| PRESIDENT ’ S PAGE |
Growing Together
W hat is the purpose of an association ? I ’ ve
reflected on that more recently that I can remember . As a group of insurance professionals , our association should be our platform to “ Do together what we cannot do alone .”
KAIA includes agencies of all sizes , markets , and locations . I believe there are five core common interests that we can all benefit from by being involved in our association .
1 ) Advocacy As we ’ ve all been made painfully aware of in the last year , politics affects our businesses more each year . As a state regulated industry , we are fortunate to be able to deploy local resources in Topeka to advocate for our industry on a daily basis . Through KIAPAC , our staff , and our lobbyists , we have a strong voice at the Capit0l , and have been very successful in protecting our industry and our clients . We need to continue to place top priority on these efforts . However , we also need to continue to keep our Kansas eye on Washington as flood insurance , crop insurance , and health care continue to see increased federal regulation . Through my service on the IIABA National Crop Task Force , I ’ ve seen first-hand how valuable direct interaction is with USDA / RMA . We must continue to support Insurpac and our National lobbying efforts if we hope to keep further federal regulation at bay .
2 ) Market Access Our agencies have differing needs for market access , but as I ’ ve seen from a growing agency standpoint , we all still have risks that need specialized programs . Through AScK , we are providing access that all members can utilize . Throughout the coming year , we will be redoubling our efforts to make sure all members are aware of the market opportunities available to assist the growth of our members .
3 ) Learning As a professional insurance agent , we should look to education as more than fulfilling our CE requirements . In a constantly changing industry , our learning should be directed to the needs our agencies face . As a Diamond Award recipient , KAIA ’ s education
LYLE DAVIDSON KAIA President
offerings are second to none . Our education committee will continue to evaluate our member ’ s education needs , and provide high quality services to meet those needs .
4 ) Community As independent businesses , sometimes we can feel like we ’ re on an island operating alone . KAIA provides multiple opportunities annually to connect with other members and companies to benefit from sharing information and learn from each other . Meeting agents from other parts of the state with common interests allows us to address our common difficulties and rely on each other ’ s solutions .
5 ) Knowledge Our member force is full of experts in insurance lines , technology , policy forms , and agency management . Our committee members work diligently to bring those strengths as well as knowledge to KAIA . In the end , we can all benefit from the mobile apps , web development , social media content , policy form revision , and market needs that our committees generate for our association .
I ’ m humbled to spend the next year as your KAIA President . Our staff , executive team , and board will continue to work to improve our industry on your behalf . As we communicate the benefits of your membership with you throughout the year , please share with us any additional items we can develop . Feel free to contact me any time at 785-392-4777 or lyledavidson @ thedavidsonagency . net .
2 KANSAS INSURANCE AGENT & BROKER | November - December 2016 |