Insurance Business Review: Specials Magazine

Commercial insurance, especially workers’ compensation, is often treated like a commodity. It is seen as a static, rate-driven product similar to health insurance, where basic variables seem to determine the outcome. Workers’ compensation, however, works differently. It is shaped by how a business operates, how it manages safety, classifies payroll, handles claims, selects deductibles, and navigates state-specific regulations. When these variables are understood and optimized, workers’ compensation becomes far more than a cost of doing business. It becomes a strategic financial tool. According to Mark Sheedy, Owner and President of Associates Insurance Group, the key lies in education. This philosophy has fundamentally reshaped Associates Insurance Group’s identity from a traditional brokerage to a strategic advisory firm. Instead of simply quoting policies, the firm focuses on equipping business owners with the insight needed to make informed decisions. “Business owners are exceptionally capable decision-makers, and when they are equipped with the right knowledge, they make excellent choices. What they often lack is not expertise, but access to information,” says Sheedy. Each week, Associates Insurance Group conducts outreach calls not to sell, but to educate business owners on where their money is being lost and to uncover strategies they may never have been offered. The firm approaches workers’ compensation and commercial insurance as strategic levers of business design, deeply connected to operations, financial planning, and long-term growth. ... Read More

With that truth, Gregory Gerontes, president of Hecht-Stout Insurance Agency (HSIA), defines a firm shaped by more than six decades of real-world experience. While the industry moves toward AI tools and automated platforms, HSIA remains focused on a human-led risk management partnership rather than a transaction. Clients speak directly with a professional who listens carefully, understands the intent behind their questions and uses real-world judgment to guide complex coverage decisions. That combination of time, experience and human insight allows HSIA to understand what a client is truly trying to resolve. As an independent agency, HSIA uses multi-carrier flexibility to design coverage that reflects how a business actually operates. Free from the limits of a single insurer, the team aligns price with protection, closing critical gaps without adding coverage a client does not need. This approach creates a strategic defense that surfaces problems early, protects cash flow and gives owners clarity no algorithm can provide. As commercial property, liability and umbrella markets tighten across the U.S., HSIA’s judgment-first approach helps business owners see how risk emerges in daily operations rather than policy language. The team tracks shifts in areas such as premises liability in retail and multi-tenant settings while also identifying exposures that build quietly inside a business, including workers’ compensation incidents and operational interruptions that can stall cash flow without warning. “You have to be a good listener,” says Gerontes. “When a client raises a concern, whether they're a seasoned business owner or a first-time homeowner, the phrasing may not point directly to the real issue. Our job is to interpret the intent behind the question and guide them to what they are actually trying to resolve.” The depth of that counsel becomes cl ... Read More