SILVER Best Agency to Work For 2016

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Best Agency to Work For – SILVER

Pasadena, California
Bolton & Co.

bolton “The people.”

That succinct answer came from an employee at Bolton & Co. who was prompted to explain “Why your agency is one of the best to work for” on a nomination form for the Insurance Journal annual Best Agency contest.

Among the myriad comments from employees who took the time to go online and answer survey questions about their firm, that short, insightful answer is really about all one needs to know about the employee-owned independent agency.

The Pasadena, Calif.-based firm of 120-plus employees won Silver for Best Agency in the West.

The ranking was based on a number of factors, but among the assets that put Bolton so high were the quality of employee comments, as well as its high score on IJ’s grading scale.

An annual Bolton Foundation event, Granting Holiday Wishes, features a luncheon and matinee performance of “A Christmas Carol” hosted for those served by the selected nonprofits that the foundation is supporting that year.

The “people” theme was recurring throughout employee comments.

“Great people, great environment with growth opportunities,” wrote another employee.

Not all respondents were so concise with their descriptions of Bolton’s work environment. Some offered anecdotes to help paint a picture of what goes on there.

“My company truly treats every employee like an individual rather than a number,” was one employee’s comment. “I am pretty new to the company and the president already knows my name. He also walks around the office and says ‘Hi’ to the employees or treats us to coffee sometimes. The company has so many perks to recognize our hard work and treat us to special events.”

Mike Morey, Bolton’s chief operating officer, turned things around when told the firm’s employees ranked it so highly.

Morey credited the employees themselves for creating a workplace worthy of an award.

“Our entire leadership team is humbled by this recognition, and we really appreciate all of our employees and their continued commitment to Bolton & Co.,” he said. “Ultimately, it’s these very people that help make our firm such a great place to work.”

The resulting office culture, Morey said, is what drives the success of a firm that reports placing in excess of $150 million in annual premiums, and helps set them apart.

“Simply put, we don’t want to be like everyone else. That’s what I like about Bolton,” he said. “We will always work to make this organization stronger. We constantly ask ourselves, ‘What does the broker of the future look like?’ and ‘How do we get there?’ When clients and prospects come into our office and see it, feel the energy and meet the people, we frequently hear that we do not look like other brokers.”

Of course, good pay no doubt also helps foster good employee attitudes.

“Competitive but fair,” wrote one employee while rating the firm’s performance/salary reviews.

Another employee liked the review process because it goes beyond discussing an employee’s value in the past.

“The performance reviews are done in a manner to ensure all staff and managers set goals and are held accountable to those goals,” wrote the employee.

Numerous employees took the survey, and there was no shortage of impassioned responses.

“As a Hispanic single mom, building a professional career in leadership can be challenging in our industry,” wrote one employee. “Bolton has provided me with the opportunity to build a career that enables me to make a difference in the lives of others and to support my family. Never once in my 12 years at Bolton was I ever treated like a second class citizen or told I could not achieve my goals of leadership. My execs consistently provided encouragement, inspiration, feedback and the education to pursue my goals.”

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