September 2023 PIANC News
From the Executive's Desk
I am super excited to have been asked by the PIA Board of Directors to take over the Association Executive position. I forgot to do the 1st day of new job picture, but just know there was a smile on my face, with a touch of sadness, to say goodbye to our Kevin Kowar. Kevin is still going to hang out with us at several events, our annual golf outing and I think he won’t be able to help himself but come to visit us at the convention.
Those of you that I have met through classes, you know I am always ready for a WOOHOO! So, let’s get that over with! I am looking forward to working with John Potthast our PIA of VA & DC President in helping him and the Board of Directors realize their goals for the Association.
Entering a new position in a company you have worked with for over 10 years is interesting. I have had the opportunity to see a lot and be involved in some great events and committees. When considering this move, I did some self-reflection and what I have come up with is: we need more engagement. This is something I am extremely passionate about. Our PIA staff and I are here for you and we want to engage with you, one of the ways we will do this is by highlighting a member agency every month. We want to know your story, we want to know your why… Why did you join PIA? Have you wanted to serve on a committee and just aren’t sure where to start? Are you afraid volunteering will take too much time away from your work hours? As you can see, we have a lot of questions for you and a survey doesn’t get down to the core of who our members are.
We have some new team members here at PIA, we will introduce all of you to them. I do want to brag on them that both Ami and Charletta have hit the ground running. You might have met Ami at the VA Convention and Charletta joined, and we took her down to the NC Convention. They are great additions to Lisa, who handles our E&O Insurance Services for Virginia and North Carolina, and Carol, who handles member services for our Virginia members.
Please call me if there is anything I can help you with, I will be reaching out to our members throughout the next few months into the beginning of the year.
Sheryl
Sheryl Chasse, CPIA
PIAVADC Association Executive
Meet Charletta Jones: Director of Education
Charletta Jones is an accomplished educational leader with a strong track record of fostering academic excellence and character development. Armed with a Master of Education from Grand Canyon University and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Norfolk State University, Charletta brings a solid educational foundation to her roles. Her expertise spans strategic planning, curriculum development, diversity and inclusion, fiscal budget management, and effective communication.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Charletta played a pivotal role in ensuring the delivery of quality education while managing operational challenges. As Head of School at a private Christian institution in Waldorf, Maryland, her visionary leadership and organizational restructuring efforts resulted in prestigious accreditations and enhanced public relations through alignment with school board recommendations.
As the Director of Education in the private school sector for six years, Charletta oversaw learning material development, supported teachers, and established robust parent communication while implementing assessment policies for student growth. Her tenure as an Elementary Principal reflected her commitment to aligning instructional programs with the school's mission and creating an inclusive environment.
Beginning her career as an Elementary Teacher, Charletta excelled in engaging students and fostering nurturing classroom environments. She is a dedicated educator with a knack for adapting to evolving challenges, shaping the future of learning.
Charletta, a Virginia native, resides in southern Maryland with her two sons, Jeremiah and Jaylen.
2023 Convention Awards:
Agent of the Year – Saray Uribe, CharSan Insurance & Consulting, LLC
Company of the Year – Penn National Insurance Co. (Edwina Hedrick accepted)
Company Representative of the Year – Laura Jazab – AccidentFund Insurance Co.
Broker of the Year – Jackson Sumner & Associates (Reggie LaFuria accepted)
Congratulations to all of our winners and THANK YOU to all our attendees, looking forward to seeing you all next year!
Floodplain Education
The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is a Federal program, established by Congress in 1968, that allows property owners to purchase federally-backed flood insurance within communities that participate in the program. In return for this insurance protection, participating communities implement floodplain measures to reduce flood risks to the new development. Through this program, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and participating communities are able to reduce future flood losses.
See additional information at the links below.
Industry News
Select the title for the full article.
Welcome New and Renewing Members and Partners
New Agency Member
- Select Customer Insurance Agency
- Alliance P&C Risk Solutions
- Cooper Insurance Agency
- Premier Insurance Services
- Rankin Insurance Group
- AAPEX Insurance
- Eric Byrd Insurance Agency
- Twin City Insurance Agency
Renewing Agency Members
- Pryor Insurance Agency
- Smart Insurance
- Ewing Insurance Agency
- The Cranford Agency
- Agency One Insurance Group
- H B Cantrell & Co.
- Hutch Ham Insurance
- Miller Insurance Group
- Moore-Moxley Insurance Agency
New Silver Action Partner
- Wright Flood
New Gold Action Partner
- Capital Premium Finance
Renewing Silver Action Partner
- Tapco
PIANC Membership
PIA is your resource to help your agency grow and prosper. We provide quality education, effective advocacy to protect your agency and our industry, networking and leadership opportunities, as well as insurance coverages for your agency.
PIANC offers four types of membership:
- Agency Main
- Agency Branch
- Additional Voting
- Retired
Partnering to Help NC Agents
Postings are free for PIA members.
Advertise with PIANC
2023 Course Schedules
Select the graphic or button to learn more and register.
E&O
Ethics
CPIA
From PIA National
PIA Partners with Propeller
PIA is proud to partner with Propeller to offer a fully automated, instant issue surety bond solution.
By offering a white-labeled surety bond platform backed by "A" rated carriers, Propeller makes it easy to search for, purchase, and distribute bonds while earning a competitive commission and growing your surety revenue through a lead generation-based model.
Agency Perks:
- 30% Commission on all bonds, new and renewal: Contract, Commercial and Fidelity.
- Performance Plus Program offering up to $1MM in credit-based underwriting for Contract Bonds.
- Book Roll Bonus Program providing agents a large bonus in addition to the 30% commission on bond purchases for rolled books of business.
- A library of 7,000 bonds available with dozens more being added each month.
- Free access to technology, surety markets, and surety experts allowing your agency to become a great bonding resource overnight.
- An MGA licensed in all 50 states.
PIA Partners with Ascend
From billing to premium financing to distribution of commissions and carrier payables -- PIA and Ascend have you covered!
Free to Use - No Subscription Fees: let your customers decide how they want to pay - Credit/Debit Card, ACH, Wire
One-Click Premium Financing: automatically built into the checkout experience without any extra back and forth.
Instant Commissions: receive your commissions in 24 hours.
Simplify Carrier Payables: minimize time spent figuring out commissions and carrier payments.
Full Transparency: get notified when clients pay and markets are funded.
Introducing Winning@Customer Retention
Demonstrating the value of working with an agency is key. That’s where Winning@Customer Retention comes in. It's a new program from the PIA Partnership designed to help agencies improve customer service and retention. We’ve pulled together resources to help track client retention rates, segment, and communicate with customers.
The program puts spotlight on technology and solutions that play a big part in improving customer communications, referrals, and enabling agencies to select the right solutions and be proactive. Winning@Customer Retention includes a mix of online materials and tools and in-person and virtual sessions and events.
In the event of cyber business interruption, insurance covers loss and costs in excess of normal operating expenses required to maintain the business and restore operations.
PIA National is happy to introduce the PIA 401(k) Program. It is a turn-key, low-cost solution for agency owners and their employees and performs over 90% of administrative tasks by becoming your retirement department support team.
The PIA 401(k) Plan provides what employees want and what independent agents need to deliver it, in an efficient and cost-effective way.
In an increasingly virtual world, it’s critical that you know how to build relationships online. That’s why PIA National has launched its latest member benefit, The Agent Experience.
"We’ve built this tool to expand your views about building relationships in a virtual world—and to provide access to resources that will help."
”Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the Moon. July 1969 AD. We came in peace for all mankind."
Neil Armstrong