PLEASANTON, CA, Sept. 21, 2017 - IIABCal is proud to announce its latest regular member, Tashinda Glover Richardson, Director & CEO, Glover Independent Insurance Agency West, Oakland, CA.
The Glover Independent Insurance Agency West is a small family-owned company located in Oakland, CA, with an affiliate office in Minneapolis, MN. The Midwest office provides both commercial and personal lines insurance as well as life insurance and other retirement products to individuals, families, and small businesses.
The West Coast practice specializes in providing commercial insurance products and risk management solutions for businesses of all sizes and entities of all types.
Agency History:
The Glover Independent Insurance Agency West (GIIA West) was established less than a year ago in Oakland, CA by Tashinda.
Tashinda recently transitioned out of an 8-year career where she served as a lawyer in the Navy JAG Corps.
Tashinda’s experience in the insurance industry started very early on because her grandfather, Bernard Glover, opened the first Black-owned insurance agency in the state of Minnesota called Glover Insurance Agency (GIA) in 1981.
Being just one year before her birth, naturally Tashinda grew up at GIA – holding her first job there and watching the agency grow into a cornerstone for the Black community in Minneapolis. Tashinda's early exposure to the insurance business world built her foundation for professionalism, integrity, and superb customer service skills.
With this history and valuable insight, Tashinda was excited to return to her roots and continue the family legacy by opening another family owned insurance agency on the West Coast.
Her vision for growing the agency includes opening an office in San Francisco and Southern California.
In addition to her insurance career, Tashinda is licensed to practice law in Georgia and is working towards admission to the California and Minnesota Bar Associations. She also maintains life, property, and casualty insurance licenses in California and Minnesota.
Her 8 years of honorable active duty service to our nation as a Naval Officer inspired her deeply, and thus she continues her service in the US Navy Reserves as a JAG attorney. This influence has also inspired a public service element that she plans to develop for her agency by providing free community education workshops to new entrepreneurs.
What makes GIIA West Unique:
Combining 50 years of insurance industry expertise from Bernard and 8 years of government legal practice expertise from Tashinda, the Glover Insurance offices provide a uniquely insightful perspective to business owners.
Mrs. Glover Richardson said a customer can expect the Glovers to offer superb risk management advice and individualized insurance policies. Additionally, the agency focuses on the following essential elements to make a positive impact on clients:
Providing a wide range of product and service offerings
Need-based selling
Technology interfaces
“At Glover, we are known for our honesty and integrity as insurance agents and as good citizens in the community," she said. "We maintain a high reputation for quality products and services, industry expertise and reliable business risk management advice. Professional conduct in all aspects of client dealings is our top priority”
Why joined IIABCal?
“As a new agent in the industry, I found value in joining IIABCal because the organization provides superb CE trainings that have helped me identify changes to make in my agency that yielded an immediate positive impact. Additionally, the organization offers great professional development and networking events, which I am hopeful will lead me to potential mentors and enterprising opportunities with other agents.”
What's The Most Important Issues Facing Glover Today?
“Obtaining direct appointments from insurance carriers. Being a new agency owner, I have found this to be the hardest issue to resolve. During my grandfather’s era, insurance carriers put a lot of resources into training and mentoring new producers. These carriers were also willing to take a risk on a new agent with a small book of business. However, this is no longer the case in the contemporary insurance industry, making it difficult for new, young agents to begin their careers as independent agents.”
What's The Biggest Opportunities Facing Her Agency Today?
“Although emerging technology has threatened the future viability of independent agents/agencies, I also believe it provides an opportunity for our community to show our true value," she said. “While certain aspects of insurance can be automated, it certainly can’t be forced into a box where the need for analysis, advice, and discussion can be eliminated. Besides, clients may enjoy the convenience and speed of web based insurance interfaces, but when they have a question about their policy exclusions, need to determine the limits of liability needed for their particular business, or want to speak to a live person immediately about advice on a potential claim – this is where we have the chance to shine.
"Just ask my husband who is also an attorney and has a civil litigation practice," she said. "He has seen one too many cases where a business owner purchased commercial insurance (the fastest and cheapest option) later to be disappointed when a lawsuit was filed against them and they found their coverage was inadequate. It is at that point the insured realizes they needed more than the advice of a computer to help them determine their insurance needs. So, independent agents DO have something that can’t be replaced. I have rooted my business model in this idea.”