Be a Leader by Listening to Employees and Clients

For the second straight year, Brightway Insurance in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, has made the list of finalists for the Insurance Journal’s Best Agencies to Work For – Southeast. This year, the agency made it to the top and was named the Gold Award winner, based on surveys and extensive feedback from employees.

“Our office is more of a family than a place we work. It truly makes coming to work such a joy!” one agency worker said in the Insurance Journal survey.

The Gold award this year comes a month before the staff heads out on a cruise–the reward for hitting the goal of making 3,000 positive impacts in 2024, with co-workers, clients, and in the community, said Chris Huebener, equity partner at the 15-employee agency.

“We are embarking on our team cruise in November with all the employees and spouses, so we are super excited to reward them with that and spend some time together and disconnect from the job and really enjoy our time together–with significant others, too, as they are just as important to our office success,” Huebener said.

He said the Insurance Journal Gold award is another measure of the agency’s success with workers and with policyholders.

“This is awesome to see and always a great feeling that our team actually likes to come to work!” Huebener said.

The agency is one of many Brightway franchises in 45 U.S. states, and one of several in the bustling Jacksonville, Florida, area. The Ponte Vedra agency was founded in 2006. Billy Wagner is the agency owner. Wagner was a restaurant manager for several years but left for a career in insurance. Huebener also worked at the restaurant, and when it closed down a few years later, he joined Wagner as business partner at Brightway.

That was two decades ago. The agency has grown steadily since, inking some 5,000 new clients each year.

One secret to employee satisfaction and strong customer service seems to be the vetting and training that agency staffers must go through. Brightway Ponte Vedra has a rigorous, 21-step hiring process. Most hired crew members are then trained for four months. It’s all validated through monthly “secret shopping” of the agency, Huebener explained.

“The expectations are clear, and the reviews highlight exactly what we have excelled at and what we need to work on, and that is clearly conveyed to us in a constructive, motivating, and positive light,” one longtime agency employee said.

“I have worked for other insurance agencies in the past, and Brightway PVB is one above the rest. Billy and Chris do an amazing job running the agency,” said another.

Huebener’s advice to other agency owners: listen closely and respond creatively to your team. The agency created a position called the Executive of Belonging, whose role is to surprise and delight the team with fun initiatives that foster a sense of belonging.

“Continuously improve your benefits package–ours has improved for 18 straight years. And always seek ways to show your team that they’re valued,” Huebener said.

The firm also has developed a pathway for eight positions for growth, “ensuring our team members are rewarded for high performance and never feel capped in their earning potential,” Huebener said.

The agency helps the team create life plans, focusing on workers’ personal dreams and goals before even discussing business. “As leaders, our priority is making our team members successful,” he added.

Business development also is important, leaders said. Agency team members continue to travel to conferences and “road shows” to meet with carriers, learn how to help them reach their goals, and secure more capacity.

Topics Leadership