This is the second (and final) part of a short interview with Byron Kauffman. 

How has the Affordable Care Act changed the field for small agencies?

Our commercial insurance business serves closely held family businesses and with little exception these are predominately firms with less than fifty employees.    We are committed to both helping employers and employees access health care whether they qualify for subsidy or not.  We have reacted and developed a robust online platform on our website to support individual coverage options as a result of these changes.      

What are your plans for the agency?

We are an independent, multi-line insurance agency, a Trusted Choice for our Customers, a secure employer with career opportunities for dedicated professional associates, and a Committed Sales Partner for our companies.   This will not change.   My vision is to enable Wetzel to grow and prosper as a self-sustaining independent organization where we enjoy our daily work and actively seek the opportunity to present ideas of risk protection to those in our community who wish to grow and protect their assets.  

How does Wetzel differentiate itself from other agencies?

We are our customer’s risk manager.   Insurance is only properly purchased with an understanding of the risk one assumes daily and the protection achieved by the purchase of insurance. We strive to educate our customers to appreciate a fundamental attitude of risk management.     The communities in which we work, our peers, and the companies we represent recognize our experience, professionalism, and knowledge.  We are known to be a tenacious but friendly advocate for our customers in the negotiation of insurance, the administration of policies, and the adjudication of claims.