Dear Big “I” West Virginia Members,

Fall is officially here, and that means one of my favorite events of the year is right around the corner — the Big “I” West Virginia Annual Convention, October 14–16 at Stonewall Resort.

If you have not already made plans to attend, I strongly encourage you to join us. Our Annual Convention is one of the best opportunities we have each year to step away from the day-to-day demands of our agencies, spend time with fellow independent agents and company partners, and hopefully return home with a few new ideas that can make our businesses better.

This year’s program includes some very interesting speakers and topics that go beyond traditional insurance education. One session I am especially looking forward to is Mike Wager with Peoples Bank, who will provide financial insight specifically valuable to agency owners. With agency valuations, acquisitions, interest rates, financing, succession planning, and overall financial management becoming increasingly important to our businesses, I think this will be a great opportunity to hear a banking perspective on the financial side of running an agency.

That is one of the things I appreciate most about our convention. We certainly want to provide quality insurance education, but we also want to give our members information that helps them become better business owners and build stronger agencies.

Just as important is the opportunity to spend time together. Some of the most valuable conversations at convention happen outside of the scheduled sessions — talking with another agent about an issue they have faced, learning about a new market from one of our company partners, or simply catching up with friends from across the state.

Our association is strongest when our members are involved, and the Annual Convention is a great example of that. I hope we have a tremendous turnout this year and that agencies from every part of West Virginia will be represented.

I look forward to seeing everyone at Stonewall Resort, October 14–16. Come ready to learn, share some ideas, reconnect with old friends, and enjoy a few days together as an independent agency community.



See you at Stonewall!

Chris Parker, CIC

President

Big I West Virginia