People—Your Most Powerful Asset

A conversation with agency owner Jana Foster and Progressive’s Karen Bailo Creating an organizational culture where employee perspectives are valued, and staff feels part of something bigger fosters an environment where individuals and the organization flourish. Jana Foster owner of Nevada Insurance Agency Company and chair of the Big “I” national Young Agents Committee sits down with Karen Bailo, commercial lines president, Progressive to talk organizational culture, inclusion, and the importance communication and supporting the personal development of staff. Karen is what Progressive calls a “lifer. ” She’s been in the business for more than 32 years, starting as a service representative, moving onto many analytical roles and eventually leading the independent agency channel. Now, Karen leads the fast-growing commercial business as commercial lines president. “People are it for us, we know that our people are our most powerful asset as a company. Without our customer service teams and claims organization, all of our sales organizations, without our agents--we wouldn’t have a business. Progressive creates an environment where people feel valued and engaged and part of something special, ” says Karen. On this edition of Agency Nation Radio, hear Karen’s insurance origin story and glean insights from Progressive’s tested practices to help you create an inclusive, growth-minded agency culture. Agency Nation Radio is where insurance professionals turn on the mic and share unscripted stories about leadership, technology, marketing, success and failure-- stories that helped make them the professionals they are today. From main street USA to the pages of Independent Agent Magazine—we’ve got the stories you want to hear. For more, catch Agency Nation radio on your favorite streaming platform or visit iamagazine.com/podcasts. Have a story to tell? Contact Susan Bonner, AVP marketing and communications. mailto:susan.bonner@iiaba.net Learn more about Karen and Progressive at Progressive.com LinkedIn: Jana Foster https://www.linkedin.com/in/jana-schellin-foster-969667b1/ Karen Bailo https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-bailo-a162138/