100% Job Placement Promise Sealed the Deal for All Risks’ Neeley

Like many students entering college, Joe Neeley wasn’t sure what he wanted to study. But a presentation on the insurance industry opened the door to a career he’d never thought about before.

“I wasn’t planning to major in insurance when I started at Florida State University,” Neeley said. “But when I got there, I needed to fill out some credits, so I went to a presentation by the insurance department.”

That presentation was delivered by All Risks Ltd. The presenter shared something about the insurance industry that Neeley hadn’t heard from other areas of study. “The biggest selling point was that they have 100% job placement for all grads immediately after they graduate,” he said. “And for me, that sounded like a pretty good opportunity.”

Neeley didn’t have any idea what a career in insurance meant at the time but he says there’ve been no regrets.

He applied for a six-week internship at the end of his junior year with All Risks. “I spent my internship in our Charlotte office and at the end of it, you give a presentation. That led me to a full-time job offer in our Austin office.” Now, Neeley works in All Risks’ Houston office handling large property accounts.

Five-and-half years into his career, 28-year-old Neeley says the rest is history. “I love my job,” he said. “I love the flexibility, not only with my work schedule where you can have that work-life balance, but also in my work day,” he said. “If I want to be in the office all day, I can be in the office, or if I want to go out and see clients, I can. I get to break up my day.”

He also has no regrets about joining the wholesale brokerage side of the insurance industry. The freedom of rate and form allows for creativity – something he values.

“When we get a unique risk, we can actually be creative and are able to quickly and effectively cater to what our clients need and want, which is pretty cool to see at the end when everything comes together,” he said.

Opportunities are endless in surplus lines, he added. “The surplus lines industry has grown from 8% just 10 years ago to almost 15% and there’s no reason we shouldn’t be at 20-25% in another 10 years.”

His advice for other young newcomers to the insurance industry – work hard and be patient.

“I always tell new people, and it’s what I’ve been told myself by more senior brokers, is nothing can beat hard work, but also patience,” he said. “We’re building relationships and building our books and it doesn’t happen overnight.” Relationships take time.

“Sometimes it doesn’t happen in 12 months or 24 months. Sometimes it takes three or four years until you actually start getting legitimate opportunities,” he said. “Without patience, you would never get to that point.”

He also tells new brokers and agents to get involved. Neeley currently serves as the chairman of the Texas Surplus Lines Association’s Under 40 committee. “There’s a huge learning curve the first two years, but by getting involved in TSLA I was able to learn and grasp what the regulatory and legislative issues were in this sector.”

There are many other opportunities to get involved in the surplus lines industry, he added.

“Whether you want to be an underwriter, or you want to be in more of a sales role, or maybe you are wanting more of an analytical, actuarial route, or maybe marketing is your deal, the insurance industry has all those opportunities.”

Topics Talent Market