As summer winds down and we head into the end of the year, I wanted to take a moment and share some awards our company has received and some other new developments that I hope make all our associates at the Hilb Group very proud.
For the third year in a row, the Hilb Group has been recognized as one of the 5000 fastest growing companies in America coming in as #619 on the Inc. 5000 list! This is a great honor to all of us as only one in five companies makes this list three times in a row. Congrats to all!
Our continued growth has placed us on two other very visible lists that I hope all of us will use in our marketing and community efforts. We’ve moved up 12 spots to #30 on the Insurance Journal’s Top 100 Property and Casualty Agencies list and we have debuted as #45 on the prestigious Business Insurance top 100 US brokers list. You can view these lists with the links provided in the “Hilb in the Media” section of this newsletter.
All of us at the Corporate Office are delighted to welcome Rob Patton as our new Vice President of HR. Rob brings a wealth of experience with him on everything from integration of new acquisitions to improvement of the overall associate experience. Rob’s already been out visiting several agencies and I hope everyone gets a chance to interact with him in the coming months.
I also want to take a moment and give a shout out to the amazing work that our very own Margaret Clary has done (with a tiny little bit of help from Jason Angus….) on our fantastic New Employee Kits. Margaret works tirelessly here at our office so all of our new hires can feel welcome and part of the Hilb Group family from day one.
As I always say, our company would not exist without every single one of our associates in the field. All of us in Richmond appreciate all you do for us every day!
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New Vice President of Human Resources
Rob Patton
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We are excited to announce the appointment of Rob Patton as our new Vice President of Human Resources, effective July 31st, 2017.
Rob will be responsible for our human resource team and brings with him some exciting ideas on how we can improve our integration, onboarding, hiring, training and overall employee experience with our company.
Rob graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA with a BS and an MBA. Prior to accepting this position, he served as the Senior Human Resources Director for BreakThru Beverage, and Director of Human Resources at Luck Stone Corporation.
Rob will be located in our corporate office in Richmond, VA.
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Anniversaries
Congratulations to our employees who had a milestone anniversary in the months of
June - August 2017!
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35 Years
- Heather Minkler - Keene, NH
20 Years
- Anne Nicoll - East Greenwich, RI
5 Years
- Nancy Simone - Warwick, RI
- Amber Thornton - Clearwater, FL
- Jeanette Paraza - Mahwah, NJ
- Johnnatan Toro Carmona - Tampa, FL
Thank you for all that you do for us!
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New Faces
Welcome to our new employees, who have joined our team, as of June - August 2017!
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- Denise Brown – Tampa, FL
- Anna Braunstsch – Mahwah, NJ
- Samantha Lawless – Ocean Township, NJ
- Kimberly Mitchell-Nowicki – Warwick, RI
- Kate O'Toole – Hyannis, MA
- Spencer Wall – California, MD
- Joanne Angevine – Warwick, RI
- Leeya Rollins – Keene, NH
- Abigail Irizarry – Orlando, FL
- Steven Loffredo – Warwick, RI
- Angela Fowler – Wilmington, NC
- Frances Eames – East Greenwich, RI
- Rachel Kennedy – Warwick, RI
- Dawn Bennett – Apopka, FL
- Christin Johnston – Wilmington, NC
- Ivan Reyes – East Greenwich, RI
- Colleen Heuer – Ocean Township, NJ
- Rob Patton – Corporate
- Candicce Calloway – Greer, SC
- Elizabeth St. Laurent – Warwick, RI
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The Growth Academy is a 24 hour sales meeting full of training and education for Hilb Group Producers. One of the greatest benefits of the Growth Academy is the time spent meeting colleagues from around the country.
Spots are full for the 2017 fall meeting.
Be on the lookout for an announcement on the 2018 Spring meeting.
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Employee Welcome Kit
Look Familiar?
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Hilb Group now has a welcome kit for new employees! On August 1st, every Hilb Group employee received one of these kits.
Didn't receive one? Let your agency leader know.
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- Prescott Engle (Leesburg, VA) was voted Loudoun Now's 2017 Favorite Insurance Agent in Loudoun County.
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Prescott Engle
(Leesburg, VA)
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Chad Bjorkland (
Providence, RI)
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Get to Know the Corporate Team
William C. "Bill" Widhelm, CPA
SVP, Quality Assurance
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Hometown: Baltimore, MD, however my family’s roots are in Tidewater Virginia
Education: Auburn University, Accounting major
Family: Wife (Mary Kay) and two sons (Parker and Burke)
Years at the Hilb Group: Five
How did you start your career at the Hilb Group?
I worked for 15 years at Hilb Rogal & Hobbs (HRH Insurance) and that is where I met Bob Hilb, Rob Blanton, and Jud Elliott. HRH was sold in 2008 to Willis Towers Watson and in 2009 the Hilb Group was founded. Bob contracted with me to be an independent consultant in 2009 and I performed due diligence on the first agency acquisition (EAI in Long Island). After a brief stint as CFO for the Richmond Metropolitan Habitat for Humanity and some other independent consulting gigs, I joined the Hilb Group full-time in 2012.
Describe your role at the Hilb Group.
I am primarily responsible for Quality Assurance at the Hilb Group. I travel to our various office locations and ensure that internal controls are in place to provide accurate and timely data. I evaluate agency operations and make recommendations so they can run at maximum efficiency at minimum cost. Compliance with company policies and procedures, best practices, and regulatory requirements is also reviewed.
What traits define you?
I believe in being highly ethical, fair, and honest. I am also very loyal with a wicked sense of humor.
When you aren’t working, what are you most likely doing?
I spend a lot of time at lacrosse fields. My two sons have played competitively for many years and I have been officiating lacrosse at the high school level for over 10 years.
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What are your favorite hobbies?
I love fishing, hunting, and really doing anything on the water.
(Pictured left: Bill and his son, Burke, fishing in Utah)
What is your favorite meal?
I cook out on my grill/smoker almost every night and there are so many favorites, but being from Maryland, I’ll have to say steamed crabs with lots of Old Bay.
What do you value most about the Hilb Group?
The people! It really is the strength of our company and I am blessed to be able to travel around the country and spend time with our employees.
What is your favorite quote?
“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”
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Hilb Group has launched a new corporate charitable giving mission statement this year.
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Community Corner
Kickball for a Cure
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The Account Management team at
Lake Norman Benefits
(Mooresville, NC) organized and held "Kickball for a Cure" to raise money for a rare, genetic disease known as Rett Syndrome.
They were introduced to Rett Syndrome when the daughter of their sales rep, Andrew Edwards, from UMUM had been diagnosed with the disease.
Rett Syndrome is like having a combination of Parkinson’s, Cerebral Palsy, Epilepsy, and anxiety disorder. It affects about 350,000 girls around the world.
In addition to the kickball game, they had a raffle with prizes donated by local merchants and families, a bake sale, a bounce house and other games for the kids. In total, they raised over $1,000!
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Left to Right: Emerald Small, Audrey Cremasco, Jillian Satterley (Michelle Satterley's Daughter), Michelle Satterley, Edwards family (Andrew, Julianne, Lily), Heather Contorno, Lauren Sullivan
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For the third year in a row
, Hilb Group has been recognized as one of the 5000 fastest growing companies in America coming in as
#619
on the
Inc. 5000
list.
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Business Insurance has named the Hilb Group
#45
on their list of the
100 Largest Brokers of U.S. Business
for 2017!
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For the third year in a row, Hilb Group made Insurance Journal's
Top 100 P&C Agency list! This year, we moved up 12 spots to
#30 in the nation.
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Stay Connected
Follow the Hilb Group on Social Media!
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Click on the logos below to follow the Hilb Group on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.
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Carrier Corner
Foremost Incentives
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Foremost Insurance Group's commission rates have gone up! Now Hilb Group can earn 15% on new business and 12.5% on renewals.
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Introducing Trailhead
for Salesforce Users
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Are you new to Salesforce or do you just want to learn more about its features?
Trailhead is an online resource that provides Salesforce users with guided and interactive learning paths to aid in understanding the key features of Salesforce.
Upon successful completion of the assessments, users are awarded with points and badges for recognition.
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National Sales Trip
Qualifiers
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Congratulations to those who have already qualified for the 2017 National Sales Trip!
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- John Adair – Greenville, SC
- Gabrielle Lamb – Ocean Township, NJ
- Rob Miller – Hyannis, MA
- Karyn Rhodes – Warwick, RI
- Greg Robinette – Charleston, WV
- Brian Rossi – East Greenwich, RI
- Joseph Padula – East Greenwich, RI
- Paula Connors – Newton, M
- Joseph Cardello – Warwick, RI
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- Joe Vasko – Warwick, RI
- Michael Elefante – Ocean Township, NJ
- Lynn Wilson – Winston-Salem, NC
- Jim Borah – Warwick, RI
- David Knights – Mahwah, NJ
- Robert Calise – East Greenwich, RI
- David Contorno – Mooresville, NC
- Gordon O'Neill – California, MD
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Once a producer qualifies for the National Sales trip, they will be awarded the following badge on their Chatter profile. Be on the lookout for new qualifiers in your Chatter feed.
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Hilb Group has a surety program through Atlantic Coast Surety, LLC.
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Chatter is a company-wide communication tool from Salesforce.com. This tool is set up much like the social media application Twitter that keeps you connected with other employees, specialty groups, etc. within all of the Hilb Group.
Not only is this a way for employees to communicate with each other, but it also allows you to stay updated on company news.
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The Art of Balancing Technology and Trust
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Read Webb Milward of the Council of Insurance Agents and Brokers' take on balancing technology and trust with clients in today's society.
Have you found a way to leverage technology in both retention and new business efforts?
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Anything exciting going on at your agency?
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