THE MAIN EVENT - BIG Independent Group
Sponsored by THE MAIN EVENT 2 0 1 5 B IG CONV E NT ION Being an independent producer is a trip. ¡ Vamonos! www.GoAllianceUnited.com 866.530.5500 x 3704 PROUD PLATINUM SPONSOR OF THE NAIC 10920 FAX 800.761.8680 BIG LATINO Table of Contents Welcome Letter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 President’s Letter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Salvador Ayala Jr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Continuing Education Class Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Convention Center Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Exhibitors List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Keynote Address by Mike Stromsoe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Technology Update with Larid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Legal Update with Jon Stanley Heim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Schedule Thursday April 30th 11:00 am - 5:00 pm Charity Golf Tournament 9:00 am - 4:00 pm Education Day. Friday, May 1st 3:00 pm - 6:00 pm Tradeshow open 4:00 pm Progressive Insurance $1000 Drawing (Progressive Booth) 5:30 pm Progressive Insurance $500 Drawing (Progressive Booth) 6:30 pm - 10:00 pm Hospitality Party Sponsored by Global Hawk Saturday, May 2nd 10:30 am Progressive Insurance $2500 Drawing (RainCross Ballroom) 10:30 am - 12:00 pm Lunch and Key Note Speaker, Mike Stromsoe 12:00 pm - 5:00 pm Tradeshow open 4:30 pm Progressive Insurance $1000 Drawing (Progressive Booth) 6:30 pm – 10:00 pm The BIGGIE Awards and The BIG Fight Wrap Up Party Sunday, May 3rd 9:30 am Legal & Technology Updates Page 1 NEW TRUCKING PROGRAM NOW AVAILABLE! Currently available in California and Arizona Soon to be coming to other states! Brookside General Insurance is a leading Managing General Agency which focuses on TRANSPORTATION. We take great pride in offering brokers a wide variety of coverages and products. Contact us Today!!!! • Admitted Carrier • New Ventures • Local and Long Haul Trucking • Foreign Licensed Drivers Many Classes of Trucking acceptable Coverages: Auto Liability • UM • Med Pay • Hired Auto • Non-Owned Auto PO Box 77758 Stockton, CA 95267 www.brooksidegeneral.com T(209)476-8022 • F(209)476-8008 Insurance Agents Errors & Omissions Protecting your agency’s future is very important. Guarding your assets can be the single most important management decision you have to make. Endorsed by Errors & Omissions insurance is a valuable risk management tool and R.E. Chaix is here to help you. Agents are consistently providing competent advice and services to customers. Considering the amount of work and service agents provide, agents rarely get involved in Errors & Omissions claims. However, sound advice does not guarantee that agents are immune from litigation. It has been our experience that claims can come from policy holders, insurance companies and third parties. According to current trends, 1 in 7 agents will be involved in an Errors & Omissions claim once during their career. Errors & Omissions Insurance protects companies and individuals against loss (damages and defense costs) resulting from acts, errors, or omissions in their performance of professional duties. R. E. Chaix offers multiple carriers for your E&O coverage, with available coverage highlights such as: • $1MM/$3MM Liability • $1,000 Min. Deductible • $1,250 Min. Premium OFFERING MORE • Defense Inside or Outside the Limits of Liability • Worldwide Coverage • Exclusion for bankrupt insurance companies does not apply to B+ or better rated carriers • Prior Acts Coverage • Consent to Settle Provision • Extended Reporting Period Options for 1, 2, 3 or 5 years • $25,000 Regulatory Action Expense Coverage • $250 Loss of Earnings per day Beth Walters [email protected] (858) 676-1744 FOR QUICKER QUOTES, SEND US • Completed Application • Copy of Current Declarations • Any Endorsements regarding retroactive date or restrictions in coverage www.rechaixinsurance.com Page 3 LIC#0726213 Welcome I would like to welcome each and every one of you to the 6th Annual Trade Show for the BIG Independent Group at the Riverside Convention Center! It’s 2015 and we’re back in force, in greater numbers than ever before! The year is almost half over and time is relentlessly ticking by. We as an every growing group have already accomplished so much and we still have the rest of the year to do so much more, and trust me…WE WILL! Let’s recap for a sec. 2014 was a phenomenal year, not only for our group, but also for our industry. We witnessed unprecedented growth at the agency as well as carrier level and business was up across the board thanks to the hard work and dedication of every professional in this industry. We also launched the BIG Latino, and saw its popularity soar beyond anything we could’ve ever dreamed. Memberships were, and still are, consistently on the rise thanks to the dedication of our amazing team. Things could not be any better! If you are looking for additional growth, networking opportunities, training, or resources to streamline your business, I encourage you to take advantage of all that will we have made available to you at this year’s event. The BIG will provide you with the exposure and education that are paramount in building and maintaining a successful business. The Insurance industry is as dynamic as ever, and by utilizing the resources that our association has to offer, it will greatly benefit and contribute to the success of all your business endeavors. So take advantage of us, because that’s what we’re here for! This is our shining moment, and if you are looking for new ways to grow your agency, personal or professional development, networking opportunities, industry knowledge, or simply reconnecting with the participants in the insurance world, than this Trade Show is the place to be. We offer more relevant content and value than any other association in our industry and we will continue to push the limits to bring you everything you need and deserve. It is our absolute goal to be the insurance industry’s premier trade association, and guess what… and we are doing it! Thank you so much for attending and I welcome each and every one of you to the 2015 Big Independent Groups, 6th Annual Trade Show!!! Sincerely, Adam Meyerson Agency Counsel President Master of Ceremonies Page 4 From the President WELCOME TO BIG CONVENTION 2015! There’s been plenty of news items this past year to concern independent agents and brokers. One of the most talked about is the definition of “agent” and “broker” which got one of the biggest carriers utilizing agents/brokers in a bit of trouble. Anyone who has been aware of regulatory and legislative action the past two decades knows that if you charge a broker fee, you have to be a broker. What constitutes a “broker” is a matter of debate. Other big news is that a certain search engine behemoth has stepped into the insurance aggregator business. Not sales (yet), but ostensibly showing insurance shoppers where they can find a great deal. As of March 25th, there were 14 willing companies utilizing the Google quote to offer the lowest price on car insurance. That number will grow, count on it. There are 125 companies on Google’s UK insurance site. The point is that companies are not waiting to embrace new (or not so new) sales venues. They are being proactive and so should you. Insurance companies are not leaving agents and brokers behind, they just expect them to stay current. Why should you ask for 1,000 brochures when you can send them out in a .pdf attachment with your e-mail? It’s not about the industry going in a anti-agent direction, It’s about you keeping up. Which is why you are here at the BIG Convention. Maybe you are stuck in your office, you talk with the occasional company rep, maybe have lunch. Even better, you attend the monthly BIG member meeting and connect with people on both sides of the policy and learn a lot. Think of our convention as a BIG monthly meeting on steroids. You will meet new people, rekindle old relationships, and absorb a wealth of information in just three short days. Look over the program and plan your attack. Be sure to take advantage of everything the BIG Convention has to offer. Don’t forget that you are also on a mini-vacation and there is plenty to see and do that is unrelated to insurance. Get ready to be entertained, learn more about your industry, have a great time, and relax… all at once! Sincerely, Jon Spaugy CEO BIG Page 5 A Message from the BIG Latino President Es un gran honor darles la bienvenida a la convección 2015 Comercio Expo de este año. Se me ha dado el privilegio de representar a nuestro lado Latino de BIG Independent Group. Lanzamos BIG Latino a finales del año pasado y recibimos una bienvenida muy cálida. Vimos la necesidad de la educación y la unificación con nuestra comunidad. Nuestra misión con BIG Latino es muy simple; Unir y Educar. Siempre ha habido un estigma dentro de nuestra comunidad latina de la separación y de la competencia. Mi reto al avanzar será ayudar a unir a nuestra comunidad ofreciendo talleres educativos que unen a nuestra comunidad para compartir ideas y los procesos que están fusionando dentro de las organizaciones que impulsan la rentabilidad y el crecimiento. A medida que avanzamos en el año 2015, se espera ver mucha más actividad desde el lado latino de la asociación. Vamos a tener reuniones educativa mensual, así como algunos eventos sociales para ofrecer un ambiente más relajado para la creación de redes. Espero que disfruten de nuestra convención y saquen el máximo provecho de todas las oportunidades de interactuar con sus colegas y clases de educación que la convención trae a usted. It is with great honor that I welcome you to this year’s 2015 Convection Trade Expo. I have been given the privilege of representing our Latino side of BIG Independent Group. We launched BIG Latino late last year a received a very warm welcome. We saw a need for education and unification with our community. Our mission with BIG Latino is very simple; to Unite and Educate. There has always been this stigma within our Latino community of separation and competition. My challenge moving forward will be to help unite by providing educational workshops that bring our community together to share what ideas and processes that are working within organizations that drive profitability and growth. As we move forward in 2015, expect to see a lot more activity from the Latino side of the association. We will be having monthly educational meeting as well as some social event to provide a more relaxed atmosphere for networking. I hope you enjoy our convention and take full advantage of all the networking opportunities and education classes that the convention brings to you. Respetuosamente, Salvador Ayala Jr. President -BIG Independent Group Latino Page 6 Class Schedule Friday, May 1, 2015 n Gree Room 7 Commercial Training Instructor: Steve Shin / Infinity Insurance CE: Yes Hours: 3 Time: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm This class will explore the world of mono-line commercial auto. Attendees will have an opportunity to interact with our experienced instructors and gain valuable commercial auto knowledge to better service the needs of your clients. Digital Marketing - How it affects your business Instructor: Ivan Martinez / UNIKO Media Group CE: No Hours: 1 Time: 12:15 pm - 1:15 pm Description: This class will take a look at the importance of having a presence online (Website, Social Media) and how to properly position your business on an online platform. Making the Property FSC rater work for you Instructor: Tyler Nichols / FSC CE: Yes Hours: 1 Time: 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm Description: This is designed to educate producers on proper use of the FCS Rating System for homeowner’s Insurance. With this knowledge the producer will be able to accurately provide quotes for the clients and maximize the features of the program. Power User Training - En Español Instructor: Lupe Rodriguez / FSC CE: No Hours: 1.5 Time: 3:15 pm - 4:15 pm Description: This course focuses on Marketing letters Commission reports•Letter templates•Defaults•RT carriers/Blue Fields•Required fields/set up •Forms•Input by•Referred by•MVR integration•Ignore for rating•One way calculator•Renewal tab•Rating results Working with Wholesalers n Gree Room 8 Instructor: Ron Abram / Abrams Interstate CE: Yes Hours: 2 Time: 9:00 am - 11:00 am Description: This class will help de-mystify the differences between the Wholesaler, MGA, MGU and Surplus Lines Broker. You will learn how each are similar but different, how each process works and will help you to better understand the Lloyd’s of London marketplace. You will learn what takes place within the Wholesale distribution channel, and more importantly, why. You will learn to define and discern the differences in terminology regarding the entities involved, how they work, understand the work flow and service issues of each and be provided with tools to clarify and evaluate your current wholesale relationships. Lastly, this class will provide you with a check list to ensure that the relationship with your existing wholesalers are a good fit for your agency needs, or if necessary, to help you choose the proper wholesale operations for your individual agency. Using Technology to Protect Your Client and Bottom Line Instructor: Gordon Fette / Record Guardian CE: Yes Hours: 1 Time: 11:15 am - 12:15 pm Description: This course focuses on Laws and Regulations Protecting Customer Data, Laws and Regulations Specific to Insurance, Record Keeping and potential litigation and errors & omissions risk Creating an Agency Marketing Strategy to Compete Anywhere Instructor: Laird Rixford / ITC CE: No Hours: 1 Time: 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm Descritption: There is not one place consumers are going to for researching insurance. They can, and are, going anywhere and everywhere. If you want to succeed, you need to be where they are. In this session, you will learn how to create an agency marketing strategy so your agency can compete anywhere. Introduction to Insurance Instructor: Carlos Basurto / Mike Russ Insurance CE: Yes Hours: 2 Time: 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm Description: There is not one place consumers are going to for researching insurance. They can, and are, going anywhere and everywhere. If you want to succeed, you need to be where they are. In this session, you will learn how to create an agency marketing strategy so your agency can compete anywhere. Page 7 Tradeshow Map Vendor Locations 220 Marketing 513 3IS 113 Abram Interstate Insurance Services Inc 207 Access Insurance Company 115 AFS/IBEX A division of Meta Bank 407 Agency Matrix 117 AIM High Insurance 704 Alliance United Insurance Co 307, 406 Alliance United Insurance Co American Team Managers AMWINS Group Inc. Appalachian Underwriters, Inc Applied Underwriters Applied Underwriters Arrowhead General Insurance Inc BBSI Ontario Page 8 406 , 307 405 302 710 401,500 500, 401 402 605 Vendor Locations BIG Independent Group 311,313,410,412 Brookside General Insurance Agency Inc 303 Builders&Tradesmen’s Insurance Services, Inc 502 Bulldog Premium Finance 604 Cabrillo Pacific Insurance Services Inc. 503 California Earthquake Authority 512 Capital Premium Financing 514 Century-National Ins. Co. 516 Compass Specialty Risk 610 Crusader Insurance Company 200 Cypress Premium Funding 415 Dairyland Auto 517 Direct TV 100 Explorer Insurance 202 EZLynx 304 First American Specialty Insurance Company 204 Fonality Inc. 701 Foremost Insurance 211 Francis L Dean & Assoc of CA, LLC 203 General Agents Acceptance Corporation 305 Global Hawk Insurance Co. RRG 315,317,416,414 Golden Bear Insurance Company 403 Greenpath Insurance Company 314 Hawksoft, Inc. 404 Imperial PFS 617 Infinity Insurance Company 300 Infinity Schools 714 InsuranceQuotes 716 Extra Life 102 Insurance Technologies Corp. 205 Iroquois Group 615 J.E. Brown & Associates 606 K.B. Construction Company 700 Kemper Personal & Commercial Lines 607 Kemper Specialty 510 Legacy Insurance Service Inc. 616 Latin American Immigration Association 712 Macafee Edwards Inc. 214 MAPFRE Insurance 206 MexicoInsuranceOline.com 613 MexiPass International Insurance Services 601 Mike Russ Financial Training Centers, Inc. 101 My Insurance Videos 103 Nation Safe Drivers 614 Networked Insurance Agents 210 Oak Street Funding 611 One Stop Agency 417 Pacific Coast E&S Services 212 Pacific Specialty 111 Padgetts Cleaning & Restoration Inc 504 Personable Insurance Insurance Agency, Inc. 501 Premier Group Insurance 702 Progressive Insurance 301,400 QQ Solutions, Inc 413 Quomation 511 Quote Pro 217 R.E. Chaix & Associates, Inc. 505 Record Guardian Technologies, Inc. 506 RIC Insurance General Agency Inc. 602 Risk Placement Services Insurance Brokers 507 Safeco Insurance Company 612 Safeway Insurance 201 SCJ Insurance Services 703 Senior Solutions Life Insurance 705 Smart Choice 515 StateFund First 600 Stillwatter Insurance Group 306 Suncoast Insurance 603 Superior Access Insurance Services 215 Syntech Group 116 Tapco 105 Tapia Enterprises 213 Thomas V. Humphreys Insurance 316 Time Warner Business Class 706 Top Premium Finance 107 Uniko Media Group 216 Uniserv 114 Unstoppable Profit Producer 112 Vertafore 310, 312 Western General Insurance Company 411 Page 9 Tradeshow Exhibitors Gold Gold r Silve ze Bron Gold ze Bron ze Bron A divis ion of MetaBank ® Page 10 Tradeshow Exhibitors Page 11 IT’S COMING. RESERVE NOW. y t r a P y a d i l o H Saturday December 5th 2015 6:30 pm until 11:30 PM Ontario Double Tree 222 N. Vineyard Ontario, CA After Party Misty’s Lounge KNOCKOUT R YOU COMPETITION Infinity has multiple programs to help you meet your agency’s goals. Stop by Booth #300 for more information. Win a Signed Manny Pacquiao Boxing Glove! Stop by Booth #300 to Register. Sponsored by Our Sponsors Diamond Diamond Silver Platinum Gold Bronze A division of MetaBank ® Our Founders Page 16 COMING FALL 2016 with Keynote Mike Stromsoe After working in the restaurant and produce businesses, Mike Stromsoe joined his father’s insurance agency in 1986. He then started his own successful agency which he and his wife still run today along with two additional businesses. Among many things, it is Mike’s core belief that one gets what they give in this world. His passion is teaching and inspiring people who want to be taught and inspired. He has created a unique philosophy, the “Three P’s – People, Processes and Promotion” Developed over 28 years of research, Mike’s thinking provides entrepreneurs the tools to quickly implement in their businesses that will help them grow, create financial security and give them more freedom. Since Mike still owns and operates his own agency, his “Living Agency Laboratory” continues to refine and bring to market ONLY the tools that work. Mike has been there, done that and is still doing it. Mike Stromsoe, Creator of the Unstoppable Profit Producer Program™ Page 18 Technology Update with Laird Rixford As president, Laird Rixford is responsible for sharing the vision and direction of the company with its customers, vendors and affiliate companies. Rixford oversees the direction for each of ITC’s products and the company’s sales and marketing departments. As vice president of product development and marketing from 2008 to 2013, he implemented sales technology and procedures that increased ITC’s revenue by 25% and profit by 200%. An expert in insurance technology and marketing, Rixford created AgencyBuzz, ITC’s automated agency marketing tool, in 2011 and Insurance Website Builder in 2006, which he sold to ITC in 2008. Since Insurance Website Builder’s inception, he has supervised the development of more than 5,000 insurance websites. Rixford consults agencies nationwide on their online marketing initiatives and speaks at various industry events around the country. Page 19 Legal Update with Jon Stanley Heim Jon Stanley Heim is a California attorney with thirty years of successful experience in the fields of insurance regulation, coverage, brokerage, contacts and litigation. Mr. Heim was born in Riverside, California and raised there and on Catalina Island, California. He attended college at University of the Pacific in Stockton, California, the oldest school in that state. There he achieved Dean’s List and was captain of the college’s water ski team. From college Mr. Heim graduated to the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, San Francisco, California. At Hastings Mr. Heim was appointed to the Moot Court Board and taught a section of moot court advocacy. He also worked as an extern to the Honorable Allen E. Broussard, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of California. In that capacity Mr. Heim advised Justice Broussard, and wrote memoranda, bench briefs and draft opinions for him, on topics ranging from admiralty to insurance to the environment. Notable among such work was National Audubon Society v. Superior Court (1983) 33 Cal.3d 419, which applied the doctrine of public trust ownership of waterways to non-navigable tributaries of endangered Mono Lake, laying the groundwork for restoration of the rare saline lake after historic overexploitation by the Department of Water and Power of the City of Los Angeles. Mr. Heim entered private practice in 1982, first as appellate and law and motion attorney for the noted tort and insurance firm Perona, Langer, LaToracca & Beck in Long Beach, California, then as senior litigator or partner in a series of commercial law firms in San Francisco. In the latter capacity he prosecuted and defended a variety of insurance, commercial, real estate and legal malpractice actions. In 1992 Mr. Heim opened his own law practice specializing in those fields. He continues in that practice and specialties to this day. Mr. Heim has been general counsel or advisor to United Farmers Agents Association, American Agents Alliance and the Independent Brokers’ Network. He has represented domestic and foreign insurers, reinsurers, general agents, surplus line brokers and brokers in a wide variety of contract negotiations and drafting, and judicial and administrative proceedings. Mr. Heim was one of two principal authors of the California Insurance Commissioner’s broker fee regulations, California Code of Regulations sections 2189.1 – 2189.8. Among the published cases he advocated as attorney of record are Heston v. Farmers Ins. Group (1984) 160 Cal.App.3d 402 and Wallis v. Farmers Group, Inc. (1990) 220 Cal.App.3d 718, which respectively established trade secret rights and contract termination protections for thousands of independently-owned insurance brokerages in California. Mr. Heim is regularly requested to speak to or conduct continuing education classes of independent and captive insurance brokers in the western United States. Page 20 I N I M Sponsored by Oakland Coliseum • Oakland, CA Tuesday, September 01, 2015 2:00 PM 2:20 PM Exhibitor setup 2:20 PM Registration Opens 2:30 PM 6:30 PM – MiniVention opens (includes meal) 3:30 PM 5:30 PM- Commercial 101 class provided by Mike Russ Training Center ( 2 hours C.E. Credits) 6:30 PM 6:45 PM Door prizes and giveaways 7:05 PM 9:45 PM A’s versus Angels Baseball game Mike Stromsoe’s 2015 Unstoppable Profit Producer Boot Camp™ Leave NO Regrets! Special Guests... Mike Stromsoe John O’Leary Joe Theismann November 5 ‐ 6, 2015 | San Diego, California ONLY Pricing $497 $297 Hurry... Offer Expires Nay 3, 2015! Want More Proof… Here’s What Other Agents Who Took Ac�on Had To Say About Mike Stromsoe’s 2 Day LIVE Boot Camp: “Write the check, show up, sit there and you will just become so enthusias�c about your business again, that’s very important, because when you deal with the public you have a tendency to burn out and it’s the same old, same old. You need to be regenerated; you need to have an injec�on of energy. It is absolutely amazing and ideas I’ll have to live to be 140 to do the ideas! It’s marvelous, it’s terric! “ ~ Donna Lavigne ‐ Donna Lavigne Agency ‐ Cobleskill, NY “All I can say is WOW!! The two days were full of so much good informa�on. All great ideas to help me grow my business by double dig‐ its in the next year.” ~ Russ Castle‐ Castle Insurance – Redwood City, CA “As a team member I can nally envision the plans my principal wants to implement. It has made me understand how I can help her be successful and most of all make her business 100X’s be�er and unique.” ~ Maria Alvarez –Blackwell Insurance Agency‐ Lake Forest, CA www.mikestromsoe.com/BIG or call 800‐770‐9984 Hi. I’m here to help your agency SPRING ABOVE the rest. ONE MEMBERSHIP A TOTAL SERVICE SOLUTION KNOWLEDGE. 50+ Preferred Markets 50+ Account Placement & Service Professionals Earn Competitive Commissions Retain 100% Agency Ownership Join for under $100/month Compete on more opportunities that come your way! LEARN MORE MARKETS. SERVICE. NETWORKED. www.networkedins.com Phyllis Hayes Networked Insurance Agents 818.271-6745 [email protected] Networked Insurance Agents | Independent Agency Service Solutions NETWORKED Insurance Agents networkedins.com WHY SERVICE THIS GOOD IS NO ACCIDENT Stop by booth #301 to learn more, plus enter to win your part of the Progressive $5,000 cash give-a-way. Progressive invites you to learn how our Service Centers can help your customers get back on the road an average of two days faster. Plus, while you’re there, enter to win great Progressive prizes. To view our product offerings and to become a Progressive appointed agent, visit ProgressiveAgent.com. Progressive Casualty Ins. Co. & affiliates. QUOTE MANAGE CLOUD WEB INTRODUCING AgencyStream TM QUOTE NEW WEB RATING FOR CALIFORNIA! 801.462.2236 [email protected] QUOMATION.COM
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