August 2, 2024 • 20 mins
William “Wick” Pilcher is a fourth-generation Arizonan, having lived in Phoenix all his life. After graduating from ASU in 1978, Wick joined his father’s insurance business, Olliver/Pilcher, the company later becoming Corroon & Black and then Willis of Arizona. In June l992, Mr. Pilcher resigned his position as Chairman/CEO of the Arizona operation to found Wick Pilcher Insurance. Mr. Pilcher sold his business to USI Insurance Services in 2012, retaining his position of CEO – Arizona. USI is a national insurance brokerage and consulting firm with more than 250+ local offices across the U.S. and a leading market position in all core businesses. Through USI’s philosophy of community involvement, Wick has been able to garner the financial and societal influence to continue to strengthen his support for the Phoenix community.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to another edition of CEOs. You should know Phoenix.
I'm your host, joe Y Yaylor. Very pleased this time
to be joined by the President and CEO of USI, Phoenix.
Wick Pilcher joins us this week. Wick, great to see it.
Thanks for being here, Bro, Thanks for inviting me. So
let's start with this because the first thing that stood
up to me when I'm reading your bio in the
(00:20):
background is you're a fourth generation Arizona, which I would
imagine as you and maybe ten other people in the
state that could claim that it's a pretty remarkable depth
of roots in Arizona.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
We're right up there with a passenger pigeon manys.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
I'll tell you is your We've just kind of watched
in my time, Phoenix grow, the state grow. How do
you describe the growth of the city, the growth of
the economy, the growth of the population center. What has
that experience.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
Been like, Well, haven't been a force generation. My grandfather
homesteaded here in nineteen nineteen e He had half a
section of land where right across the street from camel
back in. I wish we had that land because I
would be retired by now. And my father also homestead.
He owned sixty acres at Shay in the fifty one.
(01:14):
Of course he sold that to start his business. But
I remember when Lincoln Dry was a dirt road and
our family every Sunday after church went on picnics at
various parts of the city. We kept on going farther
and farther out as the city grew, and we did
a lot of dove hunting and quay hunting those years too.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
It feels like when I've shared with you a little
bit for the interview, my parents are from Phoenix, and
I know every time we drive around the city. Hey,
we used to have boondocker parties out here. Now it's
the middle of Chandler. You know this the exponential sprawl.
Did you ever imagine Phoenix becoming this kind of mega city? Never?
Speaker 2 (01:53):
And it is also bittersweet because you know, I love
reminiscing about what it was like in these and stuff
and as far as doing those family picnics and going
to the orange groves and with the permission of the
owner for getting some oranges and grapefruit and that type
of thing. But times have changed, our city has grown,
and I really like where we're going to. We have
(02:15):
a strong economy here, a lot better than most states.
In fact, if and when we do go into recession,
it will be one of the first ones to pop
out of it. That's my opinion.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
So you've got deep roots here for your family. USI
Phoenix has deep roots in the Phoenix marketplace. Let's talk
about how long you've been serving the Phoenix marketplace and
where it started and where you joined.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
Sure, our family started in the insurance business in nineteen
fifty one. My father and his partner, then Don Oliver
formed an insurance broker's firm called Oliver Pilcher and we
sold that agency in January of eighty six to a
company called crunin Black, which became Willis and I ran
that for seven years, and then my wife and I
(02:59):
had started decided to start our own business, and we
did that in late ninety two, and then we sold
it twenty years later in twenty twelve to USI. USI
has been here since twenty twelve, so they're relatively new
in the community and they've made acquisitions across the country.
I think we have roughly ten thousand employees, so it's
(03:20):
a good sized company and well run and the top
two people in the company are in the early fifties,
so that's exciting.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
Let's talk about what services you provide. I think there's
a lot of people listening that are inundated with insurance
ads or they've heard about this company or that company.
What is USIZE wheelhouse? What is what? What do you
focus on in super serving your clients.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
Well, our office and our company USI specializes in high
net worth personal lines, that's homeowners, auto insurance, do a
lot of employee benefits, health insurance, and we do a
lot of commercial insurance. It's about I would say fifty
percent commercial insurance, thirty percent employee benefits, and the balance
(04:06):
would be personal lined.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
So this is different than if somebody was seeking life insurance,
if they were wanting car insurance that they want. It's
not that kind of brokerage. It serves a larger clientele.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
Well it does though when we do get calls, we
have people in the office that can handle life insurance
that type of thing. But our specialty is on the larger,
bigger companies in the valley.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
What have you found in the insurance company? How has
it changed, what has been required to sort of keep
this company and from your perspective, thriving, growing, There's been
changes in ownership, as you mentioned as the genesis of this.
What's the key to keeping this all going in the
right direction?
Speaker 2 (04:46):
Well, you got to have the right people on the bus.
You got to always hire people that are brighter than yourself.
And that's one bit of advice my father gave me
years ago. Surround yourself people smarter than you and you'll
do well. That's what I think we've done in our office.
We've made a lot of big acquisitions. We've made about
eight acquisitions in the eleven a half years and I've
(05:07):
been a part of this company and as a result,
we get better and better people in the right positions.
And they have to be experts. You have to have
people that can deal with the complexities of the insurance
world right now, whether it be cyber insurance, what have you.
I mean, you have to have that kind of ability
to handle that. When I had my own agency, we
(05:29):
built it through completely relationships. You know who you know.
Because I've been there for so long, I knew a
lot of people and that can take you just so far.
And that's where USI came in. They had all the
experts in areas that I just couldn't afford to have
higher people in that area. So it was a good
marriage and I've had no regrets in the eleven half years.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
You mentioned the complexity of the insurance company and the
insurance business, and I think there's a lot of people
probably nodding their head and agreement with if they've ever
tried to navigate it. Your expertise in your areas of service.
I was on your website and saying that you have
opportunities for people to join your team and there'll be
an eighteen month program that they need to go through.
There's a twelve month program that they need to go through.
(06:11):
What is the level of expertise that people encounter when
they call USI when they use your services? How do
you make sure that you are as as one of
the end if not the industry leader, providing the highest
level of service possible.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
Well, I'll tell you you know, example, pollution insurance. I
mean that is something you really have to be careful
of nowadays. And we have people that do nothing but
that claims expertise when you have complicated claims involving workers
comp or auto insurance claims, whatever. We have people in
house not in New York, not in LA in house,
(06:46):
it can handle these issues. So you have to have that.
When I worked for Willis and Crunent Black, we had that,
but you had to fly them in to help your customers.
We don't have that issue. We have them in house
immediately to help people.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
How important is personal touch in service in insurance industry critical?
Speaker 2 (07:06):
And I've told my sales team over the years, you've
got to keep in touch with your customers. And I
have a pet peeve in that. Don't just send an
email thanking them for taking the time to visit with you.
Send them a handwritten note that'll come across more that
they will ever forget that. It's easy to email much faster,
(07:27):
but do the little things like that keep in touch
all the time.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
It's such a powerful thing, isn't it. I mean there
is a lost art sometimes we get caught up and
even interpersonal communication is kind of a lost start. But
if you take the time to write a thank you note,
it's it's going to be remembered significantly more than a
quick email that's in your older before you know.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
Better, or voicemail that type of thing. They don't forget
those things. And I be the first would have met.
My parents taught me that, so I've carried it out
of my kids too.
Speaker 1 (07:58):
What have you found? And I'm surius is so many
people listening have probably experienced there have been changes in
the workforce. There's changes and you know what skills you
find in most people that are applying for jobs. How
do you make sure that USI is finding the best
possible candidates for the best jobs. And how have has
(08:20):
that sort of protocol or process changed it all over
the years.
Speaker 2 (08:24):
Work ethic is key to me, and when I interview people,
I like to know what have they done in the past,
and especially the young people coming out of college. What
did they do during their college years during the summer months.
If they went to the malls or to the beach
the whole time, then that's the turnoff to me. They
need to be working. I remember our kids, we got
(08:46):
them working at bashes and AJS and Safeway. They call
them paper or plastic pilture, but we put them to
work at an early age. But I really think it's
important we have this new program that USI started a
couple of years ago where we're working with colleges and
universities across the country. Hiring these people to get into
(09:07):
our industry because our industry over the years has a
perpetuation problem. We have too many older people that are
aging out, and so we're getting a lot of young people.
We're partnering up with Grand Canyon University and they're doing
a great job. We have about twenty people in our
office right now that are working for us and learning
the industry. And what's good about that is as long
(09:29):
as they like the environment that we present to them,
we get to keep them instead of going out going
through hiring facilities, stealing people from our competitors, and that's
usually an expensive ordeal and not very good. So now
we're growing our own and it's working effectively. And these
are bright young people.
Speaker 1 (09:46):
In a way you get it's like a courtship. You
get to sort of date and then before there's any proposal,
you get to know exactly what you're getting.
Speaker 2 (09:53):
We get to training without any bad habits.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
So I'm curious with that because are the insurance agents
that work for USI do people change into the insurance
career mid swim or is it mostly college graduates?
Speaker 2 (10:08):
No, we have several young people that have joined us
that came from other careers, whether we selling cars and
the real estate business, what have you. So, I would
say the majority of the new people that we've hired
did not have any insurance background at all. We have
a great training operation at the USI. We put them
through extensive training. In fact, we kid each other that,
(10:29):
you know, you got that fire hose in your mouth
for several months having to learn all the business, but
it works, and so most of the people we're hiring
now do not have that background.
Speaker 1 (10:38):
What would you say is the core philosophy for USSI Phoenix?
What is what is at the core of your mission?
I know USI stands for Understand, Service and Innovate. How
would you describe the core cultural philosophy of USI Phoenix.
Speaker 2 (10:55):
We're a solution driven company and we're looking to solve
people's so we're not looking to go out and just
present some bids on their insurance. That is a short
term fix. We like to dig deep, peel back the onion,
find out what they need to do now, what they
need to do for the future.
Speaker 1 (11:14):
We want to talk a little bit about the philanthropic side,
not only for yourself but for USI Phoenix. But before
we do that, you and the company have been on
a list of all kinds of awards and accolades, whether
it's best led, best insurance company to work for. For
you specifically, what do you believe is the key to
(11:36):
effective leadership? For other prospective CEOs listening to this, other
current CEOs listening to this, or people who haven't started
their path but ultimately aspire to be a CEO, you
got to.
Speaker 2 (11:48):
Get involved in the community. I remember when I started
my company back in ninety two, I had people call
and say, your pills, your family has been involved in
the community for years. I want to do business with
you because you've given back in the past and that's
so important, and we have really hammered that home with
our new people that have joined us. Get involved, and
(12:10):
you know, it has to be something that you really
want to do. I don't care if it's working for
Saint Vincent, Paul's, Saint Mary's Food Bank, what have you.
Get involved. We'll support it, we'll pay for any dues
and that type of thing, but it reaps benefits.
Speaker 1 (12:23):
One of the things I appreciate about your philosophy in
the way that you've described USI is I don't want
to call it old school, because I don't think that's
the right term for it. It's just fundamentally the right
things to do, whether it's thank you notes, are getting
involved in the community. Does that come Do you find
you have to teach people to do those things more
(12:43):
and more or is it the people that you're hiring
kind of have a natural inclination for that in the
first place.
Speaker 2 (12:48):
I always say we have to teach people. We have
a USI gives back. This is something the company started
years ago where we have June, July, and August, you
can pick a charity. We have several that you can
go and help, whether it be a Savior, starving children,
Saint Mary's Food Bank, Saint Vincent, Paul's, what have you,
and people can volunteer and they spend the day there
(13:11):
working on helping people. And then as a result, we
give them the T shirts and all that. But and
as a thank you, we give them the day off
that on Labor Day, oh wow, we give them a
real long weekend that. But we insist that people get involved,
so we prod them along.
Speaker 1 (13:26):
You mentioned a few causes, there are there other specific
causes to you personally or professionally with US side that
you have found are the most fulfilling to serve well.
Speaker 2 (13:37):
Salvation Army I've been over the years, rang a lot
of bells on the street corners and during the Christmas hours.
The food banks, especially during the holidays, are really important.
I remember growing up after we opened up our presidents
on Christmas Day, our parents took us down to the
poorest parts of the community and we gave presents out
to those people that have nothing, and that meant a lot.
Speaker 1 (14:00):
Going back to your background, I was thinking about this
about your family steeped in the insurance industry and they're
the heritage of it. Did you ever consider not working
in the insurance industry.
Speaker 2 (14:11):
Well, I think when you're young and you want to
do your own thing, you kind of have a little
rebellious nature that you don't want to go onto your
family's business. But my father didn't push me into it
though I worked at Lloyd's London for a year and
at that kind of background. But he was wonderful to
work for and he didn't push me too hard, and
(14:32):
I'm glad that he didn't because I'm very lucky to
be a part of this industry.
Speaker 1 (14:36):
I don't know if you're how big of a sports fan.
You are big. It's like the Lebron James Lebron James'
son is now playing with them in There's I just
find something kind of beautiful about absolutely, you know, I
think it's incredible for everybody to watch and experience. If
you get to work with your dad, what better way
to learn the real world than through experiencing it with
(14:56):
your dad?
Speaker 2 (14:57):
And my son joined us in September of land year.
Oh wow, So I'm really and he's doing great. He's
much nicer than his old man. So I'm really happy
to have him on board. And he's doing all the
right things. And I make sure he doesn't report to me, but.
Speaker 1 (15:11):
He's doing great. So other philanthropic causes, I know you've
been deeply involved. You're a you're as we mentioned, generational
roots here, Brophy, you're a graduate and still a supporter
of Breath. Oh yeah, I'm on that.
Speaker 2 (15:26):
Board and twenty four years now, I guess it's been
But you know, their model is, you know, give back.
Speaker 1 (15:34):
You know, do you feel like you learned that that
was something that was instilled in you that you can Trophy.
Speaker 2 (15:38):
Really instilled you bet, they really, and they to this
day because both my boys went there. We meet on
a quarterly basis for the board and I'm so impressed
with these students. Oh, I mean, I would say seventy
percent of the students have some sort of financial way.
Oh wow. Yeah, and that is and they are so
(15:59):
thankful to begetting that education. And many times are the
first person in their family graduate from my school.
Speaker 1 (16:05):
That's wonderful.
Speaker 2 (16:06):
I know.
Speaker 1 (16:06):
The Herd Museum has been a big place story as well, right,
tell our listeners what the Herd Museum.
Speaker 2 (16:10):
Oh, what a crown jewel And that was of course,
the Herd family had this mansion down on Central just
north of McDowell, and Missus Hurd donated turned into a museum.
It's the largest collection of Native American art in the
world period. Wow. And it's just so special. And I've
been involved in that since eighty three, I think it is.
Speaker 1 (16:33):
But oh really, what about that cause is near and
dear to your heart.
Speaker 2 (16:37):
Well, the Native Americans, I mean, the history and especially
in Arizon, all the tribes. I just love what I
love what they do and how they treat the elders
and all that kind of stuff. And it's just we
we've kind of many ways over the years, there's several
states that have these tough stories about the you know,
(16:59):
the Indians growing up and putting them on reservation. We
didn't treat them very well at all. And I mean
to tell you we're the first ones at the museum
to really ring the balance say, these people did so much,
not only for our state, for other states around the
United States and the arts that their creativity is just
and their value of Mother Earth and take care of
(17:22):
it and that type of thing means so much and
we can learn a lot from them.
Speaker 1 (17:26):
Any other charities or causes you want to highlight from
your personal or professional background.
Speaker 2 (17:32):
Barrels Neurological, which is a division of the Saint Joseph's Hospital.
The miracles that they do that on a daily basis
down there is just unbelievable. It's a nonprofit. You know,
they don't turn their back to anybody. And I've seen
some of the things that they do in the community
and people that are go there and that the last
(17:53):
hope for helping their child or loved ones. And these
doctors are just superstars. They really make you cringe fantastic.
Speaker 1 (18:03):
Lastly, as we wrap things up here on CEOs, you
should know Phoenix. I'd like to ask all of our
guests a similarly theme question where I think we're all
aware right now of the rapidly changing environment in the
business world. Technologically, artificial intelligence, whatever it may be, is
just changing things. What do you think is going to
(18:26):
be a truth and a pillar that withstands whatever change.
What do you believe in the business world as employees,
as leaders, as trailblazers is essential to keep to succeed
no matter how much changes around you.
Speaker 2 (18:43):
Your reputation is key. If you ever lose that reputation,
if you ever compromise your values, you might as well
leave the town. You might as well leave because that's
all you have in life is your reputation and your
ability to help people and follow through.
Speaker 1 (19:03):
Some pearls of wisdom from Wi Pilcher, the president and
CEO of USI Phoenix. Do you have any Phoenix sports
opinions you want to share? Get off your chest to Diamondbacks.
I think the Cardinals are going to be good this year.
Speaker 2 (19:16):
I read it too.
Speaker 1 (19:17):
I like our coach.
Speaker 2 (19:18):
I like the players we have, They're good people, They're
giving back to the community. What I like what we're doing.
I like our new coach at for the Suns mmm.
And of course our coach for the Diamondbacks is good too.
So there's a ray of hope that I feel good.
Speaker 1 (19:34):
I feel like when you've got the experience in business
that you have, you can spot a coach who knows
how to build a culture real quick. And I feel
like Jonathan Gannon of the Cardinals came in and immediately
it was like, this is a successful culture. You can
see creating success. And I remember Frank Kush when he
was here. Oh, those are the golden years. I remember
those those times I missed him. He was he was wonderful.
(19:57):
He put us on the map. Yeah, my dad and
oldest brother are a s U alums. I've got a
lot of ace. I'm a U of a gred. So
my wife is too.
Speaker 2 (20:05):
Oh okay, so you're a house Yeah, I tell you
November it gets a little tense.
Speaker 1 (20:08):
Yeah, they have to sleep in the other bedroom. Well,
she had she had the brand this year this coming. See,
you got me, you got me this time. Wick really
enjoyed the conversation. Thanks for sharing your background, Thanks for
having me here today. That's Wick Pilchure, CEO and President
of USI Services Phoenix. Thanks for listening to this edition
of CEOs. You should know Phoenix
Welcome to another edition of CEOs. You should know Phoenix.
I'm your host, joe Y Yaylor. Very pleased this time
to be joined by the President and CEO of USI, Phoenix.
Wick Pilcher joins us this week. Wick, great to see it.
Thanks for being here, Bro, Thanks for inviting me. So
let's start with this because the first thing that stood
up to me when I'm reading your bio in the
(00:20):
background is you're a fourth generation Arizona, which I would
imagine as you and maybe ten other people in the
state that could claim that it's a pretty remarkable depth
of roots in Arizona.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
We're right up there with a passenger pigeon manys.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
I'll tell you is your We've just kind of watched
in my time, Phoenix grow, the state grow. How do
you describe the growth of the city, the growth of
the economy, the growth of the population center. What has
that experience.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
Been like, Well, haven't been a force generation. My grandfather
homesteaded here in nineteen nineteen e He had half a
section of land where right across the street from camel
back in. I wish we had that land because I
would be retired by now. And my father also homestead.
He owned sixty acres at Shay in the fifty one.
(01:14):
Of course he sold that to start his business. But
I remember when Lincoln Dry was a dirt road and
our family every Sunday after church went on picnics at
various parts of the city. We kept on going farther
and farther out as the city grew, and we did
a lot of dove hunting and quay hunting those years too.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
It feels like when I've shared with you a little
bit for the interview, my parents are from Phoenix, and
I know every time we drive around the city. Hey,
we used to have boondocker parties out here. Now it's
the middle of Chandler. You know this the exponential sprawl.
Did you ever imagine Phoenix becoming this kind of mega city? Never?
Speaker 2 (01:53):
And it is also bittersweet because you know, I love
reminiscing about what it was like in these and stuff
and as far as doing those family picnics and going
to the orange groves and with the permission of the
owner for getting some oranges and grapefruit and that type
of thing. But times have changed, our city has grown,
and I really like where we're going to. We have
(02:15):
a strong economy here, a lot better than most states.
In fact, if and when we do go into recession,
it will be one of the first ones to pop
out of it. That's my opinion.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
So you've got deep roots here for your family. USI
Phoenix has deep roots in the Phoenix marketplace. Let's talk
about how long you've been serving the Phoenix marketplace and
where it started and where you joined.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
Sure, our family started in the insurance business in nineteen
fifty one. My father and his partner, then Don Oliver
formed an insurance broker's firm called Oliver Pilcher and we
sold that agency in January of eighty six to a
company called crunin Black, which became Willis and I ran
that for seven years, and then my wife and I
(02:59):
had started decided to start our own business, and we
did that in late ninety two, and then we sold
it twenty years later in twenty twelve to USI. USI
has been here since twenty twelve, so they're relatively new
in the community and they've made acquisitions across the country.
I think we have roughly ten thousand employees, so it's
(03:20):
a good sized company and well run and the top
two people in the company are in the early fifties,
so that's exciting.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
Let's talk about what services you provide. I think there's
a lot of people listening that are inundated with insurance
ads or they've heard about this company or that company.
What is USIZE wheelhouse? What is what? What do you
focus on in super serving your clients.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
Well, our office and our company USI specializes in high
net worth personal lines, that's homeowners, auto insurance, do a
lot of employee benefits, health insurance, and we do a
lot of commercial insurance. It's about I would say fifty
percent commercial insurance, thirty percent employee benefits, and the balance
(04:06):
would be personal lined.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
So this is different than if somebody was seeking life insurance,
if they were wanting car insurance that they want. It's
not that kind of brokerage. It serves a larger clientele.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
Well it does though when we do get calls, we
have people in the office that can handle life insurance
that type of thing. But our specialty is on the larger,
bigger companies in the valley.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
What have you found in the insurance company? How has
it changed, what has been required to sort of keep
this company and from your perspective, thriving, growing, There's been
changes in ownership, as you mentioned as the genesis of this.
What's the key to keeping this all going in the
right direction?
Speaker 2 (04:46):
Well, you got to have the right people on the bus.
You got to always hire people that are brighter than yourself.
And that's one bit of advice my father gave me
years ago. Surround yourself people smarter than you and you'll
do well. That's what I think we've done in our office.
We've made a lot of big acquisitions. We've made about
eight acquisitions in the eleven a half years and I've
(05:07):
been a part of this company and as a result,
we get better and better people in the right positions.
And they have to be experts. You have to have
people that can deal with the complexities of the insurance
world right now, whether it be cyber insurance, what have you.
I mean, you have to have that kind of ability
to handle that. When I had my own agency, we
(05:29):
built it through completely relationships. You know who you know.
Because I've been there for so long, I knew a
lot of people and that can take you just so far.
And that's where USI came in. They had all the
experts in areas that I just couldn't afford to have
higher people in that area. So it was a good
marriage and I've had no regrets in the eleven half years.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
You mentioned the complexity of the insurance company and the
insurance business, and I think there's a lot of people
probably nodding their head and agreement with if they've ever
tried to navigate it. Your expertise in your areas of service.
I was on your website and saying that you have
opportunities for people to join your team and there'll be
an eighteen month program that they need to go through.
There's a twelve month program that they need to go through.
(06:11):
What is the level of expertise that people encounter when
they call USI when they use your services? How do
you make sure that you are as as one of
the end if not the industry leader, providing the highest
level of service possible.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
Well, I'll tell you you know, example, pollution insurance. I
mean that is something you really have to be careful
of nowadays. And we have people that do nothing but
that claims expertise when you have complicated claims involving workers
comp or auto insurance claims, whatever. We have people in
house not in New York, not in LA in house,
(06:46):
it can handle these issues. So you have to have that.
When I worked for Willis and Crunent Black, we had that,
but you had to fly them in to help your customers.
We don't have that issue. We have them in house
immediately to help people.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
How important is personal touch in service in insurance industry critical?
Speaker 2 (07:06):
And I've told my sales team over the years, you've
got to keep in touch with your customers. And I
have a pet peeve in that. Don't just send an
email thanking them for taking the time to visit with you.
Send them a handwritten note that'll come across more that
they will ever forget that. It's easy to email much faster,
(07:27):
but do the little things like that keep in touch
all the time.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
It's such a powerful thing, isn't it. I mean there
is a lost art sometimes we get caught up and
even interpersonal communication is kind of a lost start. But
if you take the time to write a thank you note,
it's it's going to be remembered significantly more than a
quick email that's in your older before you know.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
Better, or voicemail that type of thing. They don't forget
those things. And I be the first would have met.
My parents taught me that, so I've carried it out
of my kids too.
Speaker 1 (07:58):
What have you found? And I'm surius is so many
people listening have probably experienced there have been changes in
the workforce. There's changes and you know what skills you
find in most people that are applying for jobs. How
do you make sure that USI is finding the best
possible candidates for the best jobs. And how have has
(08:20):
that sort of protocol or process changed it all over
the years.
Speaker 2 (08:24):
Work ethic is key to me, and when I interview people,
I like to know what have they done in the past,
and especially the young people coming out of college. What
did they do during their college years during the summer months.
If they went to the malls or to the beach
the whole time, then that's the turnoff to me. They
need to be working. I remember our kids, we got
(08:46):
them working at bashes and AJS and Safeway. They call
them paper or plastic pilture, but we put them to
work at an early age. But I really think it's
important we have this new program that USI started a
couple of years ago where we're working with colleges and
universities across the country. Hiring these people to get into
(09:07):
our industry because our industry over the years has a
perpetuation problem. We have too many older people that are
aging out, and so we're getting a lot of young people.
We're partnering up with Grand Canyon University and they're doing
a great job. We have about twenty people in our
office right now that are working for us and learning
the industry. And what's good about that is as long
(09:29):
as they like the environment that we present to them,
we get to keep them instead of going out going
through hiring facilities, stealing people from our competitors, and that's
usually an expensive ordeal and not very good. So now
we're growing our own and it's working effectively. And these
are bright young people.
Speaker 1 (09:46):
In a way you get it's like a courtship. You
get to sort of date and then before there's any proposal,
you get to know exactly what you're getting.
Speaker 2 (09:53):
We get to training without any bad habits.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
So I'm curious with that because are the insurance agents
that work for USI do people change into the insurance
career mid swim or is it mostly college graduates?
Speaker 2 (10:08):
No, we have several young people that have joined us
that came from other careers, whether we selling cars and
the real estate business, what have you. So, I would
say the majority of the new people that we've hired
did not have any insurance background at all. We have
a great training operation at the USI. We put them
through extensive training. In fact, we kid each other that,
(10:29):
you know, you got that fire hose in your mouth
for several months having to learn all the business, but
it works, and so most of the people we're hiring
now do not have that background.
Speaker 1 (10:38):
What would you say is the core philosophy for USSI Phoenix?
What is what is at the core of your mission?
I know USI stands for Understand, Service and Innovate. How
would you describe the core cultural philosophy of USI Phoenix.
Speaker 2 (10:55):
We're a solution driven company and we're looking to solve
people's so we're not looking to go out and just
present some bids on their insurance. That is a short
term fix. We like to dig deep, peel back the onion,
find out what they need to do now, what they
need to do for the future.
Speaker 1 (11:14):
We want to talk a little bit about the philanthropic side,
not only for yourself but for USI Phoenix. But before
we do that, you and the company have been on
a list of all kinds of awards and accolades, whether
it's best led, best insurance company to work for. For
you specifically, what do you believe is the key to
(11:36):
effective leadership? For other prospective CEOs listening to this, other
current CEOs listening to this, or people who haven't started
their path but ultimately aspire to be a CEO, you
got to.
Speaker 2 (11:48):
Get involved in the community. I remember when I started
my company back in ninety two, I had people call
and say, your pills, your family has been involved in
the community for years. I want to do business with
you because you've given back in the past and that's
so important, and we have really hammered that home with
our new people that have joined us. Get involved, and
(12:10):
you know, it has to be something that you really
want to do. I don't care if it's working for
Saint Vincent, Paul's, Saint Mary's Food Bank, what have you.
Get involved. We'll support it, we'll pay for any dues
and that type of thing, but it reaps benefits.
Speaker 1 (12:23):
One of the things I appreciate about your philosophy in
the way that you've described USI is I don't want
to call it old school, because I don't think that's
the right term for it. It's just fundamentally the right
things to do, whether it's thank you notes, are getting
involved in the community. Does that come Do you find
you have to teach people to do those things more
(12:43):
and more or is it the people that you're hiring
kind of have a natural inclination for that in the
first place.
Speaker 2 (12:48):
I always say we have to teach people. We have
a USI gives back. This is something the company started
years ago where we have June, July, and August, you
can pick a charity. We have several that you can
go and help, whether it be a Savior, starving children,
Saint Mary's Food Bank, Saint Vincent, Paul's, what have you,
and people can volunteer and they spend the day there
(13:11):
working on helping people. And then as a result, we
give them the T shirts and all that. But and
as a thank you, we give them the day off
that on Labor Day, oh wow, we give them a
real long weekend that. But we insist that people get involved,
so we prod them along.
Speaker 1 (13:26):
You mentioned a few causes, there are there other specific
causes to you personally or professionally with US side that
you have found are the most fulfilling to serve well.
Speaker 2 (13:37):
Salvation Army I've been over the years, rang a lot
of bells on the street corners and during the Christmas hours.
The food banks, especially during the holidays, are really important.
I remember growing up after we opened up our presidents
on Christmas Day, our parents took us down to the
poorest parts of the community and we gave presents out
to those people that have nothing, and that meant a lot.
Speaker 1 (14:00):
Going back to your background, I was thinking about this
about your family steeped in the insurance industry and they're
the heritage of it. Did you ever consider not working
in the insurance industry.
Speaker 2 (14:11):
Well, I think when you're young and you want to
do your own thing, you kind of have a little
rebellious nature that you don't want to go onto your
family's business. But my father didn't push me into it
though I worked at Lloyd's London for a year and
at that kind of background. But he was wonderful to
work for and he didn't push me too hard, and
(14:32):
I'm glad that he didn't because I'm very lucky to
be a part of this industry.
Speaker 1 (14:36):
I don't know if you're how big of a sports fan.
You are big. It's like the Lebron James Lebron James'
son is now playing with them in There's I just
find something kind of beautiful about absolutely, you know, I
think it's incredible for everybody to watch and experience. If
you get to work with your dad, what better way
to learn the real world than through experiencing it with
(14:56):
your dad?
Speaker 2 (14:57):
And my son joined us in September of land year.
Oh wow, So I'm really and he's doing great. He's
much nicer than his old man. So I'm really happy
to have him on board. And he's doing all the
right things. And I make sure he doesn't report to me, but.
Speaker 1 (15:11):
He's doing great. So other philanthropic causes, I know you've
been deeply involved. You're a you're as we mentioned, generational
roots here, Brophy, you're a graduate and still a supporter
of Breath. Oh yeah, I'm on that.
Speaker 2 (15:26):
Board and twenty four years now, I guess it's been
But you know, their model is, you know, give back.
Speaker 1 (15:34):
You know, do you feel like you learned that that
was something that was instilled in you that you can Trophy.
Speaker 2 (15:38):
Really instilled you bet, they really, and they to this
day because both my boys went there. We meet on
a quarterly basis for the board and I'm so impressed
with these students. Oh, I mean, I would say seventy
percent of the students have some sort of financial way.
Oh wow. Yeah, and that is and they are so
(15:59):
thankful to begetting that education. And many times are the
first person in their family graduate from my school.
Speaker 1 (16:05):
That's wonderful.
Speaker 2 (16:06):
I know.
Speaker 1 (16:06):
The Herd Museum has been a big place story as well, right,
tell our listeners what the Herd Museum.
Speaker 2 (16:10):
Oh, what a crown jewel And that was of course,
the Herd family had this mansion down on Central just
north of McDowell, and Missus Hurd donated turned into a museum.
It's the largest collection of Native American art in the
world period. Wow. And it's just so special. And I've
been involved in that since eighty three, I think it is.
Speaker 1 (16:33):
But oh really, what about that cause is near and
dear to your heart.
Speaker 2 (16:37):
Well, the Native Americans, I mean, the history and especially
in Arizon, all the tribes. I just love what I
love what they do and how they treat the elders
and all that kind of stuff. And it's just we
we've kind of many ways over the years, there's several
states that have these tough stories about the you know,
(16:59):
the Indians growing up and putting them on reservation. We
didn't treat them very well at all. And I mean
to tell you we're the first ones at the museum
to really ring the balance say, these people did so much,
not only for our state, for other states around the
United States and the arts that their creativity is just
and their value of Mother Earth and take care of
(17:22):
it and that type of thing means so much and
we can learn a lot from them.
Speaker 1 (17:26):
Any other charities or causes you want to highlight from
your personal or professional background.
Speaker 2 (17:32):
Barrels Neurological, which is a division of the Saint Joseph's Hospital.
The miracles that they do that on a daily basis
down there is just unbelievable. It's a nonprofit. You know,
they don't turn their back to anybody. And I've seen
some of the things that they do in the community
and people that are go there and that the last
(17:53):
hope for helping their child or loved ones. And these
doctors are just superstars. They really make you cringe fantastic.
Speaker 1 (18:03):
Lastly, as we wrap things up here on CEOs, you
should know Phoenix. I'd like to ask all of our
guests a similarly theme question where I think we're all
aware right now of the rapidly changing environment in the
business world. Technologically, artificial intelligence, whatever it may be, is
just changing things. What do you think is going to
(18:26):
be a truth and a pillar that withstands whatever change.
What do you believe in the business world as employees,
as leaders, as trailblazers is essential to keep to succeed
no matter how much changes around you.
Speaker 2 (18:43):
Your reputation is key. If you ever lose that reputation,
if you ever compromise your values, you might as well
leave the town. You might as well leave because that's
all you have in life is your reputation and your
ability to help people and follow through.
Speaker 1 (19:03):
Some pearls of wisdom from Wi Pilcher, the president and
CEO of USI Phoenix. Do you have any Phoenix sports
opinions you want to share? Get off your chest to Diamondbacks.
I think the Cardinals are going to be good this year.
Speaker 2 (19:16):
I read it too.
Speaker 1 (19:17):
I like our coach.
Speaker 2 (19:18):
I like the players we have, They're good people, They're
giving back to the community. What I like what we're doing.
I like our new coach at for the Suns mmm.
And of course our coach for the Diamondbacks is good too.
So there's a ray of hope that I feel good.
Speaker 1 (19:34):
I feel like when you've got the experience in business
that you have, you can spot a coach who knows
how to build a culture real quick. And I feel
like Jonathan Gannon of the Cardinals came in and immediately
it was like, this is a successful culture. You can
see creating success. And I remember Frank Kush when he
was here. Oh, those are the golden years. I remember
those those times I missed him. He was he was wonderful.
(19:57):
He put us on the map. Yeah, my dad and
oldest brother are a s U alums. I've got a
lot of ace. I'm a U of a gred. So
my wife is too.
Speaker 2 (20:05):
Oh okay, so you're a house Yeah, I tell you
November it gets a little tense.
Speaker 1 (20:08):
Yeah, they have to sleep in the other bedroom. Well,
she had she had the brand this year this coming. See,
you got me, you got me this time. Wick really
enjoyed the conversation. Thanks for sharing your background, Thanks for
having me here today. That's Wick Pilchure, CEO and President
of USI Services Phoenix. Thanks for listening to this edition
of CEOs. You should know Phoenix
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