About Agency Management Resource Group
Our Team
Cheryl Koch
Patrick G. Gaffney
Rhonda Parsons
Shirley Rosenberg
Mona M. Carpenter
Ulises Castellon
Doug Gant
Sherri Stein
Debby Hernandez
Cheryl L. Koch
MBA, CPCU, CIC, ARM, AAI, AAM, AIM, AIS, API, ARP, ACSR
Biography
Cheryl Koch is an agency management consultant and educator, and a frequent speaker at various industry meetings and events nationwide. She is currently the owner of Agency Management Resource Group, a training, education, and consulting firm located in Lincoln, California, serving various facets of the insurance and financial services industries.
Most of Cheryl’s 30-year career has been spent on the agency side of the business, including ownership in a large Southern California independent agency. Cheryl’s experience also includes working for a regional insurance company as Assistant Vice President for Learning and Development, leading the company’s learning organization initiatives.
Cheryl received a B.A. in Economics from UCLA and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from California State University Sacramento. In addition, she has earned the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) designation, as well as the Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC), Associate in Risk Management (ARM), Accredited Adviser in Insurance (AAI), Associate in Automation Management (AAM), Associate in Management (AIM), Associate in Insurance Services (AIS), Associate in Personal Insurance (API), Associate in Research and Planning (ARP), and the Accredited Customer Service Representative (ACSR) designations.
Cheryl serves on the national advisory committee for the Insurance Institute of America’s Accredited Adviser in Insurance (AAI) program and is an author of two textbooks for that program, AAI 83-Agency Operations and Sales Management and AAI 82-Multiple-Lines Insurance Production.
Cheryl has also authored technical books for several publishers and has been a frequent contributor of articles for a variety of industry trade journals.
Cheryl serves on the advisory committee for the California Insurance Education Foundation and is chairperson for the Sacramento Area InVEST advisory committee. She is a past president of the Sacramento Valley Chapter of CPCU. She is a member of the Society of Insurance Trainers and Educators (SITE) and the National Association of Insurance Women (NAIW). She was recently appointed to the board of the national CPCU Society, serving as governor representing the western Region.
Cheryl has been honored by the Independent Insurance Agents of America with the Stephen Dach Award for her work with inVEST and by the CPCU Society with its Leadership Recognition Award, and was honored to receive the "Boss of the Year" Award given by the Insurance Professionals of Sacramento. In March 2000, Cheryl was the recipient of the Dr. Henry C. Martin Award of Industry Achievement given by Rough Notes Magazine and was named the Associate of the Year by the Insurance Brokers and Agents of Sacramento.
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Biography
Pat Gaffney is an insurance and risk management consultant and educator. He is currently the owner of Gaffney Insurance & Risk Management Consulting and is affiliated with Agency Management Resource Group, a training, education, and consulting firm located in Lincoln, California, serving various facets of the insurance and financial services industries.
Pat’s lengthy career in the industry includes carrier experience as an underwriter and marketing representative, as well as experience as an agency producer and owner. Pat has also edited new insurance forms for a major insurance carrier, and rewritten insurance training manuals for a national insurance education credential program.
A graduate of the USF&G School of Insurance & Suretyship in Baltimore, Pat has also earned the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU), Registered Professional Liability Underwriter (RPLU), Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC), and Accredited Advisor in Insurance (AAI) designations.
Pat has served as a guest lecturer at various universities, including California State University, Sacramento, the University of California at Davis, St. Mary’s College in Moraga, and Pepperdine University in Malibu. He authors and conducts industry seminars and workshops for IIABA, IBA West, Young Brokers and Agents of California (YBAC), the Western Insurance Agents Association (WIAA Group), and state independent agent associations throughout the country.
He is an instructor in Agency Management Resource Group’s new program, "The Ultimate Producer School," an innovative three-week program designed to provide sales and marketing, IT, risk management, technical, human resources, and other essential skills for tomorrow’s "ultimate" producer.
Pat is a member of the Advisory Committee for IIABA’s Project InVEST in Sacramento, the Sacramento Valley CPCU chapter’s Education Committee, and Chairman of its Candidate Development Committee. Pat was also appointed to the California Department of Insurance Curriculum Board, which advises the Commissioner of Insurance on matters of policy and content regarding standards for insurance agent licensing and continuing professional education.
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Biography
Rhonda Parsons has been a national insurance industry educator for 25 years. She is currently affiliated with Agency Management Resource Group, a training, education, and consulting firm located in Lincoln, California, serving various facets of the insurance and financial services industries.
Rhonda has spent her career working on both the carrier and agency sides of the business. Her experience includes positions with insurance carriers, independent agencies, and large brokerages in California and Colorado.
Rhonda has earned the Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC), Accredited Customer Service Representative (ACSR), and Certified Insurance Service Representative (CISR) designations.
Rhonda served on the advisory committee for Accredited Customer Service Representative (ACSR), and was instrumental in making the online version of this program a reality in California. She has also served on the Education committee for the National Association of Insurance Women (NAIW).
Rhonda has taught various national level designation seminars for many years. She also authors and conducts industry seminars and workshops on a wide variety of Personal Lines and Commercial lines subjects for IBA West, the Western Insurance Agents Association, and state independent agent associations throughout the country.
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Biography
Shirley Rosenberg is an agency management consultant and trainer. She is currently affiliated with Agency Management Resource Group (AMRG), a training, education, and consulting firm located in Lincoln, California, serving various facets of the insurance and financial services industries.
Most of Shirley’s 35-year career has been spent in managing human resources, accounting, and in training all levels of agency staff. Her experience includes servicing all lines of personal and commercial insurance, implementing agency policies and procedures, and handling all aspects of insurance agency accounting, including audits for operating and fiduciary accounts.
Shirley has earned the Accredited Advisor in Insurance (AAI) designation. She has also been a very active member of IBA West, including membership on the Board of Directors, the Agency Management committee, and serving as Chairman of the Education committee.
In addition to her work with independent agencies, Shirley currently serves as the Political Action Consultant for IBA West and is responsible for mobilizing California agents, brokers, and their clients on a grassroots level, regarding legislative issues. Shirley has long been dedicated to serving as an advocate for the interests of independent insurance agents and brokers.
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Biography
Mona Carpenter is President and founder of Marketing Systems Limited, located in Dallas, Texas USA. Marketing Systems Limited was established in 1986 to assist independent insurance agencies and banks develop, enhance, and modify their agencies prospecting, sales, and marketing efforts. Marketing Systems Limited helps sales people maximize their sales activities and gives management the tools to mentor their sales team to develop a quality production team. Mutual goals are achieved by putting in place a creative approach that is monitored and managed.
Ms. Carpenter obtained a bachelor degree from the University of Nebraska. She graduated in 1975 with a major in Consumer Affairs and minors in both Marketing and Economics. The following year, she entered the insurance industry working for an independent agency in Nebraska. There she assisted in the development of one of the first sales centers in the country, in addition to sales management and selling large commercial accounts.
She became sales manager at the age of twenty-seven and developed a process that focused on relationship selling rather than price comparison. The process was structured so that the prospect, agency, and producer worked together to build long-term managed relationships. Ms. Carpenter also trained the sales team and sales coordinator to work as a well-defined team. She taught them current methodologies to prospect, write, and retain commercial accounts. The coordinator learned techniques to assist the sales team by setting prospect and client appointments. With these tasks left to others, the sales staff was then able to spend the majority of their time in face-to-face sales situations, doing what they did best, selling. The sales process soon became a sales activity center that monitored carriers, industry groups, geographic locations, and production staff. Implementation of Ms. Carpenter’s ideas improved the sales team’s close ratio by more than fifty percent.
Ms. Carpenter has worked with and continues to assist hundreds of insurance agencies throughout the United States, Canada, and Australia. She helps them make positive changes in their approach to selling. It is a humanistic model built on long-term relationships, not simply short-term financial gain. Her approach is to work with each agency individually by meeting with the management team - examining strengths and weaknesses and developing targeted strategies that will maximize their sales staff, carrier relationships, and geographic region.
Ms. Carpenter has consulted with many insurance carriers to develop better training for their agency force, performed marketing research, and training for their sales staff. Mona also has developed program business (traditional and alternative) for industries that typically have difficulty finding quality coverage at an affordable cost.
In addition to consulting, Ms. Carpenter has authored many articles and consistently addresses thousands of agents and principles in her numerous speaking engagements. Following is a short list of some of her publications and speaking assignments.
SPEAKING :
- Big I National Conference
- New York Big I Management Seminars
- Indiana Big I Convention
- CIC Mega Conference
- Joe Vincent Conference
- Florida Insurance Association
- Independent Insurance Agents of Texas
- North Carolina Association
- The Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers
- AETNA Young Agents
- Oregon Young Agents
- Young Agents of Texas
- Acord Conference
- St. Paul Top Brass
- CNA HPA Meeting
- Travelers
- GAN North America
- Colorado Association
- ARM International
- IBNA International
- Australian International Insurance Conference
- Assurex International
- APPEX International
- Intersure Association
- NIBA International Conference
PUBLISHED :
- Agent & Broker
- National Underwriter
- Rough Notes
- Business Insurance
- Big I Agent
- Texas Association
- American Agent & Broker
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TRAINING TOOLS DEVELOPED:
NEWSLETTER:
- Sales Manager ... Online™
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Biography
Ulises Castellon has worked as a claims professional for over twenty years. In addition to being a property and casualty adjuster and manager, he established the Special Investigations Unit for State Farm Insurance Companies in Northern California in 1986. Mr. Castellon has managed numerous first and third party cases through litigation. In 1996, he associated with Fire Cause Analysis, a premier forensic investigation and engineering firm. He currently heads ClaimsAnalysis, as an insurance consultant and expert witness.
Mr. Castellon regularly teaches courses on issues ranging from arson and fraud investigation to Fair Claims Practices. He is bilingual and has acted as an insurance industry spokesperson for local news and information programs, including Spanish-speaking television. He has also published various articles for insurance trade press, on topics such as arson and fraud, and claims file management. Mr. Castellon has extensive deposition and trial testimony experience in a variety of jurisdictions regarding a number of issues.
Personal Affiliations:
- Society of Charted Property and Casualty Underwriters
- Sacramento Valley Chapter CPCU Board of Directors
- Sacramento Valley Chapter CPCU President (1997-1998)
- California Conference of Arson Investigators
- Northern California Fraud Investigators Association
- Insurance Educational Association - Instructor
- Insurance School of the Pacific - Instructor
- Western Insurance Information Service - Speaker
- National Fire Prevention Association
Government Work:
- Member of Governor's Task Force on Vehicle Theft (1986-1989)
- Panelist before California Senate Committee on Judiciary concerning Auto
Fraud (1991)
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Biography
Doug Gant recently retired from State Farm Insurance and is an agency management consultant and educator, and a frequent speaker at insurance meetings.
Most of Doug's 35-year career has been spent on the claims side of the business. His father was an insurance agent for over 25 years and directed Doug to a career in the insurance industry.
Doug received a B.A. in History from BYU. In addition, he has earned the
Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) designation and has also earned the Associate in Insurance Services.
Doug brings a long history of teaching excellence. He has received the Jack F. Derrickson award for outstanding course leadership in 2002, was appointed to the CPCU and IIA National Registry of Outstanding Course Leaders, and is currently an outstanding CPCU/IAA course leader for the Insurance Institute of America. These awards were in recognition for Doug's teaching skills and his students' high pass ratio on national exams. He has taught CPCU and IAA courses for the Insurance Educational Association (IEA), UC Davis Extension Program, and State Farm Insurance.
Doug is also an active member of the CPCU Society. He received the
Society's Leadership Recognition Award in 1993. He is a past President
of the California Golden Empire Chapter, has participated on a national
task force for the Society, and is currently on the National Nominating
Committee. In addition Doug is an active member of the Boy Scouts of
America.
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Biography
Sherri Stein is an agency management consultant, and frequent speaker at industry meetings and events nationwide. She is an independent management consultant affiliated with the Agency Management Resource Group (AMRG) providing client focused solutions related to management/succession planning, agency valuation strategies, operational management and organization leadership to stimulate agency growth and improve profitability. AMRG is dedicated to helping insurance organizations become extraordinary.
With more than twenty-five years in the Insurance Industry, Sherri has worked for Safeco, Allstate and Crum & Forester Insurance carriers, Independent Agents/Brokers and Direct Writers. In addition to consulting, a sampling of the positions she has held include: Vice President of Operations, Marketing Director, and Director of Agency Business Consulting, Underwriter, Sales Manager, National Training Manager and agency owner. In addition, she has authored articles for various industry trade publications.
Sherri earned a Master’s Degree in Education from the University of Alaska and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Washington. She has served on the National Board of InVEST; Seattle board chair of Business Volunteers for the Arts; IIABA’s Council for Best Practices and as National Chairperson for the Agent and Broker Section of CPCU and is a licensed Agent Broker.
Sherri is a proven resource for enhancing agency growth, productivity and value, providing real solutions for real agencies. She has expertise in the areas of:
- Analyzing operating costs, revenue streams, compensation, liquidity, value, collections and productivity
- Workflows and improving staff productivity
- Maximizing the use of technology
- Desk management for zero backlog
- Strategic business planning & facilitation
- Perpetuation & succession planning
- Marketing, Producer acquisition & Sales Management
- Agency Valuations
- Organizational Development
- Operations due diligence for merger/acquisition
- Comprehensive Errors & Omissions audits
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Biography
Debby Hernandez is an agency management consultant and trainer. She is currently affiliated with Agency Management Resource Group (AMRG), a training, education, and consulting firm located in Lincoln, California, serving various facets of the insurance and financial services industries.
Most of Debby’s 24-year career has been spent in the Independent Agency system managing customer service personnel, agency operations and in training all levels of agency staff. Her experience includes servicing all lines of personal and commercial insurance, implementing agency policies and procedures, handling all aspects of insurance agency accounting as well as having been an agency owner herself. Debby’s experience also includes several years as an underwriter for an MGA.
Debby is fluent in with the Applied System having been a power user since 1997. She has helped many agencies revamp their service departments, implement procedures and cut overhead through efficient use of automation.
Debby is currently pursuing her ARM designation.
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