Employees Come First at Mackoul Risk Solutions

“Pay your employees well and treat them better.”

That’s the winning ticket to success, according to Ed Mackoul, CEO of Mackoul Risk Solutions, the Long Beach, New York-based agency that won the 2025 Best Agencies to Work For Silver Award for the East region.

“Everything we do, we do with our staff in mind,” Ed told Insurance Journal. “Many agencies and many businesses say the client comes first, but our philosophy is our employees come first.”

Employees nominating the agency say they feel valued and appreciated by management and co-workers. “We feel that each and every day,” one employee said about the firm. “It really makes a difference working for and with people who value you.”

The company allows for a work-home life balance with great compensation and benefits, another employee said. “Mackoul Risk Solutions is the best agency to work for because of how well employees are treated. We work hard and are recognized for our hard work. We have the ability to work from home but also bond with our co-workers at our monthly team building events.”

Ed said that maintaining a focus on employees has helped the agency grow from a small family-owned agency to a much larger organization.

“We have grown tremendously and have many more employees than we did when I first joined the agency in 1995, but we try and keep that same philosophy,” he said. “We care about our employees. We want them to not only be successful but to be happy doing so, and that includes making sure they have proper work-life balance.”

Ed said to be successful in today’s insurance market agencies need to think outside the box. “Many agencies still don’t allow their employees to work from home,” he said. And that’s a missed opportunity, he believes. Mackoul is fully remote, with 10 workstations available in the main Long Island office should employees choose to work in the office for a day or more. “That may not be for everyone, but a hybrid model is certainly possible,” he said. “Many of our employees we have hired over the past few years are out of state, and they are all excellent. Some people think that you lose your culture, but we have found a way to maintain it.”

The agency holds monthly team building events in person and online events for remote staff that live far away. “This past month we all went to a place that had a golf simulator and had some fun trying to win closest to the pin, the longest drive, and other events all while having a few drinks, a few appetizers, and many laughs,” Ed said. While out-of-state employees cannot make those events, Mackoul brings everyone into town for its annual holiday party.

“The agency takes a unique approach to team building and work-life balance,” said an employee nominating the firm. “We are encouraged to connect and understand our co-workers on deeper levels in our day-to-day as well as organized team gatherings or events. As a result, we carry a mutual respect for each other’s time and hard work.”

Ed encourages other agency owners to consider work-from-home if they do not offer the option already. “Not only does that benefit the employee, which in the long run benefits the employer, but it also opens up the job pool,” he said.

Ed said that while the agency has won several awards over the years, Insurance Journal’s Best Agency to Work For award means the most. “This one is truly an award based upon how happy our employees are, and for that reason, I feel it should be treasured most.”

To make a great place to work, keep employees first, he recommends. “My advice has been and will always be: pay your employees well and treat them better.” And give them the tools they need to succeed, a path for growth, and an open door so they feel heard, he added.