absence of a succession plan at her family's fourth-generation independent insurance agency and a desire to keep it family-owned drew Carroll into the fam...
Mark as Played
January 29, 2025 • 36 mins
On this episode of Agency Nation Radio, Molly Abboud, Big “I" director of political affairs, hosts a discussion with Charles Symington, Big “I” president & CEO, and Nathan Riedel, Big “I” senior vice president of federal government affairs to discuss the 2024 election results and how they will impact the Big “I” legislative agenda.
They examine the key factors behind President Trump’s victory and discuss what to...
Mark as Played
January 17, 2025 • 15 mins
Insurance has been a part of Jay Fribourg’s life from the very beginning. His insurance career began when he interned at his family’s agency filing and scanning documents. After graduating from college, Fribourg joined the family agency but eventually broke off and started his own agency, Bentley Insurance, named after his 130-pound Great Dane. In 2012, Bentley Insurance was acquired by Pinnacle Insurance Group.
...
Mark as Played
December 27, 2024 • 20 mins
On this episode of Agency Nation Radio, Jennifer Becker, Big “I” Senior Director of Agent Development and Research and Education, is joined by Andy Siegel of Siegel Insurance and chair of the Big “I” council for Best Practices and Katy Stewart of Olis/Akers/Arney Insurance & Business Advisors and a member of the council for Best Practices to discuss about benefits and data that can be gleaned from the study.
...
Mark as Played
December 12, 2024 • 14 mins
On this episode of Agency Nation Radio, we meet Stephanie Dew, President, Agency Owner of WinStar Insurance Group in Cedar Park, Texas.
In 2022, Dew, then 20% owner of WinStar, learned that the other two owners would be retiring. She didn’t want to see the agency absorbed by the large buyers circling overhead and decided she would buy it herself—even if it meant mortgaging her house.
“It devastated me to thi...
Mark as Played
November 26, 2024 • 56 mins
On this episode of Agency Nation Radio, we explore technology and its real-world impact on independent agencies. Join host Bobbie Collies, chief insurance officer at Coterie Insurance, as she unpacks how technology is not just about tools and software—it’s about people.
Collies is joined by two industry leaders: Chris Cline, executive director of the Big “I” Agents Council for Technology (ACT), and Todd Jackson, B...
Mark as Played
November 13, 2024 • 23 mins
On this episode of Agency Nation Radio, we meet Andrew Ryan, vice president of Hertvik Insurance Group in Medina, Ohio.
Despite being unimpressed by the software on offer when he first joined the independent agency channel, Ryan has relished the opportunity to constantly innovate and improve agency technology and processes.
Currently, Ryan is embarking on a new project—Engineered Insurance Services (EIS)—whic...
Mark as Played
October 23, 2024 • 13 mins
On this episode of Agency Nation Radio, AnneMarie McPherson Spears, news editor, Independent Agent magazine, interviews Kristina Witzling, executive vice president and property & casualty practice lead at Zeldis about the findings from the 2024 Agency Universe Study.
The Agency Universe Study by Future One, a collaboration of the Big “I" and leading independent agency companies, is hailed as the most comprehens...
Mark as Played
October 9, 2024 • 8 mins
On this episode of Agency Nation Radio, we meet Haley Andrews, vice president of Gaines Insurance Agency in El Dorado Hills, California.
Growing up in a family where insurance was a topic of conversation at the dinner table, Andrews' future in insurance was written in the stars. After earning a degree in business with a concentration in insurance and risk management from Sacramento State University, Andrews acce...
Mark as Played
September 25, 2024 • 27 mins
On this episode of Agency Nation Radio, Joseph Cox, director of marketing at Trusted Choice®, hosts a conversation with Jamie O'Hearn, president of O'Hearn insurance in Lowell, Massachusetts, and Philip Schmitz, chief client protection officer at Schmitz Insurance in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, about the role of social media in a modern insurance agency.
The guests share how they’ve boosted client engagement throug...
Mark as Played
September 12, 2024 • 13 mins
On this episode of Agency Nation Radio, we meet Ivie Isler, assistant vice president and marketing analyst supervisor at McGriff Insurance Services in Birmingham, Alabama.
From serving as president of the Birmingham Independent Insurance Agents (BIIA) to chair of the Alabama Independent Insurance Agents (AIIA) young agents committee (YAC)—and numerous other roles in between—Isler isn't one to shy away from an o...
Mark as Played
August 28, 2024 • 18 mins
In this episode of Agency Nation Radio, host Nancy Germond, Big “I" executive director of risk management and education, dives deep into the world of workers compensation with Lisa Alea, senior product manager at the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI).
The NCCI recently marked its 100th anniversary. During this time, it has supported the insurance industry and workers comp market by offering valuabl...
Mark as Played
August 7, 2024 • 13 mins
On this episode of Agency Nation Radio, we meet Ashley Stafford, insurance advisor, Williams Insurance Agency in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.
Stafford was laid off from a logistics company during the coronavirus pandemic. After a friend posted a vacancy at Williams Insurance Agency, she jumped headfirst into all the opportunities an insurance career has to offer, quickly advancing from a customer service role into ...
Mark as Played
July 24, 2024 • 16 mins
On this episode of Agency Nation Radio, we learn about independent insurance agency alliances, a model that has grown in popularity in recent years, and one that the Big “I” has harnessed with the launch of the Big “I” Alliance.
Jared Blackwood, owner and partner at BridgeMark Insurance Solutions in Bismark, North Dakota, chats with Tiffany Overlease, assistant vice president of Big “I” Alliance Gold, and Ty Bat...
Mark as Played
July 10, 2024 • 14 mins
On this episode of Agency Nation Radio, we meet Emmanuel Osuyah, CEO, owner, and principal of Alpha Direct Agency. His first significant move in the industry was when he bought his mother-in-law's Allstate agency. However, he realized that this path was not for him and decided to pursue the independent agency route. Fast forward 20 years, Alpha Direct now has 13 employees and three branches in three different state...
Mark as Played
Popular Podcasts
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy And Charlamagne Tha God!