Skip Navigation
  • Careers
  • Report a Claim
  • Clients
  • Contact Us
  • Employees
Risk Strategies Logo
  • Industries

    • Architects & Engineers
    • Aviation
    • Cannabis
    • Construction
    • Education
    • Entertainment
    • Financial Services
    • Fine Art
    • Healthcare
    • Law Firms
    • Marine & Yacht
    • Nonprofit & Human Services
    • Private Equity
    • Public Sector
    • Real Estate
    • Relocation
    • Transportation
    • Waste & Recycling
  • Solutions

      • Captives
      • Casualty
      • Cyber
      • Environmental
      • International Liability
      • Management Liability
      • Property
      • Surety
      • Employee Benefits Overview
      • Benefit Administration and Technology
      • Benefits Compliance Support
      • Data & Analytics
      • Human Capital Management
      • International Benefits
      • Absence Management & Ancillary Programs
      • Voluntary & Lifestyle Benefits
      • Financial & Wealth Overview
      • Life Insurance
      • Private Client Services Overview
      • Homeowners
      • Collections
      • Umbrella & Excess Liability
      • Auto
      • Boat & Yacht
      • Family Office
      • Specialty Coverages
    • Reinsurance
      • Risk Management Services Overview
      • Analytics
      • Claims Management & Advocacy
      • Loss Control
      • Safety Consulting Services
  • Consulting

    • Consulting Overview
    • Actuarial Services
    • Healthcare Claim Audit Services
    • Health and Welfare
    • Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Pharmacy
    • Retirement Benefits
  • News and Insights

    • All Insights
    • Blog
    • Emergency Resource Centers
    • Employee Benefits Compliance Center
    • Events
    • Media Coverage
    • State of the Market Reports
    • Press Releases
  • Company

    • About Us
    • Careers
    • Culture and Values
    • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
    • Environmental, Social, & Governance
    • General Terms of Business
    • Leaders
    • Local Expertise
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Recognition & Awards
    • Risk Strategies Charitable Foundation
    • Transparency and Disclosures
  • Join Us
    • Careers
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
  • Industries
    • Architects & Engineers
    • Aviation
      • Aviation Business Insurance - Manned Risk
      • Non-Owned Aviation
      • Unmanned Aerial System and Drones
    • Cannabis
    • Construction
      • Alternative Solutions
      • Financing & Pre-Construction
      • Insurance Solutions
      • Risk Management
      • Surety
    • Education
      • Employee Benefits for Education
      • Property, Casualty & Liability for Education
      • Student Health & Wellness
    • Entertainment
      • Film & Television
      • Advertising Wrap-Ups
      • Event Cancellation & Non-Appearance
      • Music & Touring
      • Theatrical Production & Live Performance 
    • Financial Services
      • Asset Managers
      • Banks & Non-Bank Lending
      • Collections
      • Consumer Financial Services
      • Financial Tech
      • Insurance Companies
    • Fine Art
      • Artists
      • Artist Endowed Foundations
      • Auction Houses
      • Fine Art Packers / Shippers / Warehouses
      • Galleries
      • Museums
      • Private Art Dealers / Advisors
      • Private Collectors
    • Healthcare
      • Employee Benefits - Healthcare
      • Managed Care / Stop Loss
      • Medical Malpractice
      • Property & Casualty - Healthcare
      • Reinsurance
    • Law Firms
    • Marine & Yacht
      • Boat & Yacht For Individuals
      • Classic Yachts
      • Commercial & Recreational Marine Businesses
        • Marine Businesses
        • Sailing Organizations - Burgee Program
      • High Performance Boats
      • Jackline Program for Cruising Yachts
      • Mega Yachts
      • One-Design Insurance Program
      • Travel Medical & Trip Insurance
    • Nonprofit & Human Services
    • Private Equity
    • Public Sector
    • Real Estate
      • Commercial
      • Community Associations
      • Hospitality
      • Residential / Habitational
      • REITs
      • Retail
      • Specialty Programs
    • Relocation
      • Domestic Household Goods
      • Expat Renters & Living Insurance
      • Relocation Claims Service
      • International Household Goods
      • Supplemental Movers Coverage
      • Temporary Living Insurance
      • Vacant Home
    • Transportation
      • Business Auto Insurance
      • Last Mile Delivery
      • Forwarding & Brokering
      • Workers' Compensation
    • Waste & Recycling
  • Solutions
    • Business Insurance
      • Captives
      • Casualty
        • Analytics
        • Auto Liability & Physical Damage
        • Captives & Alternative Risk Financing
        • Claims Advocacy & Loss Control
        • Excess Liability
        • General Liability
        • Product Recall
        • Workers' Compensation
      • Cyber
        • Cyber Resolute
        • Cyber Risk Assessment and Analytics
        • Cyber Risk Response & Claims Advocacy
      • Environmental
        • Contractors Pollution Liability
        • Environmental Excess
        • Environmental Liability Transfer
        • Environmental Liability - Healthcare
        • Environmental Liability - Higher Education
        • Pollution Legal Liability
        • Environmental Liability - Private Equity
        • Professional Environmental Liability Insurance
        • Real Estate Development
        • Remediation Cost Cap
        • Secured Creditor Protection for Lenders
        • Underground Storage Tanks
      • International Liability
      • Management Liability
        • Management Liability - Entertainment
        • Management Liability - Financial Institutions
        • Management Liability - Healthcare
        • Management Liability - Real Estate
      • Property
        • Builder's Risk
        • Property Claims Services
        • Inland Transit and Ocean Cargo
        • Natural Hazard Catastrophe Modeling
        • Political Violence and Terrorism
        • Property Damage & Business Interruptions Valuations
        • Property Loss Prevention and Control
      • Surety
    • Employee Benefits
      • Employee Benefits Overview
      • Benefit Administration and Technology
      • Benefits Compliance Support
      • Data & Analytics
      • Human Capital Management
      • International Benefits
      • Absence Management & Ancillary Programs
      • Voluntary & Lifestyle Benefits
    • Financial & Wealth
      • Financial & Wealth Overview
      • Life Insurance
    • Private Client Services
      • Private Client Services Overview
      • Homeowners
      • Collections
      • Umbrella & Excess Liability
      • Auto
      • Boat & Yacht
      • Family Office
      • Specialty Coverages
    • Reinsurance
    • Risk Management Services
      • Risk Management Services Overview
      • Analytics
      • Claims Management & Advocacy
      • Loss Control
      • Safety Consulting Services
  • Consulting
    • Consulting Overview
    • Actuarial Services
    • Healthcare Claim Audit Services
    • Health and Welfare
    • Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Pharmacy
    • Retirement Benefits
  • News and Insights
    • All Insights
    • Blog
    • Emergency Resource Centers
      • Cybersecurity
      • Earthquake
      • Hurricane
      • Pandemic
      • Riot & Civil Unrest
      • Severe Storms
      • Violence & Active Shooter
      • Wildfire
      • Winter Weather
    • Employee Benefits Compliance Center
    • Events
    • Media Coverage
    • State of the Market Reports
    • Press Releases
  • Company
    • About Us
    • Careers
    • Culture and Values
    • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
      • BeHEARD Series
      • DE&I Structure
      • Employee Resource Groups
    • Environmental, Social, & Governance
    • General Terms of Business
    • Leaders
    • Local Expertise
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Recognition & Awards
    • Risk Strategies Charitable Foundation
    • Transparency and Disclosures
      • General Terms of Business
      • Conflict of Interest Policy
      • Compensation Disclosure
      • Enterprise Risk Management
  • Join Us
    • Careers
      • Benefits & Wellness
      • Investing in Growth & Leadership
      • Life at Risk Strategies
      • Next Steps
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
      • Partnership Benefits
      • Why Join Us?
      • Onboarding & Integration
  • Careers
  • Report a Claim
  • Clients
  • Contact Us
  • Employees

You are about to leave Risk Strategies website and view the content of an external website.

You are leaving risk-strategies.com

By accessing this link, you will be leaving Risk Strategies website and entering a website hosted by another party. Please be advised that you will no longer be subject to, or under the protection of, the privacy and security policies of Risk Strategies website. We encourage you to read and evaluate the privacy and security policies of the site you are entering, which may be different than those of Risk Strategies.

OK
  • News & Insights
  • Mergers & Acquisitions | Testimonials
August 05, 2022

Finding A Third Act at Risk Strategies

Property & Casualty
4 min read
Joe Piatczyc
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
Finding A Third Act at Risk Strategies | Risk Strategies

After graduating from college with an English degree, intending to have a lengthy career in education, I took a job as a high school English teacher in Farmington, Connecticut. Between coaching three sports and staying up late to correct papers, I realized I needed something more sustainable. So, in the late 1980s, I took a leap of faith into the insurance industry.

At that time, most major insurance companies had a home office in nearby Hartford. Since no one was graduating with insurance degrees, I found the industry valued teachers and communication skills. I had both.

Hired by Travelers in their National Accounts Division, I did four months in “insurance school” then shadowed an account executive in New York City. It was a robust, technical training process, but as I began working as an underwriter, I saw that communication and the ability to educate are fundamental. The broker role is all about building trust and educating people, and that matched my passions perfectly.

I honed my skills servicing major, national consumer accounts in the Northeast and then went on to work on smaller accounts in a Kansas City division. After 18 months in that division, a few agencies reached out to me because of my national accounts background and technical abilities. Wanting to be in front of people, not in an underwriting role, I joined a broker where I was able to develop my book of business, and over time, become an Executive Vice President.

Eventually, I joined a California firm as their third employee. Within a couple of years, we grew to about 45 employees before getting caught in the mortgage crisis of 2007/2008 due to our bank affiliation – when the bank and its insurance carrier went away, so did the firm.

In 2014 I purchased the remainder of the firm I had managed for 14 years and formed Lovell Sagebrush, with a partner. I grew my book of business through referrals and networking. But with success comes complexity.

When you run your own agency, you also run human resources, compliance, legal, tax, accounting, monthly financials, and IT systems. My skills have always been working with clients and building relationships. That’s the part of the business I wanted to return to.

Selling to Risk Strategies and integrating into their operations took all those functional areas of the business off my plate. I can continue to build relationships and focus on my clients - one hundred percent of whom, I am thrilled to say, came with me to Risk Strategies.

I’m also able to bring the resources of Risk Strategies to my accounts and help them in ways I couldn't have previously. The breadth and depth of products and services is incredible. Having third-party administration, claims, and loss control on staff allows me to go to my bigger accounts and sell services, not just products. I also found that Risk Strategies is a true brokerage firm with an entrepreneurial spirit, not just a private equity holding company.

Since joining Risk Strategies, I'm working with more passion than I have in 10 years. I didn’t realize how much I would like being a part of the Risk Strategies family. Sometimes culture can be a shock, but I enjoy going to work every day. I’m able to get back to the things that I was excited about early in my career: take care of my clients, manage their needs, and grow.

Additionally, I am so impressed by Risk Strategies open embracement of diversity and inclusion. Their strong core values have allowed me to write new business that is more akin to my value systems. Coming from a large and diverse family, I am proud to be affiliated with a company that is committed to D&I as I am, and work for a company that ensures all voices are valued and heard.  

I couldn’t have found a better home for my business. I look forward to seeing what else Risk Strategies has in store, as I continue this journey and the third act of my career.

The contents of this article are for general informational purposes only and Risk Strategies Company makes no representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied, regarding the accuracy or completeness of any information contained herein. Any recommendations contained herein are intended to provide insight based on currently available information for consideration and should be vetted against applicable legal and business needs before application to a specific client. 

Related Posts

See all posts

Employee Benefits 3 min read Same Track, Bigger Engine February 09, 2022
Property & Casualty 3 min read Past, Present and Future January 19, 2022

Subscribe via Email

Risk Strategies Logo
  • Report a Claim
  • Clients
  • Contact
  • Employees
  • Terms of Use
  • Cookie Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility
  • Health Plan Transparency Compliance
©2023 Risk Strategies. All rights reserved.

Connect with Us

  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Facebook