Liam J. Hutelmyer, assistant underwriter / underwriter trainee, AmWINS Transportation Underwriters Inc.
Years at company: 2.5 years
College: Appalachian State University
Organizations: AAMGA, Under Forty Organization, AmWINS University
Accreditations: Working toward CIW and CPCU designations
What are your goals in this industry?
I always want to leave a situation in a better position than when I first encountered it. Long term, I want to be an expert in our niche of the insurance marketplace, pure and simple. In the next year I will be working with two guys we just hired from Appalachian State University’s insurance program with the intent to give them as much as I have received from the industry thus far.
How did you choose insurance as a career?
In school I had a focus on creative writing and philosophy and had no intention of making a career out of insurance. I started at ATU when an internship position opened up one summer during college and absolutely fell in love with the industry. As it turns out, having worked in a law office during high school, the intricacies of language and intent in contract wording had already become second nature. This, coupled with the application of logic in underwriting a risk, building a program and ensuring that all parties (the insured, the company and our shop) are taken care of, and I was hooked.
Have you experienced generation gap issues with your carriers?
Age specifically hasn’t really come into play as much as the need to be constant and prove your worth. Insurance is not an industry where you can jump in with one good idea and then rest on your laurels until your pension check comes in—you live by your name. As such I’m finding with each interaction and every relationship that I build, any "generational gap" issues start to fade away.
How do you balance work and your personal life?
I don’t need much sleep to function at my peak, so that helps. I also try to get away every few weekends to see family in the mountains, goof off with friends out of state or just get lost driving in the countryside. It isn’t much, but it keeps me centered so I can come back on Monday morning ready to attack the workday head on.
Are your top carriers active in attracting young workers?
This is one of the points that has been touched upon during the past two executive panel discussions at the AAMGA University weekends. I think the light bulb has gone off and many carriers are realizing the importance of having a formal succession planoutside of the immediate next step. In the next cycle of the industry, we’ll be seeing more college internships turning to full-time positions with a reinvestment in building within a company and instilling a company’s values on a party from the start in lieu of the current approach of poaching top talent. Alongside investing in technology, this is at the top of every carrier’s priority that I’ve spoken to in the past year and a half.