Articles by Lori Widmer

Best Agency to Work For – South Central

Houston, Texas HARCO Insurance Services “We already knew we were the best place to work. We just wanted to let everyone else know, too.” Gerri Rougeau is echoing what she and her team of 24 staff, 8 producers, and three …

Best Agency to Work For – East

Belchertown, Mass. Bell & Hudson “Our boss is the bomb,” says Michelle Tetrault, her voice barely above a whisper as if she’s afraid of revealing a closely guarded secret. “They broke the mold with him. He’s a giving person, and …

The Votes Are In… America’s Best Independent Agencies to Work For

Salaries and Benefits Lead but Quality of People and Relationships Win Votes, Too The results are in from the 2011 Best Independent Insurance Agency to Work For survey by Insurance Journal. THE WINNERS OVERALL Chapman Pasadena, Calif. EAST Bell & …

Best Agency to Work For – West

San Pedro and Torrance, California Insurance Center Associates It was 8:30 a.m. Pacific Time on a Friday and Mike Randles was in his office. While that may sound like any other insurance agency president’s usual day, Randles wasn’t supposed to …

Best Agency to Work For – Overall

Pasadena, California Chapman This year’s theme: communication. This year’s book: Crucial Conversations. The implementation: a reading and discussion group among management and employees. The goal: to find ways to communicate better with clients, peers and family. The company that reads …

Top 100 Profile: Strength in Numbers at Keystone Insurers Group

As Insurance Journal prepares for another Top 100 Independent Property/Casualty Agency List, to be published in our Aug. 3, 2009, magazine, the editors wanted to highlight a few of the current Top 100 agencies. Throughout the coming weeks, InsuranceJournal.com will …

Top 100 Profile: Locked into the Customer at No. 1 Lockton

As Insurance Journal prepares for another Top 100 Independent Property/Casualty Agency List, to be published in our Aug. 3, 2009, magazine, the editors wanted to highlight a few of the current Top 100 agencies. Throughout the coming weeks, InsuranceJournal.com will …

Finding a Niche

A Young Company With a Nontraditional Management Style, Heffernan Insurance Brokers Has Shown How an Agency Can Be Young and Successful at the Same Time Top 100 Agency Profile RANKING: No. 11 Agency Name: Heffernan Insurance Brokers Headquarters: Walnut Creek, …

Employee-Powered Excellence

With a Conservative View on Growth and Employees as Owners, J. Smith Lanier & Co. Has Risen to the Top Even in the Toughest Market Imaginable Insurance Journal Top 100 Agency Profile RANKING: No. 9 Agency Name: J. Smith Lanier …

Sensible Success

Focusing on One Industry Has Allowed Construction Specialist Allied North America to Grow Organically Through Even the Toughest Markets Top 100 Agency Profile Ranking: No. 6 Agency Name: Allied North America Headquarters: Jericho, N.Y. Year Founded: 1979 Additional Locations: 16 …