Doug shares about family, his photography career, and how he and his wife, Liz started New Buffalo Insurance Agency. Also, the biggest snow storm he has ever seen in Buffalo in 2022.
Episode Highlights:
Doug shares the worst snowstorm he has ever seen in his life, which happened during Christmas, and how it affected their agency and the community. (4:51)
Doug discusses his career as a photographer, including his work for the New York Times and his experience with film and digital photography. (9:17)
Doug explains the mix of business in his agency, with a focus on commercial lines and some personal lines, and mentions their niches, which include contractors, schools, and professional liability. (19:23)
Doug discusses their agency's tech stack, including their AMS, CRM, and other tools like BombBomb for video proposals and Text Requests for texting. (35:29)
Doug mentions the challenges of the hard market, including carriers not providing rates and preferring not to take on new business. (40:04)
Doug shares his plans, including investing in new technologies and growing his agency but not necessarily selling it. (43:56)
Key Quotes:
“At the end of the day, it's a fun business because you get to help people, you know, you're working with people and you get to try and help them. ” - Doug Benz
“It's important to focus on culture, and make sure that your people are feeling good and happy about the place they're working, and how they're being treated, and that what's going on with them and their lives matter.” - Doug Benz
“My goal right now is to continue to grow this agency, invest and grow this agency. And you know, there's so much else going on that we're seeing people do… that it does seem exciting to be part of maybe investing in some of these technologies and new things that are exciting” - Doug Benz
Resources Mentioned:
