Stu DurlandChairman: Steve Brooks, CIC, CPIA
President, B & B Premier Insurance Solutions
Steve Brooks is President of award winning B & B Premier Insurance Solutions, Inc, one of the largest independent insurance agencies in Southern California. B & B provides coverage in the areas of property and casualty, including personal insurance as well as business/commercial insurance. Steve has received numerous awards including a Certificate of Recognition and Award from the California State Senate and the California State Assembly in honor of outstanding service and dedication to the insurance industry. As one of the nation’s most recognized independent insurance agents, Steve can be found speaking frequently at conventions and colleges, while also regularly contributing articles to national and regional publications. He welcomes questions at 818-223-8383 ext 212 or via email at steveb@bbpremierins.com.
Kitty Ambers, CPIA, CIC, CISR, CPIW, CRMCS
Executive Director, AIMS Society
Kitty Ambers serves as the Executive Director for two industry associations (AIMS Society & ANEU). She is also an instructor for several insurance industry professional designation programs in the areas of agency management and marketing/sales. As an independent consultant, Kitty coaches and trains insurance agents, helping to make them more productive and profitable. Agency owners and managers count on Kitty to improve their marketing, sales and service processes.
Stu Durland, AAI, AINS
Vice President Operations/Owner Seely & Durland, Inc.
Stuart Durland, is Vice President of Operations and owner of Seely & Durland, Inc., a third generation Independent Agency in Warwick, NY. Previously, he spent 12 years at the Travelers Insurance Company in Hartford, CT as a Data Processing Manager. He is a Past President of ASCnet (Applied Systems Client Network); is Treasurer of the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of Orange County NY; serves on ASCnet’s Industry Solution Committee; is a member of the IIABNYTechnology Leadership and Advocacy Committee; and is an active AUGIE leader and ACT member.
Mike Gray
Senior Vice President/Agency Manager, United Insurance
Mike began his insurance career after being released from the active military in 1970. He started as an Adjuster with General Adjustment Bureau (GAB) and handled claims throughout the US, Western Pacific including Guam and the Philippines. He left GAB as a Branch Manager in 1979 and joined the Lehr Insurance Agency as a producer and became President of the agency in 1990.
Rick Morgan
Vice President, New Media, Aartrijk
Rick has worked on advancing the success of the Independent Agency System for more than 30 years. He owned his own agency in Boulder, Colo., and was cofounder, publisher and editor of The Automated Agency Report (TAAR). A leading authority on insurance industry technology, Morgan is the originator of transactional filing and co-developer of Silver Plume. Rick served as senior vice president of ConfirmNet and senior vice president of marketing for Applied Systems. He is chair for the Agents Council for Technology (ACT) Web 2.0 workgroup and a Director-At-Large for the Independent Agents and Brokers of New York. At Aartrijk, Rick is helping clients develop and implement successful social web stratagies for their marketing, sales. PR, and communications initiatives.
Asa Pike
President and CEO of Agency Revenue Tools LLC
Asa Pike is President and CEO of Agency Revenue Tools, a company that combines technology and strategy, creating an agency-owned, multi-company, multi-line personal lines operation that is specifically designed for Independent Agents. After more than thirty years running a commercial lines dominated agency operating in three states, Pike and his enterprise partner, Vice-President of Sales and Support, John Macdonald now devote their time exclusively to assisting Independent Agents in creating a dynamic personal lines growth strategy, bringing profit to both their agency and the companies they represent.
Brady Polansky
President and CEO, NetVU
Brady Polansky is president and chief executive officer of NetVU (www.netvu.org), the largest technology trade association for the insurance industry, representing more than 150,000 independent agency professionals. Before joining NetVU (formerly AMSUG) in 2008, Polansky was the director of agency operations at Westfield Insurance, perpetuated and owned his own family agency, and served as a producer and chief technology officer for Dawson Companies. With more than 20 years in the business—including 15 successful years as an independent agent—Polansky is recognized as an expert in independent agency sales and operations. He is an active speaker and panelist for national insurance forums, including IIABA, ACORD, and IVANS.
Bob Slocum
President, Slocum Agency
Bob Slocum entered the insurance business at the age of 16 as a bookkeeper in his family run insurance agency (part time after school). After receiving his broker’s license, he worked in the agency while majoring in finance and insurance at URI. After graduation, he pursued and received the CPCU and CIC designations and has been actively involved in a wide variety of industry activities since that time.
Peter van Aartrijk
CEO & Managing Director, Aartrijk
Peter has more than 25 years of branding and communications experience, including advertising, consumer research and education, marketing, public relations, publishing and Web development. As a spokesperson for clients and employers, Peter has appeared on CNN, CNBC, Fox News and other networks, and he has been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, USA Today, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Magazine and other national press. He is a frequent speaker on issues of branding and marketing and is co-author of Zoom, a step-by-step branding guide.
Cal Yngve, CPIA
SalesForce Advantage, Founder – President
Cal’s 30+ years with Aetna Life and Casualty in various field office management positions gave him the experience of helping independent agencies grow profitably through effective agency management and sales development. In 1996, Cal founded SalesForce Advantage, specializing in providing professional development and management consulting services to Property & Casualty agencies and carriers. In addition to one on one agency consulting, he has facilitated various seminars and workshops throughout the country.
