Insurance Shoptalk

Insurance Shoptalk

Join your host, Eric Stein, on a journey through the dynamic world of commercial property and casualty insurance. With over 25 years of experience in the industry, Eric brings a wealth of knowledge and insights to every episode. "Insurance Shoptalk" is your premier destination for in-depth discussions on the latest industry trends, technology impacts, interviews with leading experts, and much more.

Episodes

June 9, 2026 47 mins

In this episode of Insurance Shoptalk, Eric Stein sits down with David Prejeant, Vice President of Client Relations at Alacrity Solutions, to discuss one of the fastest-growing challenges facing the insurance industry: AI-powered fraud. With more than two decades of experience in claims operations, property adjusting, catastrophe response, and commercial claims management, David shares firsthand insights into how artificial intelli...

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In this episode of Insurance Shoptalk, Eric Stein sits down with Jake Cash, founder of Senryx Group and former marketing leader at GEICO, to discuss what insurance agencies need to do to grow in today's rapidly changing marketing environment. Drawing from his experience managing large-scale insurance marketing campaigns and helping hundreds of agencies grow their books of business, Jake shares practical insights on lead genera...
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In this episode of Insurance Shoptalk, host Eric Stein sits down with James Benham, founder of JBK and Terra, host of the InsureTech Geek Podcast, and a longtime technology leader in the insurance industry. James shares insights from more than two decades building software, claims systems, underwriting platforms, and automation tools for carriers, TPAs, MGAs, and brokers across the insurance ecosystem.

The conversa...
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In this episode of Insurance Shoptalk, host Eric Stein sits down with Joe Zuk, an operating partner with Altamont Capital Partners, to discuss the future of insurance through the lens of private equity, underwriting, MGA strategy, and AI. Joe shares insights from his career across reinsurance, underwriting, corporate development, and insurance investing, while offering a behind-the-scenes look at how AI is reshaping underwriti...
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In this episode of Insurance Shop Talk, host Eric Stein sits down with Francisco Lopes of Sonant to talk about how AI voice technology is transforming the way insurance agencies handle inbound and outbound calls.

From quote requests and policy servicing to claims intake, billing questions, renewals, and cancellation follow-up, Francisco shares how agencies are using AI voice assistants to reduce call overload, impr...
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Healthcare costs are no longer just a line item — they're a growing liability for employers.

In this episode of Insurance Shoptalk, host Eric Stein sits down with Brandy Thompson, CEO of BenefitBay, to explore how ICHRA (Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangements) is reshaping the way larger employers approach emp...
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Insurance agencies don't just need more people — they need smarter operations.

In this episode of Insurance Shoptalk, Eric Stein sits down with Travis MacMillian of Xceedance to unpack how automation, AI, and strategic back-office support can completely transform the way property & casualty agencies operate.

From...
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In this episode of Insurance Shop Talk, host Eric Stein introduces a game-changing workers' compensation opportunity for P&C agents in Ohio and surrounding states. 

With Ohio's monopolistic system long limiting agent participation, a newly approved Alternate Employer Organization (AEO) program now allows agents to earn ongoing commission while delivering meaningful cost savings and improved claims management for their clients...
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In this episode of Insurance Shoptalk, host Eric Stein sits down with Walter Sabrin of Venture Employer Services for a wide-ranging conversation on the realities of hiring, recruiting, and retaining talent in today's insurance agency environment. 

Drawing on decades of experience, Walter breaks down why agencies should always be recruiting, how internal referral programs and small-scale job fairs can deliver outsized results, and ...

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In this episode of Insurance Shoptalk, host Eric Stein sits down with Vlada Lotkina, CEO and co-founder of SUPERAGENT, to explore how AI is changing the way P&C agencies train and scale their sales teams. 

Vlada breaks down how SUPERAGENT's AI personas create realistic roleplay for new producers, how the real-time sales co-pilot improves conversion rates for experienced reps, and how their outbound AI agent can qua...
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In this episode of Insurance Shoptalk, host Eric Stein sits down with Terry McLean, CEO of SageSure, to discuss how the company has built one of the largest independent property insurance platforms serving catastrophe-exposed markets. Terry shares insights into navigating the hardest property market in decades, managing risk in wildfire and coastal regions, and balancing technology with hands-on underwriting and claims operati...
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In this episode of Insurance Shoptalk, host Eric Stein of Insured Solutions speaks with Bob Butts of Alternative Comp Solutions (ACS) about Ohio's newly approved Alternative Employer Organization (AEO) program—an innovative alternative to the state's traditional Bureau of Workers' Compensation system. They discuss how this new model allows agents to finally earn commissions on workers' comp, helps employers save 20–30% on prem...
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In this episode of Insurance Shoptalk, guest Jamie Fortier from isolved joins host Eric Stein to discuss how insurance agents can expand into payroll services through flexible referral and white-label models.

Jamie explains how isolved supports agents with full back-office operations—from payroll processing to tax management—allowing them to grow revenue without adding staff. The conversation dives into isolved's focus on enh...
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October 14, 2025 37 mins
In this episode of Insurance Shop Talk, host Eric Stein sits down with Ron Lucki, Vice President of Business Development at Ohio Indemnity Company, to discuss a powerful yet often-overlooked opportunity for P&C agents — helping nonprofits manage and insure their unemployment risk through the UC Assure program.

Ron breaks down how the UC Assure model works, how nonprofits can legally opt out of state unemployment ta...
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Ohio Workers' Comp Just Changed – Here's What Agents Need to Know
In this episode of Insurance Shoptalk, host Eric Stein talks with Bob Butts, Chief Risk Officer at Alternative Comp Solutions (ACS), about a major change in Ohio's workers' compensation market. For the first time, agents can now sell workers' comp in Ohio and earn commission, thanks to Senate Bill 2011 and approval by the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compe...
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In this episode of Insurance Shoptalk, Eric Stein sits down with Alex Choroomi from Alkeme Insurance to discuss how digital leads and online quoting are transforming the small business insurance landscape. 

Alex shares his journey into the commercial insurance world, explaining how Alkeme Insurance is leveraging digital advertising and advanced quoting portals to bring in high-quality leads and close deals quickly....
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In this episode of Insurance Shop Talk, host Eric Stein is joined by James Allgood and Chad Carpenter from CompScience, a game-changing workers' compensation program that uses AI-powered computer vision to reduce workplace injuries and cut claims—by up to 35–55%.

Discover how CompScience helps clients improve safety, reduce risk, and look like heroes—all while using existing camera systems. Learn how the platform i...
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Work ON your business, not just IN it! In this episode of Insurance Shoptalk, host Eric Stein is joined by guest Steve Kim to dive into what it really takes to build a purpose-driven insurance agency—one that doesn't just generate profit, but also gives owners the freedom, balance, and fulfillment they're looking for. Steve, the founder of Purpose Matters and the author of the upcoming book Focus on What Matters, shares more a...
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Artificial intelligence is here - how will it change and transform your agency? Find out in this episode of Insurance Shoptalk with host Eric Stein and guest Nikhil Kansal. Nikhil is the co-founder of Oyster, an AI software company for insurance. Oyster provides a new standard of comprehensive personal insurance coverage through a simplified experience.

In this episode, he talks about about Cara, Oyster's revolutionary AI-pow...
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In this episode of Insurance Shop Talk, host Eric Stein sits down with John Sansoucie 
from Cognethro.com to discuss how outsourcing back-office tasks can transform an insurance agency. They explore the critical role of documentation in setting clear expectations, the efficiency gains from outsourcing, and how offshore teams can help scale operations. John shares insights into improving underwriting, payroll, financ...
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