Shining a Spotlight on Beth White
As of 2020, Lovell Sagebrush is made up of eight employees from all different backgrounds. This diversity is part of what makes us unique. No two people have the same experience or expertise which helps bring new things to the table while allowing us to learn from each other. Today, the spotlight shines on Beth White, who handles about half of our service department. She is undoubtedly one of the most experienced in our team. So how did she end up with LS and what are the biggest changes she’s witnessed in the industry? That’s a question we asked directly.
Beth started in the Insurance industry years ago, worked in agencies big and small, and took roles starting from a Mail and File Room Clerk all the way up to an Account Executive and Underwriter. She’s seen a thing or two. We asked Beth what she considered the biggest changes in her day to day work since her beginning days. This is what she told us.
“Technology. Electronic files have replaced paper. Paper files were color-coded with the policy and endorsements on the right of the file folder and correspondence on the left. Policies were manually typed with multiple pages of carbon paper. The various copies (insured’s, agent’s, mortgagee, carrier) were different colors for easy identification. If you made a typo you had to make the correction with a razor blade and various colors of “Liquid Paper”. Coverage rating was done manually using volumes of rating manuals, which had to be updated constantly by pulling old pages and inserting new rates. Rating a policy took a very long time. Now rates are electronically reprogrammed and you can get the premium instantly.”
Today everything is electronic. All files are kept online and file cabinets are a thing of the past. Communication is almost always via email. This is something she’s very glad to see evolving. Memories of coffee-stained papers and misfiled policies still haunt her.
Over the years Beth felt that many companies invested in her knowledge, took time to mentor, promote, and appreciate her. Especially while at the large organizations. Many of the companies invested in her growth and she was eager to take on new roles and responsibilities. This led to roles handling middle market accounts as well as working in legal and quality control as well. Positions she ranks among her favorites.
So how did Beth end up here with us at Lovell Sagebrush? Well, it goes back to a time before Lovell Sagebrush existed. As many of you might know Lovell Sagebrush is a marriage of two agencies. Joe Piatcyc merged Sagebrush insurance Services with John Lovell and Lovell Insurance. Beth had already spent 12 years working with Joe directly as an account executive. When the two agencies merged, she fearlessly took the leap to join Joe. We’re so glad she did.
