When we were looking at being acquired we were looking to join a partner that would give us access to additional markets and programs that we felt we would benefit both our customers and would give our people the ability to do more for their clients and be more competitive in our region.
With the types of markets we now have access to we’ll expand our footprint into accounts which, prior to this partnership, we wouldn’t have been able to go after. Now, with the market access, special programs and additional expertise, we’ll be able to go after those larger, more complex accounts.
The flat structure and collaborative culture of Risk Strategies was also an important factor. Even early on in our integration it’s proven valuable. For instance, I had a difficult health insurance renewal and was able to collaborate with a Risk Strategies person who had been an underwriter earlier in her career. She really went through the renewal in-depth and gave me some great insight and ideas to shoot back to the insurance company to help work through the renewal.
With the types of markets we now have access to we’ll expand our footprint into accounts which, prior to this partnership, we wouldn’t have been able to go after.
We also saw Risk Strategies’ national-scale premium placement volume as a benefit because it would heighten our profile with our carrier partners. This higher profile benefits both our employees and clients when it comes to creating effective placements, and dealing with renewals and claims.
Culture and how people are treated was key in our decision. Employees are your biggest asset. If they’re not comfortable and they are not taken care of, what do you have? If they’re not happy, you’re not going to have happy customers and it’s just not going to work. You’re also going to have a hard time attracting new people to help build the business.
Prior to deciding on Risk Strategies, we went through a similar process and were very close to finalizing a deal with a different firm when we called it off. They started laying out things they were going to change concerning how our employees would be treated in certain situations and we backed out of the deal.
We’ve always treated our people like family. We wanted someone that would be fair to our employees and continue to treat them as we did; making work life more like family life, not a daily grind. Risk Strategies really seemed to have that same mindset. During the acquisition process with Risk Strategies, talking with their senior leadership and other people in the organization, I had that sense that they were real people.”
We’ve always treated our people like family. We wanted someone that would be fair to our employees and continue to treat them as we did; making work life more like family life, not a daily grind.