AIMING FOR THE SUMMIT

Rough Notes, Mar 2004 by Tolen, Elaine

Michigan native Michael McCarron heeds the call of the Rockies to build his career

For most young producers, the journey to agency ownership follows a well-trodden path. They start at the bottom (usually in personal lines) then, over the next several years, prove themselves and move into commercial lines (and perhaps life/health). They are given more responsibility-perhaps overseeing a specific department or specializing in a niche. A dozen or so years later, when the principal(s) are ready to retire, they finally have the opportunity to buy into the agency.

Michael McCarron, 27-year-old owner of Lakeside Insurance Center, LLC, in Arvada, Colorado, admits that he likes to take the road less traveled. That road took him from his home state of Michigan to Colorado, where he moved in 1998. In 1999-at the age of 23 and with one year of insurance experience under his belt-he bought an agency.

Go west!

A lover of the outdoors, Michael began hearing the call of the mountains-but not necessarily insurance- while a student at the University of Michigan. As the son of an agency owner (Dennis McCarron, his father, owns McCarron & Associates in Chesterfield Township, Michigan), Michael could have taken the easier road and worked there, establishing a cozy life in a familiar setting.

"But I wanted to get out and be adventurous," he explains. he and his future wife, Gillian, "packed up a U-Haul and moved out here after we graduated. We both wanted to be in the outdoors and we love to ski and hike. We both had a good education and degree; we knew the jobs would come."

Before going to Colorado, though, Michael saw that Safeco had underwriting positions available in Seattle and Denver. His father encouraged Michael to "give insurance a try," so he interviewed and got the job in Denver. Michael says the year with Safeco gave him a solid education in underwriting and an understanding of the company side, both of which have served him well as an agency owner. During that year, though, the entrepreneurial and adventure urges grew. "I wanted to be able to steer the ship and help people," Michael says; so when a small agency was put up for sale, he took the opportunity.

According to Michael, Lakeside Insurance Center, founded in 1962, was "small enough to afford and run." However, this new owner had no small business management experience, no established insurance background or network, and no family ties to the industry in Colorado.

"Right away, I got involved in PIIAC [Professional Independent Insurance Agents of Colorado]. It was a 'fast track' way to learn and get to know others who have been successful in the industry," explains Michael. "Getting to know these people has been invaluable. They have taken their time [to share their expertise]. Without the association's support, the agency wouldn't have progressed as it has."

His first PIIAC position was as a member of the legislative committee, during which time he attended the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (HABA) Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C. At the conference, he got better acquainted with Big I staffers as well as company people, building relationships that have continued to benefit him.

Since 2001, Michael has served on PIIAC's board of directors. As vice president, he is part of the executive committee. While he has never been on PIIAC's young agents committee, he provides input to the board on behalf of young agents and attends young agents events.

Besides representing young agents on the PIIAC board, Michael says, "I can represent small agencies and give a voice to people who are just getting started. You know, typically boards are comprised of people from large, established agencies."

Family and international affairs

Michael met Gillian, who is from England, while they were both students at the University of Michigan. Her father had been transferred to Michigan when she was 15 years old. Michael has a bit o' the Irish in him and studied in Dublin while a student at the University of Michigan. Their fourmonth-old son has an Irish name, Kiernan. With both of them having family overseas, the McCarrons have made several trips across the Pond. And certainly more trips will be planned in the future, Michael points out, now that a baby is in the picture.

Gillian, who was a recruiter with Price-Waterhouse-Coopers before becoming a full-time mom, now handles Lakeside's accounting a few days a week. "It's been a big help to have her doing that," says Michael. "Before, I was the guy who did everything, from taking out the trash to signing the checks."

As previously mentioned, Michael's father, Dennis, is in the insurance business. In addition, Michael's sister, Stephanie McCarron, has worked in the industry for eight years. She was an underwriter in the Chicago office of Ohio Casualty when, in 2000, Michael asked her to join him as co-owner. Besides Michael, Gillian and Stephanie, the agency's staff also includes YoIi Vega, who is a licensed agent and Joseph Trahey, who is a producer.