Press Releases - Watkins Insurance Group

Watkins Insurance Group Included In IIABA’s Best Practices Study

Watkins Insurance Group has retained its Best Practices status, once again becoming a part of an elite group of independent insurance agencies around the United States. This status comes by participating in the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (IIABA or the Big “I”) Best Practices Study group. The annual survey and Study of leading independent insurance agencies documents the business practices of the “best” agencies and urges others to adopt similar practices.

Since 1993, the Big “I” and Reagan Consulting, an Atlanta-based management consulting firm, have join forces to study the country’s leading agencies in six revenue categories. The agencies comprising the study groups are selected every third year through a comprehensive nomination and qualifying process and awarded a “Best Practices Agency” designation. The agency was nominated by either an IIABA affiliated state association or an insurance company and qualified based on its operational excellence.

The selected Best Practices agencies retain their status during the three-year cycle by submitting extensive financial and operational data for review each year. This is the second year of the current three-year study cycle, where over 1,000 independent agencies throughout the U.S. were nominated to take part in the annual study in 2019, but only 262 agencies qualified for the honor. To be chosen, the agency had to be among the 35-45 top-performing agencies in one of six revenue categories.

“We are honored to have been a member of the Best Practices Study and to be grouped with such a respected collection of agency leaders once again,” said Patrick Watkins, Watkins Insurance Group President. “By being a Best Practices agency, we are able to share in the learning process for the benefit of all independent insurance agencies.”

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Founded in 1949, Watkins Insurance Group is now the largest and fastest-growing locally-owned independent insurance agency in Central Texas. Headquartered in Austin, Watkins Insurance Group has 125 insurance professionals in locations throughout Texas. The agency provides tailored insurance, employee benefit, bond solutions, and wealth management guidance for business and personal risks of all sizes.

Founded in 1896, the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (the Big “I”) is the nation’s oldest and largest national association of independent insurance agents and brokers, representing more than 25,000 agency locations united under the Trusted Choice brand. Trusted Choice independent agents offer consumers all types of insurance—property, casualty, life, health, employee benefit plans and retirement products—from a variety of insurance companies.

Watkins Insurance Group Names Two New Shareholders

Watkins Insurance Group, the largest locally-owned independent insurance agency in Central Texas, announced the expansion of its executive team with Jim Siddons and Chris Scott being named shareholders. The addition of Siddons and Scott reflect Watkins’ focus on dynamic growth and commitment to operational excellence. These appointments increase Watkins Insurance Group executive team to 11.

“Jim and Chris are proven strategic drivers for the continued success of Watkins Insurance Group”, said Patrick Watkins, President of Watkins Insurance Group. “They both bring a wealth of insight to an already strong executive team. I look forward to the immediate impact they will have on Watkins’ growth.”

“I am honored to be among the leaders of Watkins Insurance Group”, said Jim Siddons. Siddons joined the insurance agency in 2014 and has been instrumental in building the agency’s Bond department. “By working for the largest locally-owned insurance agency in Central Texas, I’ve seen first-hand how this agency is transforming the industry by challenging norms for the benefit of our clients.”

“As a native Austinite, I have admired the community commitment of Watkins Insurance Group and I am thrilled to be a part of the leadership team.” said Chris Scott. Scott has been with the insurance agency 3 years and assumes the dual role of Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operations Officer. “As we move into the next decade and beyond, Watkins Insurance Group will continue to be at the forefront of industry advancement.”

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About Watkins Insurance Group

Watkins Insurance Group is dedicated to raising the bar for the insurance experience. Founded in 1949, Watkins Insurance Group has been recognized as an IIABA Best Practices Agency and Top Workplace in Austin. With locations throughout Texas, the agency provides tailored insurance, employee benefit, and bond solutions for risks of all sizes.

For more information about Watkins Insurance Group, please visit WatkinsInsuranceGroup.com

Austin American-Statesman Names Watkins Insurance Group A Winner of the Austin 2019 Top Workplaces Award for 9th Consecutive Year

Watkins Insurance Group has been awarded a Top Workplaces 2019 honor by the Austin American-Statesman. The list is based solely on employee feedback gathered through a third-party survey administered by research partner Energage, LLC, a leading provider of technology-based employee engagement tools. The anonymous survey measures several aspects of workplace culture, including alignment, execution, and connection, just to name a few.

“The Top Workplaces award is about much more than recognition and celebration,” said Eric Rubino, CEO of Energage. “Our research also shows that these organizations achieve higher referral rates, lower employee turnover, and double the employee engagement levels. It just goes to show that being intentional about culture delivers bottom-line results.”

“We are so proud to be recognized as one of the Top Workplaces in Austin for nine consecutive years. This ranking means so much to us because it reaffirms that we’re fostering an atmosphere where our employees know that they are valued and feel invested enough in our organization to provide feedback.” said Patrick Watkins, President, Watkins Insurance Group. “As Watkins Insurance Group nears the end of our 70^th anniversary celebration, we’ve seen first-hand that success in business depends on providing the very best in client care. To provide that level of care, each employee must strive in their individual efforts to meet that goal. Simply put, I believe that an organization that provides the best for its team will have a team that provides the best for its clients.”

Watkins Human Resources Manager, Kimberly Vasquez, adds: “We like to recognize and celebrate who we are as a company. We have a list of thirty-five behaviors titled The Watkins Way. These behaviors represent the general operating norms of the company and align with our core values. The behaviors are a roadmap to our culture. These behaviors are another way for us to acknowledge each other and celebrate our culture.”

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About Watkins Insurance Group

Founded in Austin in 1949, Watkins Insurance Group is now the largest and fastest-growing locally-owned independent insurance agency in Central Texas. Recognized as an IIABA Best Practices Agency and headquartered in Austin, Watkins Insurance Group has locations throughout Texas. The agency provides tailored insurance, employee benefit, and bond solutions for risks of all sizes.

About Energage, LLC
Headquartered in Exton, Pa., Energage is a leading provider of technology-based employee engagement tools that help leaders to unlock potential, inspire performance, and achieve amazing results within their organizations. The research partner behind the Top Workplaces program, Energage has surveyed more than 58,000 organizations representing well over 20 million employees in the United States.