Expanded Award Program: Commercial Insurance Agency of the Year Awards

HOBOKEN, N.J., April 12 /PRNewswire/ -- National Underwriter P&C announced the 9th Annual Commercial Insurance Agency of the Year Award program is being expanded and managed in partnership for the first time with its sister publication, American Agent & Broker.  Both publications are part of Summit Business Media's Property & Casualty Magazine Group.

The major objective of the award program remains the same -- to spotlight insurance agencies that can serve as role models for their peers.

This year, AA&B and NU editors will work with industry judges to select one organization as the overall 2010 Commercial Insurance Agency of the Year, with four additional Commercial Agency Awards for Excellence presented to recognize organizations doing an outstanding job in the following categories:

• Sales & Marketing
• Customer Service
• Technology & Operations
• Recruitment &Training

"Past winners have said the experience was like winning the Heisman Trophy for insurance agencies," said Sam Friedman, Editor of National Underwriter P&C. "By expanding the program to include American Agent & Broker, these awards will provide even greater recognition and exposure for the winning agencies."

The winning agencies will be profiled in the November issue of AA&B and the Oct. 4 cover story of NU. Principals from the winning agencies will be invited to participate in a roundtable discussion on "The Future of the Independent Agent," hosted by the two publications, with edited highlights appearing in the December issue of AA&B and the Nov. 2 edition of NU.  

"Being a part of these prestigious awards is something we're very excited about," said Laura Toops, Editor of American Agent & Broker. "This is a great opportunity for commercial insurance agencies to be recognized for their achievements during some of the toughest economic times since the Great Depression."  

Any U.S. independent agency is invited to enter by submitting a completed entry form. Although a third-party nomination is not required to enter the award program, NU and AA&B welcome nominations from insurance companies or others doing business with independent agencies to call our attention to worthy candidates. (See the entry material for further details.)

To receive more detailed instructions and an entry form, contact Sam Friedman at [email protected] under the subject line: "AOY Awards."  Entries are due by July 1 (nominations due by May 15).  

About American Agent & Broker

American Agent & Broker is the leading information resource in the property-casualty business. Agents and brokers turn to AA&B for proven business techniques and market data that not only help them sell more insurance at a profit, but also operate their businesses more efficiently. Viewed as a valuable tool in print and online, we've grown our delivery model to fulfill the needs of our readers.  For more information, please visit agentandbroker.com.

About National Underwriter P&C

National Underwriter P&C provides complete coverage of the events and issues affecting the property and casualty insurance industry -- both commercial and personal lines.  We report on the top stories of the week, give perspective on the latest news shaping the market, examine trends in technology, provide updates on specialty markets and summarize proprietary research results.  Unique from niche publications, National Underwriter P&C is the definitive source for the three audience segments driving the industry:

• Independent agents and brokers
• Risk managers and corporate buyers of insurance
• Insurance company executives, managers and staff

About Summit Business Media

Summit Business Media is the leading B2B media company serving the insurance and investment markets. Through its Media and Reference Divisions, SBM publishes 17 magazines, more than 30 targeted industry Websites, and 150 reference titles. The Events Division hosts a dozen conferences supporting these brands. SBM's Data Division is the leading provider of information on insurance companies, agents and investment advisors. For more information, visit sbmedia.com.

Available Topic Expert(s): For information on the listed expert(s), click appropriate link.

Sam Friedman: https://profnet.prnewswire.com/Subscriber/ExpertProfile.aspx?ei=94699

Laura M. Toops: https://profnet.prnewswire.com/Subscriber/ExpertProfile.aspx?ei=94700

SOURCE Summit Business Media