CEO stays organized and motivated
From Business First by Lucy Pritchett, Correspondent
Date: Friday, November 25, 2011, 6:00am EST
For the entire article in its original context.
Working from her 10th-floor office in Kaden Towers, Ellen K. Trabue, president and CEO of Kiely Hines & Associates, gets daily chances to follow her passions: spreadsheets, specialization and seeking solutions.
To hear her talk, this 55-year-old woman’s professional life was changed by spreadsheets.
“I even have a spreadsheet of my spreadsheets,” she said with a smile.
To prove her point, she pulled out a fat binder.
“I track everything,” she said. “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.”
The binder contains, among others, spreadsheets of quotes, sales, hit ratios, the time it takes to turn over a quote.
“If you don’t keep track, you don’t know where your business is headed,” she said.
Kiely Hines is an independent insurance agency with 26 full-time employees, two part-time employees and three part-time interns from University of Louisville.
It has $18 million to $20 million in premium volume. Trabue said that 30 percent of its business is in personal lines, 60 percent in commercial, with 10 percent in life and health benefits.
In addition to her spreadsheet savvy, Trabue, who has been president of the company since June 2004, has a strategy for specialization.
“I segmented duties in three areas. We have one person who looks at new business … checks the quotes and carrier rates. Another looks at renewals … is the client getting all discounts? Should we move them to another carrier? And we have a customer-service person,” she said.
This specialization has helped the business, she said.
“Our retention of clients has improved.”
And, of course, she has a spreadsheet for that.
Co-workers are like family
Trabue said that 2009 and 2010 saw many personal tragedies in her family. Her father died and her sister’s son also died.
“We are like a family,” she said, and the deaths affected everyone in the company.
Not only does her sister, Sharon Stivers, work at the agency, there are two father/son teams, two sisters (not hers) and a husband/wife team.
Ages of the employees range from mid-20s to 80.
Moving on with renewed energy, in 2011, she said, “we have been focusing on growth of the agency.”
In seeking solutions to help with that growth, Trabue looked to college interns. The agency hired three part-time, paid students from U of L.
“They bring an enthusiasm to the office as they see what it is like to work in a professional setting. They help people here and bring an energy to the firm. We really like having them,” she said.
Storms have caused most trouble in recent years
On the whole, Trabue said, the insurance industry has taken quite a beating the past few years. In one word: storms.
“The storms (ice, wind and rain) have had a big impact. Because of the storms, claims activity will drive the market, and we are already seeing premium increases,” she said.
This woman, who takes out her stress at three Jazzercise classes a week, doesn’t plan on slowing down.
“I thought I would retire at 50, but now I can’t see that. I like the office setting, the meetings and events,” she said.
“I like the control of making new decisions for the company. It can make you crazy, but it is so empowering. I hate to think how boring it would be to not be here.”
Kiely Hines Welcomes Two New Employees
Kiely Hines & Associates welcomes two new employees, Katie Ising and Dena Handy, to the company. Ising will join as a Commercial Account Manager, and Handy as an Account Executive. Ising will specialize in transportation, while Handy will work as a producer.
For more information, please visit their announcement page in The Courier-Journal.
Ask the right questions about slips and falls
It’s impossible not to laugh when America’s Funniest Videos runs a montage of people falling down. But when someone is hurt in a slip-and-fall accident on your property, the humor fades quickly.
Nearly 9 million people seek emergency services from slips and falls each year, millions more see a doctor within a few days, and thousands more die.
Unfortunately, there’s also a pervasive belief that you’re automatically liable if someone slips on your property, which makes slip-and-fall scams the second most common type of insurance fraud.
Winter is slip-and-fall season
Not all injuries are visible in a slip and fall. If someone reports an accident on your property, treat him or her with kindness, respect and empathy, and collect the following information for your incident report:
• Name, birth date, primary and secondary contact information
• Detailed description of the incident, including date and time
• Any physical or visual impairment
• What the person was carrying, if anything
• The type of shoes he or she was wearing
• List of witnesses
• If able, ask him or her to show you exactly where and how the accident happened
• Take pictures of the area and document the conditions
o Rain, snow, ice, tracks
o Weather conditions for the current day and several days leading up to it
o Lighting
o Any other observations
Contact your agent immediately. The information you collect will help us understand the situation, so we can provide you with the best claims service and protection.
Congratulations to Ashley Watkins
Ashley Watkins was named as one of Ohio Casualty’s Top CSR/Account Manager for 2011!!! Her award was presented October 12th at a luncheon at Audubon Country Club. Way to go, Ashley!!! We are so proud of you!!!
Our new and improved website
All of your insurance needs now conveniently exist in one place.
Kielyhines.com is now easier than ever to use. Now, you can make an online payment directly to your insurance provider at any time, even after regular office hours. Also, you can fill out an instant claim, request an instant quote and download commonly used forms, including important policy documents. Check out the new site any time - our online offices never close.
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