Insurance professionals value the ever-changing industry at PIANY’s first-ever Capital RAP

Some 150 insurance professionals attended PIANY’s first-ever Capital RAP. The event was held Oct. 25, 2022, at the Capital Center, Albany. Scores of attendees learned from insurance industry leaders on how to navigate an ever-changing insurance landscape.

Presidential vision

In his first address as association president, PIANY President David L. Sidle, CIC, CPIA, discussed the importance of building relationships.

“Our success as an industry is all about relationships. As agents, we work to build trust and relationships with our clients. In order to provide them with the insurance products they need, we also seek to establish lasting relationships with our insurance carriers and wholesalers, said Sidle.

“The value of the independent agency system is its people. Sometimes, it pays to remember that instead of replying to an email, we need to pick up the phone to communicate with those we are doing business with. It’s in communicating directly that we learn about each other, and we can gain a better understanding of what we need from our carriers and what they need from us.”

As a challenge, Sidle encouraged everyone to establish dialogue with each other and reestablish connections. He noted that everyone is busy, but he reminded them that a five- or 10-minute conversation can prevent hours of back-and-forth emails. More importantly, it helps to establish a rapport that may help agents and their clients in the future.

Keynote address

Retired Navy SEAL Darren McBurnett highlighted the untapped potential and never-quit drive that is the cornerstone of Navy SEAL success.

He said: “The man who loves walking will walk farther than the man who loves the destination. When you love the journey, the goals just happen. Milestones, accolades, accomplishments are a side effect. When you fall in love with the journey, your purpose becomes more defined.”

His message was not only motivational and inspiring on a corporate level, but it also promoted individual and personal growth. He focused on how to navigate an ever-changing adverse environment in which critical decision-making and leadership skills are vital for success.

Interestingly, the same qualities that help candidates succeed in SEAL training are the same qualities that help make insurance professionals successful: “The candidate will demonstrate the qualities and personal characteristics of determination, courage, self-sacrifice, teamwork, leadership, and a never-quit attitude under adverse environmental conditions, fatigue, and stress … .”

Award presentation

Chair of PIA New York’s Capital Regional Awareness Program Rich Andrews, LUTCF, presented Edward Gentile III, CPRM, AINS, executive vice president, Emery & Webb Inc., with the Distinguished Insurance Service award for his history of service to the American independent agency system and to PIANY.

In his position at Emery & Webb, he maintains carrier relationships, leads the agency’s mergers-and-acquisitions efforts, builds the agency customer-experience and new-business-acquisition strategy, and serves on various agency councils and boards.

Education opportunities

PIA favorite instructor John Fear, CISR, CPIA, lead two education classes during Capital RAP: Applying Ethics & Diversity to Risk Assessment and E&O: Recommending At Least Full Coverage.

In the first class, Fear helped insurance professionals recognize unconscious or implicit bias and offered helpful advice on how to eliminate them from their interactions with staff members, clients and prospects. Doing this will help them reduce the errors-and-omissions potential during various risk assessment processes.

In the second class, Fear explored one of the insurance industry’s greatest obstacles: How clients think their insurance will protect them should they need to file claims versus the reality of the actual coverage. However, this disconnect offers insurance professionals the chance to update client information and add value to individual accounts through a thoughtful and methodical review process, which will help to overcome this knowledge gap.

Thank you sponsors

Thank you to this year’s sponsors for their support of this event:

Central Co-operative Insurance Co.	Iroquois Northeast	Preferred Mutual Insurance Co.
ELANY	Kemper	SAN Group
Emery & Webb Inc.	Kingstone Insurance Co.	Sterling Insurance Group
FMI	Lancer Management Co.	Utica National Insurance Group
Foremost Insurance	Mohawk Insurance Services	Vermont Mutual Insurance Group
The Hanover Insurance Group	NYCM Insurance

Thank you to everyone who attended the event. We hope to see you next year! See photos from the event.

Save the date for next year’s event: Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023.