Agency Nation Radio – Details, episodes & analysis

On this episode of Agency Nation Radio, Peter Van Aartrijk, executive vice president with insurance branding firm Aartrijk, hosts a discussion with Ryan Towle, vice president of Davis & Towle Insurance Group in Concord, New Hampshire, and Keith J. Mangini, vice president and commercial team leader at InsurBanc in Farmington, Connecticut, on best practices when making an agency acquisition—whether it’s your first purchase or just your most recent acquisition. They discuss the first steps you should take when considering an agency acquisition opportunity and what to do as a buyer to prepare for financing from a lender. Further in the episode, they end with their final thoughts on what to keep in mind after closing on an acquisition. "We talk about multiples all the time. But if it's a multiple of revenue, or if it's a multiple of EBITDA, if it's 3 times revenue or 4 times revenue, what are you willing to pay for? And why might you be willing to pay up a little bit?" Mangini said, referring to intangible value of an acquisition, such as talent, carrier synergies and more. Agency Nation Radio is where insurance professionals turn on the mic and share unscripted stories about leadership, technology, marketing, success, and failure—stories that helped make them the professionals they are today. From Main Street USA to the pages of Independent Agent magazine—we've got the stories you want to hear. For more, catch Agency Nation Radio on your favorite streaming platform or visit iamagazine.com/podcasts.

On this episode of Agency Nation Radio, we meet Michelle O'Connor, president of O'Connor Insurance Associates in Charlotte, North Carolina. When O'Connor and her husband started their insurance agency 25 years ago, they knew from the very beginning that joining the Independent Insurance Agents of North Carolina (IIANC) was a must. Michelle knew of other successful agents that belonged to the Big “I" and also knew of the association's industry advocacy efforts. While O'Connor's initial involvement with the association was with the state's young agent committee (YAC), she became more involved when she was asked by Kelley Erstine, IIANC's CEO at the time, to become part of a special committee charged with analyzing member benefits. Since then, she has served in numerous committees and is currently the national director for IIANC. “I've always been a super strong advocate of political action committees (PACs) on both the national and state association level,” she says. “Our insurance system in North Carolina is very unique and that's what started my interest. I realized that if you want change to happen, it has to come from the legislative level.” Agency Nation Radio is where insurance professionals turn on the mic and share unscripted stories about leadership, technology, marketing, success and failure—stories that helped make them the professionals they are today. From Main Street USA to the pages of Independent Agent magazine—we've got the stories you want to hear. For more, catch Agency Nation Radio on your favorite streaming platform or visit iamagazine.com/podcasts. O'Connor was also featured in the April issue of Independent Agent. Check out her interview here or read the full issue online. https://www.iamagazine.com/magazine/issues/2025/april/declaration-of-independents-michelle-oconnor This podcast is sponsored by the Insurance Marketing & Communications Association (IMCA). IMCA Ignite 2025 is taking place in Scottsdale, Arizona, June 23-25. Don’t miss the only conference where the insurance marketing and communications community comes together to share content-rich, forward-thinking and relevant topics while also networking for lasting connections.

On this episode of Agency Nation Radio, we explore technology and its real-world impact on independent agencies. Join host Bobbie Collies, chief insurance officer at Coterie Insurance, as she unpacks how technology is not just about tools and software—it’s about people. Collies is joined by two industry leaders: Chris Cline, executive director of the Big “I” Agents Council for Technology (ACT), and Todd Jackson, Big “I” Chairman and owner and partner at McGowan Insurance Group. Together, they discuss the challenges, opportunities and future of technology in the independent agency system. Cline discusses the evolution of ACT, including an overview of the “Letter to the Industry,” which highlights the pillars critical to technology success: data, connectivity, AI and people. As an agency owner, Jackson brings perspective to listeners who may want to see their agency use more technology, but aren’t sure the best path for leadership buy-in. “Understand that you may be working in an agency that’s owned by someone like me, and you may find resistance, you may find challenges and this may frustrate you at times,” says Jackson, “And this hopefully will be a perspective for you to see how to talk to these folks, who are intimidated and don’t understand what’s available to them and give them avenues and insights on ways to embrace that.” Whether you’re a tech-savvy agent or just starting to explore what technology can do for your agency, this episode is packed with valuable insights to help you thrive in today’s digital landscape. Agency Nation Radio is where insurance professionals turn on the mic and share unscripted stories about leadership, technology, marketing, success, and failure—stories that helped make them the professionals they are today. From Main Street USA to the pages of Independent Agent magazine—we've got the stories you want to hear. For more, catch Agency Nation Radio on your favorite streaming platform or visit iamagazine.com/podcasts.

In this episode of Agency Nation Radio, Kevin Brandt of Trusted Choice sits down with Eric Chemi of Team and Total Insurance Solutions to discuss Eric’s interesting background, why he decided to start a scratch agency, and the trials and tribulations of starting and running a small business in the insurance industry. They cover a lot of ground during this discussion including marketing via Tik Tok, agency technology and agency alliances – and much more.

During the pandemic, our guest is a star and millennial agent, Patience Noah, who saw the perfect opportunity to escape the captive insurance world and start her own independent agency. Host Heath Shearon asks Patience about her background in pageants and being crowned as Miss Liberia USA in 2013. She shares how pageants helped her to come out of her shell and helped her to improve her public speaking skills. It is an awesome story of how to be proactive in learning the skills for the goals you want to achieve!

Tune in to this episode of the Agency Nation Radio with guest host Mitch Gibson. Today, Mitch welcomes on Jason Walker, founder, and CEO of Agency Insurtech. Jason is in the industry to change the industry and he says we are all in it together. This interview gets into the topics surrounding the modernization of data and analytics. It’s a conversation you won’t want to miss!

Ask any independent agent if they have heard of IVANS and they will undoubtedly say yes. In fact, most will tell you they have an IVANS account. But if you ask them how IVANS connectivity solutions with carriers, agency management systems, and agencies are headed in the next 12 months and you will often get a blank stare. In this interview between two insurance industry powerhouses, Reid Holzworth, CEO of IVANS, and Dr. Billy R. Williams take a deep dive into how IVANS is opening the customer data pipeline that many agents have craved for years.

 

This is a must listen to podcast interview whether you are on the carrier, agency management, or agency side of the industry.

Agency Nation Radio guest hosts Arleen and Ted Taveras sit down with Matt Bruno, COO of ReSource Pro, to discuss handling crisis management in your business. ReSource Pro was one of the first companies to deal with the coronavirus crisis in China...and has helped insurance firms around the globe improve their business operations and management. What can you learn to help your agency?

Guests Katlyn Eggar and Ron Berg outline the free resources you can use to build a better strategy for how to deal with cyber attacks. You spend most of your time protecting everyone else, so today's episode is about how to protect yourself and the agency you've worked so hard to build.

In this episode of Agency Nation Radio, Heath "the Mayor" Shearon interviews Mitch Gibson of HRM Insurance and they discuss developing lead sources, referral partners, Building your brand, and so much more.