Room to Grow in a People-First Environment

Insurance Office of America (IOA), headquartered outside of Orlando, Florida, has followed the credo that a thriving workforce translates directly to a growing, profitable insurance business.

“Our people come first. That is not just a tagline or a poster in the breakroom,” said Bevrlee Lips, vice president of enterprise marketing and communications for the firm, which now boasts 1,500 team members in 60 offices around the U.S. and U.K. “When you build a company around growing the people in it, they stick around, they get better, and they bring others with them. It has been that way for almost 40 years and will not change going forward.”

IOA was named the Silver Award winner in Insurance Journal’s 2026 survey of Best Agencies to Work For in the Southeast. The agency’s workers provided more responses to survey questions than any other agency in the Southeast. Almost all of them were positive.

“The agency is fair, and they will pay you what you are worth. If you are very good at your job, then you will make more,” one employee wrote.

“IOA recognizes talent and encourages their employees to advance their career and education. As a result, they attract and retain some of the top talent in the industry,” said another. “The annual reviews are fair and they strive to maintain measurable benchmarks. They also give additional increases when promotions are given.”

IOA was founded by John and Vallie Ritenour in 1988 as Insurance Office of Florida. Since then, it has grown steadily and today remains one of the fastest-growing agency groups in the country. Heath Ritenour, son of the founders, is chairman of the company. Jeff Lagos is CEO, and Rob Motley is president.

Lagos joined IOA as a commercial lines producer in 2000, after a decade with Auto-Owners Insurance. He has seen the Florida property insurance market at its lowest point and now at a much-improved level thanks in part to legislative changes that stemmed from what had been called excessive claims litigation.

“Declining rates are good news for our clients. The legislative reforms are helping with that, plus they are attracting new carriers coming into Florida,” Lips said. “This is giving us more to work with than we’ve had in a while on certain lines. That said, we don’t lean on the market to do our job. Our brokers keep strong relationships with the top carriers in every cycle, so whether rates are climbing or easing, we’re still fighting for the best terms we can get.”

Employees at IOA also are not concerned they may someday be replaced by AI, even as use by brokers, agencies, and carriers grows rapidly worldwide.

“At IOA, we’ve been very clear: AI is a tool for growth, not reduction,” IOA leadership noted. “It’s meant to give back time and capacity to our team members so they can focus on high-value work and deepen the client partnerships that define the IOA experience.”

IOA said it is using AI in areas of the insurance lifecycle in which time has always been the constraint, such as comparing quotes across carriers so producers can evaluate options side-by-side, in a fraction of the time it once took. The firm is also utilizing AI to find coverage insights and benchmarks drawn from the breadth of IOA’s book of business and to shorten turnaround times.

IOA’s leadership offered this advice for other agency owners: “Give people real room to grow and be honest with them about where they stand. Most folks don’t leave over pay. They leave when they stop learning, feel stifled, or stop feeling like the work matters. If you can keep those alive, you’ve won most of the battle.”