So I'll begin with Wednesday
morning, when we met in the lobby between 6:15 and 6:45 for coffee and were
promptly rallied into our color coordinated groups to take the trip from
downtown to the Progressive campuses. Yes, they are called campuses- they
really truly feel that way, but filled with working adults!
We had breakfast and then found
seats in a small auditorium- this was the moment that I had been anticipating-
the executives of Progressive would speak and I would potentially have the
chance to meet with them!
Karen Barone, the Agency Distribution Leader, spoke first. She is an inspiring
woman, who's worked her way up the ranks of Progressive since the 90s and now
leads Progressive's 30,000 agencies in growing their businesses. Next to speak
was the President & CEO of the company, Glenn Renwick. I don't know
about the other agents in the room, but to me, his speech was surprisingly
enjoyable. He was witty and though he was talking about numbers and other
things that would usually put a room to sleep, he kept us laughing and
entertained.
I was so impressed with their presentations, in fact, that when he dismissed us
for a ten minute break I couldn't pass up the chance to approach them! I
first introduced myself and chatted with Karen for a few minutes and then walked up
to Glenn, put my hand out, and said, "I am Molly Rienerth, owner of
Principle Insurance in St. Petersburg, FL." Let me tell you- it felt so empowering! He was just as charming up
close as he seemed while he spoke in front of the group. I was surprised
that the majority of agents did not take the opportunity to make themselves known- I
couldn't have missed it!
Next we heard John Sauerland and
John Barbagallo, the Personal Lines and Commercial Lines Group Presidents,
respectively. They left me excited about
where Progressive is in comparison to the competition in both divisions. When they
were each done, Glenn joined them up front and they did a Q&A,
which I thought was awesome. It's not every day that we
get to ask any question we want of executives and receive on the spot answers. The Q&A
was followed by a presentation on the new features available to us as
agents to help assist our customers and grow our businesses- I took lots of
notes and have brought a plethora of knowledge and tools back to the agency.
We then went on a tour of some of
the facilities. The first of which is where they keep the servers. The best word to describe it is "phenomenal". No pictures allowed, but I can say I walked through
a 17,000 square foot room full of computers pulling in and sending out data
constantly. There's a facility like it in Colorado Springs which is
supposedly more impressive- that's hard to imagine. If power is lost
there they can run for an entire week on the generators they have. Any
doubts about their security technologically or otherwise can be tossed out the
window.
The next building we visited was
their Claims University. In a similar scenario as the last building, I
walked through with my mouth open in amazement. Their claims staff
goes through months of extensive training. The claims department training includes practicing adjusting and
evaluating claims scenarios in another gigantic room, which is staged with every single
type of vehicle and claim you can think of. This "staging area"
is also a full functioning shop, so the trainees are able learn what quality repairs
look and feel like before going out to work in the field. They were sure to remind us to encourage our clients to use Progressive's Service Centers or network of repair shops because the repairs are guaranteed for life.
In addition to the tours we
had a round table with Progressive Underwriters, to give them an agent perspective and also ask some questions of them and learn what
is coming down the road in the different product lines. And finally, Wednesday evening after a long
day out and about, we had a formal dinner and social where everyone was able to
mingle a little more.
So the looming question in my head
about Progressive has always been, "Does the name really fit?" I can now
say, yes, it does. After seeing their facilities, meeting their
executives, employees and other agents, and learning more about them as a
company and their values I know now that they are the best.
Progressive is the leading carrier in the industry and I am confident in my
partnership with them and offering their insurance to you, my clients.
Thank you for taking the time to
learn about my first big adventure representing Principle Insurance. It was quite an educational experience and I'm excited to bring that back into my daily business. http://www.principleins.com
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