Tee Cee is a MOVIE STAR

Look what you may have missed at convention! Tee Cee is a movie star...

He may be stomping out autographs at a theatre near you.

 

Tee Cee has a Health Check-up!

When they said I was going to a meeting for a health check-up... I thought I was going to the VET. But to my relief, I was meeting with the Anthem Gals. Tara, Kristie and I met with Karen Hall and Debby Halstead from Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield. They helped me learn more about our Group Health Plan. They were so nice and gave us lots of marketing materials to hand out on our agency visits. Check out the really great flyer below.

Get health insurance for you and your agency employees today!

 

Me, Karen Hall and Debby Halstead.

SUPER "TRIFECTA" MANAGEMENT

We hit the trifecta with this class. It was very well received by all that attended. We enjoyed hosting the National Alliance and all of their peeps. We had 54 attendees for this two-day class. The class was on September 12-13 (sorry for being 'late' out of the gate) at the Hyatt Downtown Louisville. The National Alliance is revamping this class so we may see it in a different version soon!

"Loved the class. Days went fast because they were fairly interactive and a lot of information that went beyond insurance but was very practical to our businesses and managing people. Already have given my employee a personality test:) They enjoyed it...it was fun. A lot of 'Ah Ha' moments as we are figuring out that some of our staff is task-oriented and others are people-oriented.  Should help us understand one another. All in all a great class."
-Jason Billington, The Murray Insurance Agency

Thanks Jason, It is always nice when we receive testimonials about our classes and events. They are always welcomed with open hooves. Take a look at some of my photos below.

Me & Josh Maldonado, National Alliance

Josh and all of his goodies

Me and "Hot Rod" a.k.a. Rod Rezac, Education Consultant!

Who left the BARNES door open?

...And guess who walked in, none other than Past President, Joe Barnes! Joe came into the position in 2007. He was very instrumental in the purchase and move into our "new/6 year old" office space. This of course, led to our new Training Center which Joe and I are standing in shown in the photo above.

His wife Peggy is also an agent and was very involved with our Education Committee and helped make it what it is today.

Joe says Peggy is under the weather and hopes to be back in the saddle soon.

Straight from the horse's mouth,

Horse Capital of the World?!? Lexington?

Adam Young, Taylor Made Insurance Group and Me

I discovered a new place today, Lexington, Kentucky. Peggy, Tara and I galloped over to Taylor Made Insurance group and met with Adam Young. They are new members and we were able to walk Adam through our many products and services. He and the owner Jake Riordan recently registered and used Big "I" Markets. Adam was interested in getting involved with the Young Agents. He was considering meeting some other young agents at the Keeneland outing on Oct 18. We chatted about Project CAP and our Group Health Plan.

Check out my "Selfie" and Kentucky Insurance Group

Next we canterred over to Kentucky Insurance Group to pop in to see Joe Barnes. He wasn't in...(Which isn't uncommon, since we sometimes drop by unannounced.) But we did get a chance to talk to Elden Cox. It was nice to catch up. Elden attended our Super Management Class (Sept 12-13) facilitated by the National Alliance.

We kept the pace and hurdled over to Al Torstrick Insurance Agency Inc. We met with Sandra Blain, President of the agency. Her dad and brother preceded her as President's. They also preceded her in being President of the IIAK Board of Directors'. It was so fun to sit down and get to know Sandra. Did you know that she was our first female President? Yep... in 2010. She is very stylish and knows a thing or two about running an agency. Sandra has dedicated so much of her time to IIAK and is still serving on our Investment Advisory Committee.

Sandra Blain and Me

WOW! Three Past President's from one agency.

Next we pranced over to Neely Taylor Wade and spent some time with Danny Neely. They currently use our Errors & Omissions program and the Virtual Risk Consultant. We talked a little about Health Insurance and Project CAP and he was interested in becoming more involved with the Young Agents.

Danny Neely and Me

Neely Taylor Wade Insurance, LLC

Our finish line for the day was at Houlihan Insurance Agency. We talked with Marie Houlihan who was super nice. She is such a great member (she reads ALL her emails:)). She knew all the happenings of IIAK. She asked great questions about the Affordable Care Act. Her sister Susan Douglass works with her and her newest employee John Murphy (son of Past President Tim Murphy- 1992). We didn't get to meet him... but hopefully I will soon.

 

Straight from the Horse's Mouth,

 

 

 

 

It's not raining... but I need an Umbrella!

So happy to visit our friends at Arlington Roe. Peggy, Tara and I "raced" to Indianapolis to learn more about their IIAK-endorsed  RLI Personal Umbrella Policy and the RLI At-Home Business Policy.
 
Jim Roe is the president of Arlington/Roe. Jim’s father, Francis Roe, founded the managing general agency in 1964, processing mobile home policies from a small green metal desk nestled in the family kitchen. After Francis Roe’s death in 1987, Jim became the sole owner of the agency and began to expand the agency’s products and standing in the Midwest.
 
Today, Arlington/Roe maintains its headquarters in Indianapolis, IN, with underwriting offices in Louisville, KY, Geneva, IL and Grand Rapids, MI. Although key states are Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee, Arlington/Roe insures a number of risks nationally. Already licensed in all 50 states, Arlington/Roe can conduct business nationwide.
 


John Immordino, Jennifer Hopper, Janet Phillips and Jim Roe 

Arlington/Roe is an Industry Partner with IIAK and a Gold Level Sponsor. You can enter the "Winner's Circle" too and be an Industry Partner! There are seven different levels to choose from.

Straight from the Horse's Mouth,

Giddy-Up for Golf in Owensboro!

Tee Cee galloped over to Owensboro to support the Independent Insurance Agents of Owensboro. They were hosting their 16th Annual Golf Scramble held at Ben Hawes Golf Course... This was great fun and all for a great cause. The previous golf outings have helped benefit several families during the holidays through the local school family resource centers, Daniel Pitino Shelter Soup Kitchen, Sunrise Children's Services, Oasis, Goodfellows, The Help Office, Red Cross and local high schools for their after prom/graduation functions. Way to go Independent Insurance Agents of Owensboro! High Shoe to you!



Amber Guinn and Hope Yager registering the golfers!

I got a nametag too!

Where's Tee Cee... Can you see me?

I was so lucky to ride around with a great group. It was Peggy and Tara from the IIAK Staff and I got to meet Morris Smith of Summit Consulting and Jason Elder of Horn and France Insurance. It was a beautiful day with some really great people. BUT... You are never going to believe what happened next! We got to the third hole and Tara got a HOLE-IN-ONE. It was so exciting to witness. I felt like I just won the Derby -->We jumped up and down and screamed (I hope my hooves didn't damage the green... oops)!

Tara got a Hole-In-One!



 Keep on the look out for next year's event. You may even want to "pony up" and sponsor a hole!

Straight from the horse's mouth,

Tee Cee visits the B & B (Budget and Board Meeting)

I played a game when I was a colt called, "Follow the Leader." So I thought that it would be appropriate to do just that at my next two meetings.


Look how "Executive" I look with all of these Executive
Committee Members:)

I was so excited to meet the leadership of IIAK all in one place!

These people dedicate so much of their time to our organization and we couldn't survive without them. They attend all of our meetings and do so much "on the backside" to help our organization thrive.

First, I met the Executive Committee at the budget meeting for IIAK. The Executive Committee met in our new Training Center (next door to our office). Everyone was there including our Chair, Bill Latta, Chair-Elect, John Funkhouser, Vice-Chair, Michelle Love, Immediate Past Chair, Tim Conder, National Director, Steve Kinkade, Treasurer, James England.

We went through the budget line by line and talked about the future of the Association.

A couple of weeks later we "reined" in the rest of the Board for a REAL Board meeting in Henderson, Ky.


Look how spiffy this crew is!

Here is a list of all of our Board Members:
Chair, Bill Latta
Chair-Elect, John Funkhouser
Vice-Chair, Michelle Love
Immediate Past Chair, Tim Conder
National State Director, Steve Kinkade
Treasurer, James England
Board Members:
Chip Atkins
Jason Billington
Moe Dugger
David Houk
Diana Hunt
John Ison
Michael Johnson
Aaron LaRue
Skip McGaw
IIAK Staffers Peggy, Tara and Katie were all present too!

I so enjoyed "horsing around" with this group. You would love it too!

The best way to get involved is to join one or more of our committees. Please give the office a call or email if any of the below committees interest you. It is a great way to engage with other members... and the best part, most of the committees "corral" via conference call - So you don't have to leave your comfy chair!

IIAK COMMITTEES:

Convention - Works with the staff to plan the convention program and the dates and locations for future conventions.

Education - Works with staff to assess and plan the IIAK Education program.

Health Benefits - Works with staff to evaluate the group health insurance program renewal and to help promote the program to members.

Industry Partners - Solicits companies to be annual sponsors of IIAK programs at different financial levels that offer different benefits to those companies at each level of support.

InVEST - Implements the InVEST program in Kentucky by educating communty

college students on careers in insurance and encourages them to pursue careers in the industry.

Government Affairs - Works with the lobbying staff to monitor, report and affect federal and state legislative, regulatory and political activity important to agents.

 

Membership Services - Oversees all IIAK programs involving membership, products and services, and agency/company relations.

Public Relations - Develops programs to promote the Trusted Choice® brand and educate members on use of the Trusted Choice® brand.

Young Agents - Develops programs for young agents to further educate them and promote involvement in and awareness of the association.

Straight from the horse's mouth,

Tee Cee Goes to EeeeTown

Gerry Hignite and me shaking hooves!

Boy, have I been BUSY!

I had a HAY DAY in EeeeTown last month. I galloped all over Elizabethtown with Kristie and Tara. We started off our day at Curneal and Hignite. We met with Gerry Hignite who has been in the insurance biz for more than 40 years. He was one of the agents that co-founded the Young Agents. We talked about many products and services that IIAK offers. He blew out 69 candles the on the 17th of August! Happy Birthday Gerry!


Curneal & Hignite Insurance

Me and Jacob Hazle

Then we sauntered down the road to Duff Insurance Agency and chatted with Jacob Hazle. He was finishing up his Advertising Co-Op paperwork and his Project CAP profile. Jacob also qualifies to be a Young Agent, since he is under 40 years of age. (You can also qualify if you have been in the business less than 5 years!) Jacob's Dad, Dennis is the principal agent and has been ill. I hope he gets back in the saddle soon.






Daniel and Kim hanging with Me!

We moseyed over to Tabb Insurance where Daniel Tabb was working very hard. We sat down with him and talked about our different option for education including, our CRM Program, our Super Management program and ABEN (Agents and Brokers Education Network). We also talked to him about getting more involved with our Young Agents. I think he would be a great candidate:)

Me and Paula Bunnell hugging

We jumped on over to Burris Insurance and met with Paula Bunnell. She is one of two agents in her office. We talked to her about Big "I" Markets and helped her gain access to the Professional liability website.


We hurdled over to a prospective member and told them how great it is to be a member of IIAK. We talked briefly about our many member benefits.




Next we trotted over to see Norbert Skees of Skees & Shipp. Norbert was interested in more
information on affordable healthcare. He wasn't sure if he had ever logged in to Big "I" Markets so we told him we would check when we headed down the stretch back home!
                                                                                                               Check out my "Selfie" with Norbert's sign! -->






Heading back to the Ville we came to a halt at Lee & Marshall Inc. and dropped off some great information.


<--Thought I would rest here for a minute:)






Straight from the Horse's Mouth,

 

 

Tee Cee visits NKY

What a beautiful day I had for my Northern Kentucky agency visits. The weather was perfect and the company was extraordinary. My chauffer was Tara and Arlene was the navigator. I sat in the back seat and enjoyed the scenery.

Karen Brown, Globe Insurance with Me

Our first stop was with Karen Brown of Globe Insurance. They sit right off interstate 75 so they were easy to find. Karen has been in the biz for more than 40 years. She was telling us that they have a another agency in Ohio that is a member of the Ohio Association. Karen just set up her profile on www.trustedchoice.com. She was very excited for the leads she was going to receive. Karen also gave us an awesome idea for a marketing piece to supply to our members. Stay tuned the IIAK staff may be working on it for you.

Wen Gartman, Gartman Insurance with Me

We moseyed on down to Gartman Insurance in Erlanger. They have a new location and it is really nice. We met with Wen Gartman. He is fairly new to the independent world... but not to insurance. He was a captive agent for many years before making the switch. Wen's agency is taking advantage of our E&O Program. We talked to him about some other products (Big "I" Markets, Project CAP, etc.) and services that we offer to assist in his already flourishing agency.

Me, Bill and Ryan McCarty at Tri-City Insurance

Next stop... FLORENCE Y'ALL! We buzzed over to Tri-City Insurance Service, Inc. and met with Bill McCarty. He is a former member of IIAK's Board of Directors'. We met his son Ryan and his wife Donna and all the gals in the office. We chatted about Bill's time in leadership and Ryan talked about serving on the Young Agents Committee. My favorite part was meeting another four-legged friend, Maxie. She is a boxer that works very hard at insurance. She greets all the guests as they enter. She is very much a girly-girl and her toenails matched her collar. I think she was flirting with me... She kept blowing me kisses, or was it bubbles? I can't remember.

After a yummy lunch at the Cobblestone Café, Tara, Arlene and I trotted over to Gross Insurance.

Nick Rolf, Gross Insurance and Me

There we hung out with Nick Rolf. He is heavily involved in IIAK's Project CAP Task Force. He was selected to set up his social networking profile that coincides with the portal. Check out his Facebook page here. Nick also is taking advantage of our advertising co-op. Did you know that just by using the Trusted Choice logo, you can receive up to $500 of your advertising dollars back! Y'all that's FREE money! Nick also told us he was getting married on September 1! He is inviting 500 of his closest friends and family. Funny thing... my invite must have gotten lost in the mail. Maybe they weren't inviting horses, weird! On our way out we met Nick's uncle, David Gross. He is a former IIAK Board Member and David's daddy is IIAK Past President Frank Gross (1982). Thanks Gross Insurance for being a loyal supporter of IIAK. On our way to the next stop, I looked out the window at the cute, quaint town of Fort Thomas. There was lots of action in town and looked like school was about to start soon.

What a warm welcome at Desmond Insurance. There were hugs abound! We sat down with Shannon Desmond Walz and chatted about many of our new products. Shannon is signed up for our Super Management Class on September 12-13. We just got approved for 8 HOURS of CE. How about a High Hoof on that one. We also talked about ABEN the Live Webcasts that stream professional instructors right into your office, along with related course material and the ability to ask questions and chat with other students. Best part: No test at the end! What? This can't be real?! We bumped into Denny Desmond who is an IIAK celebrity. He was President in 1997, he was the State National Director and the E. Starling Holloway recipient at the 2012 Annual Convention. IIAK is now taking submissions for a 2013 recipient. We met Jan (Denny's wife, Shannon's mom) and she had heard about me. I was so happy to meet her and she had been following my adventures:)

On our way out of the river side city of Bellevue we drove through Covington. So we hopped over to
Chas. H. Bilz Insurance Agency. This agency is heavily involved in IIAK. They are long-time members. They even had a hand in the local board, Northern Kentucky Independent Agents. We met up with Karen Toll. She is a rock star and was the IIAK's 2005 CSR of the Year Award Winner. If you know of a CSR that has been extraordinary, submit their name to IIAK for the 2013 award.

Other items that we talked about were the CRM that is coming up on April 2-5, 2014 and Project CAP. We gave her a handy-dandy sheet that walked her through the steps to set it up for her agency. When we got back to the office, Arlene found a picture of Karen accepting her CSR of the Year Award from our President & CEO, Peggy Porter.








Shew... What a whirlwind trip! IIAK has a lot of members (and non-members) in Northern Kentucky. We will have to come back soon and visit more member agencies. Thanks for the Northern Hospitality Y'all! I need a nap.

Straight from the horse's mouth,

WELCOME New Member - Hinkle Insurance

Kevin Hinkle, Gordon Hinkle and Me.

Welcome NEW member Hinkle Insurance

Welcome to IIAK a community of agents
all after the same goal.

Straight from the horse's mouth,

 

Tee Cee Meets TC and PH for CAP!

So, I sat in on a super cool meeting with the leaders of the Project CAP task force. Tim Conder (TC) and Phillip Hunt (PH) trotted by the office and met with Arlene, Peggy and Tara. We talked about www.trustedchoice.com and IIAK's 117th Annual Convention and Trade Show. We had such an incredible response from our Big "I" Day speaker, Ryan Hanley and wanted him to come back! You will never believe this... but he said, "YES!"

Join us at the 117th Annual Convention - November 6-8, 2013 - Register TODAY!

Mark your calendars - Ryan will be speaking November 7, 2013 from 10-12 pm.

Email Marketing Strategies to Generate Revenue with Ryan Hanley

Presenting this session is digital marketing leader and highly sought after speaker Ryan Hanley. He is the creator of www.RyanHanley.com a blog dedicated to helping small businesses grow through tried and tested content marketing strategies. A licensed insurance agent, Ryan is also the Director of Marketing for The Murray Group Insurance Services, Inc., in Albany, New York.

He will speak about the nature of marketing to consumers, particularly in the digital age is one that is ever-changing and always evolving. Customers have become savvy in their purchase of insurance and are turning to the Internet to be educated and informed on the services they wish to purchase and the companies and agencies they wish to purchase from. In November, Ryan will focus on email marketing. He will help you learn why it's important, how to capture emails, what to do with them once you capture them and how to translate them into revenue. In addition, agencies must implement unique strategies for conveying their values, products and services, so that you can reach those customers and stand out from the rest. This session aims to equip you with the knowledge and tools to go forward in your digital marketing strategy, and that attracts inbound leads, that generate revenue.
              


The portal is LIVE! Sign up for Project CAP today.

Consumers are looking for you. Be found!

Once you have set up your profile and consumers begin shopping for insurance at the new TrustedChoice.com, prospects will see your name right there in front of them as the agent to contact.

 

Created through an alliance of the IIABA, Trusted Choice^®, state associations and key insurance carriers, Project CAP is a powerful industry initiative with the vision and resources to recapture and expand the independent channel’s share of the personal lines insurance market. Sign up today and start growing tomorrow.
 

Take a look as Tee Cee and Phillip Hunt help Tim Conder set up his CAP Profile on www.projectcapmarketing.com.

Tim Conder (TC), Phillip Hunt (PH) and Me (The "cooler" Tee Cee)

 

It is easy to do:

1. Sign up with Project CAP.
2. Fill out your complete agency profile.
3. Be found by consumers in your area!


Straight from the Horse's Mouth,

Tee Cee Goes to Henderson

Hanging out at Latta Insurance.

Being the CFO (Chief FUN Officer) for IIAK is such hard work! NOT!! I just love my job! I have been able to travel to different parts of Kentucky and meet our wonderful members. What more can a horse ask for? Recently, I was able to travel with Arlene to the western part of our state, specifically Henderson. Our assignment was to interview our very own IIAK Chair, Bill Latta for an upcoming profile in the KentuckyIndependent Agent magazine.

Our drive to Henderson took us out of the state into Indiana and then back again! Can you believe that? And, on the way, we drove past Ellis Park which is a racetrack in Henderson. I gave my fellow horses a wave as we drove past. 

We arrived at Bill’s agency which is right on Main Street and is just a block away from the Ohio River. He gave us a tour of his office which used to be an old bank. I even got to see the old style vault they have inside, which is now used as a supply room. You wouldn’t want to be locked inside! I also met some of the delightful staff at Latta Insurance Services including Whitney (Bill’s daughter), Tammy, Melanie and Kim. I didn’t get to meet Alisa because she was out that day! 

From left to right: Kim, Tammy, Whitney, Melanie
and Bill is seated.

After our tour, we got down to business and I got to sit in on the interview with Bill. Bill has been an insurance agent for nearly 40 years now, so he gave us a lot of insight about the insurance business. He spoke about how he started, some of the challenges and opportunities he’s faced during his career and his involvement in the association.  And here’s a fascinating fact about Bill, that I bet you did not know:  He and a buddy of his own a two-year old racehorse named Beccawhit!  (I would love to meet that filly!) She was named after each of their daughters.

 

All the fillies blowing me a kiss:)

Be sure to look out for his interview in the July-August issue of the Kentucky Independent Agent magazine where you can get to know more about our IIAK Chair.

Following our interview with Bill, he and Whitney were kind enough to give us a tour of downtown Henderson. Henderson sits along the Ohio River and did you know it was the only major city along the Ohio River that did not flood in 1937? As we toured downtown, we drove past the house that was used in the film A League of Their Own and we also drove along the waterfront which they have developed with plenty of parkland for people to use. In mid-June the waterfront becomes the location for the famous annual W.C. Handy Blues & Barbecue Festival that Latta Insurance Services sponsors.

It was a great day spent in Henderson and I really enjoyed travelling with Arlene and my time listening to Bill and meeting his staff. Don’t forget that our interview with him will be featured in the July-August issue of the KentuckyIndependent Agent.

Straight from the horse's mouth,