Leadership Spotlight

In April 2019, Kimberly A. Burnside stepped up to the plate to take on the role of Southeast Region vice president. “This region has experienced a lot of change. Many teammates have retired and others promoted,” she explained.

“We are building our talent lineup. It’s a great opportunity for us.”

“Many competing organizations have a presence in Georgia. Atlanta is an insurance mecca,” Kim attested. “We are fortunate our people are the best in the business. Our differentiator is the personal relationships FCCI has built with agents over the years.”

Kim says that although it’s been like ‘drinking from a fire hose’ since taking on her new role, many positive steps have been taken to build a stable foundation for the region. Partnering with her leadership team, she involved all teammates in their regional strategic planning. “They are in the front line from where all innovation originates,” said Kim. “It’s critical that their voices be heard and fresh ideas curated. This raises the bar on our performance. The road is always in a state of change – and we need to respond to the dynamics facing our industry,” suggested Kim.

“We’ve loaded the bases, identified a strong talent lineup and now we’re ready to take advantage of opportunities headed our way.”

After nearly 30 years in the insurance industry, including 12 at FCCI, Greg Kramer, senior vice president, Midwest Region, has great optimism for the future, stemming from his appreciation of his talented team, our agency partners and FCCI’s comprehensive coverage lines and individualized service.

Supporting Greg’s confidence is the endorsement of FCCI by various professional associations. FCCI is the carrier of choice for the Kentucky Association of Manufacturers, Indiana Manufacturers Association, Associated Builders and Contractors, and the Virginia Manufacturers Association.

“We appreciate the trust that these associations have placed in FCCI,” Greg said. “They did their due diligence to ensure their members are being entrusted to a carrier that will meet their needs.”

“In the regions, we have the firsthand knowledge of market and customers – we are empowered to make decisions,” Greg said. “It allows us to be nimble and responsive and, from an agent’s perspective, enhances their ease-of-doing-business with us.”

“In this industry, you have to have good products and competitive pricing but, ultimately, it comes down to the service we provide and the relationships we build,” he said. “If you choose to partner with FCCI, you will have confidence that your business is being well-served and that we are being good stewards of that which you entrust to us.”

For Tiffany Hawkins, vice president of FCCI’s Gulf Coast Region, insurance is in her blood. Her father was an agent, and insurance was what she wanted to do since she was a very young girl, growing up in rural Mississippi. When her father died in a car accident, it was his insurance policy that gave her the financial means for college, in pursuit of her own insurance career.

Tiffany leads her region with the principle of looking at every situation through the eyes of the customer. “Our promise is to be there in our customers’ time of need. Each and every time, we do what we promised to do. We are in this together. This is the core to FCCI’s culture.”

“I have been blessed to take on a region known for being successful,” she said. “My goal is to take our region to the next level, making sure everyone in our footprint enjoys the same success as our Mississippi customers.”

Making a difference is what it’s all about for Tiffany.

With 32 years in the industry, Tracey Pfab, senior vice president of the Southwest Region, has worked with and built teams throughout the country – from Illinois and Indianapolis to Cleveland and the West Coast before returning to Indiana where he joined FCCI. After nine years in Indianapolis and three in Sarasota, Tracey was asked to lead FCCI’s Southwest Region and succeed a retiring industry icon, Jim Harms.

“I’ve made a lot of career moves and, often, you’re going somewhere to reverse or repair a challenging situation,” said Tracey. “That wasn’t the case here. The Southwest Region started in October 2012 with five people and $0 in premium. This year, we will finish around $78 million, including our Specialty business.”

The Southwest Region is poised for continued success, as the team works to build the brand across Texas, integrate new talent and become more involved in industry networking groups and associations. “We’re repositioning our staff and focusing on our agents in a strategic posture rather than reacting on a transactional basis,” Tracey said.

“We have an outstanding team and great agencies bringing us new business. They are what has gotten us to where we are and why I’m excited about where we’re headed. If we continue to empower agents, the business will continue to come.”

For Mid-Atlantic Region senior vice president Courtney V. Hart and team, the focus is on FCCI’s entry into Pennsylvania. This will be FCCI’s first new state since 2012.

Courtney joined FCCI in April 2016 to spearhead the opening of the Mid-Atlantic Region. The new region officially “opened for business” in July 2017 with a physical office established in Richmond shortly thereafter.

“Entering into a new state brings challenges, such as new filings, new agents and additional teammates. I have been engaged from the beginning – meeting with the Pennsylvania insurance commissioner, local business leaders and industry associations. I’m traveling the state of Pennsylvania to meet with prospective agents and talented superstars to add to our staff. Courtney’s discussions have been focused on vision and strategy for Pennsylvania through 2025. These are very natural conversations for him because FCCI’s values line up squarely with his own. “Doing what we say we will do is a hallmark of FCCI’s success. This resonates well with our agents and policyholders. It’s a philosophy I am proud to embrace,” Courtney said.

“We look at Pennsylvania as opening the door to the future for the region,” Courtney said. “This opportunity will build momentum for FCCI’s geographic expansion, serving as the ignition to fuel FCCI’s growth strategies.”

After years of leading underwriting for the Florida Region, Tracy Stoeckel was given the opportunity to lead FCCI’s Agribusiness team. She dove deep into learning the various facets of farming and ranching, and commercial agribusiness operations.

“It is important to understand the work, resources, energy and pride that go into producing numerous products. It is also equally important that we understand the risks and exposures associated with these businesses,” she said. Today, as senior vice president of Specialty Markets, Tracy’s focus has been on attracting new talent by offering underwriting trainee and internship opportunities. She notes that these efforts are succeeding, in great part, because many young people have a personal interest in our food supply and the impact agribusiness has on society.

“I’ve found that there is a lot of interest in this industry segment because what we do is insure our food and clothing supply. We deal with issues, such as hemp, GMOs, organic products, pesticides … issues that are of interest to young people today.”

“It is an ever-growing, ever-changing opportunity,” she said. “It’s fascinating to look into the future to think about how agribusiness will impact the world.”

“Nobody grows up thinking they’re going to be in the surety business because no one knows what it is!” laughed Scott Paice, senior vice president, FCCI Surety. “I have been fortunate to be part of the surety business for my entire career, and I haven’t looked back since making that decision 32 years ago.”

In 2010, Scott began FCCI Surety; today there are 27 members on that team. “When you come to work with us, you can have a say in what we do,” he proudly noted.

Scott considers the personal connections with our agents a benefit of working for a superregional operation. “The agencies are our partners,” he said. “They can place their clients with anyone they want, but at FCCI they will be a big fish in a small pond. Our agents know their voices will be heard, and we are quick to act on their behalf. There isn’t much that comes between the direct communication between our agent and our team.”

The trend continues to be upward for FCCI’s Surety department, which writes throughout FCCI’s footprint.

“While there are more than 1,000 insurance carriers in the country, there are only about 100 that write surety bonds,” he said. “We’re a small team, but we’re in the top 50 – and growing.”