Issue link: http://www.insightdigital.biz/i/133826
"They are the easiest company to work with by far. At every level, from risk management to marketing to underwriting, they take their role seriously and they take care of our clients." – John Dever, Insuramax, Inc. where we could not get something resolved immediately," Terry says. "Whenever our folks visit Appleton, they come back just raving about how dedicated and personable everyone at Secura is. That's just a reflection of John." New markets, new products ot just content to fix the business operations and reshape the company culture, Bykowski and his management team have been steadily expanding Secura's national footprint. The company now serves agencies in 13 states. While largely concentrated in the Midwest, the company has been steadily moving west and southwest. The company also has launched some new products. Three years ago, Secura launched its Secura Specialty line, a unique product that provides protections to special events such as sports tournament or hole-in-one contests. This new line writes about $15 million to $20 million in premiums each year and has a potential to be very profitable for Secura. When evaluating potential new markets, it's quite likely the western and southwestern path of expansion will continue, Bykowski says. Those states tend to grade out best when considering the regulatory environment, competition, agency quality and need for Secura's insurance products. "North Dakota, Colorado and Arizona made great sense, and we have our eye on states like Utah, South Dakota and Montana," he says. "I don't think we will be looking at the Gulf Coast or East Coast anytime soon." Of course, that could change with changes in the regulatory environment or other factors. Since Secura is a mutual company rather than a stock company, Bykowski and his management team can take a much longer view of what they need to do for success. "In a stock company, the CEO has to worry about the price of the stock and the results at the end of the quarter," Bykowski says. "I don't have that kind of pressure. For every decision we make, we have to consider the agents, the policyholders, the employees and association. "We can think longer term," he says. "We want to grow, we can grow, but when it's not prudent, we can sit back and wait until it is." w w w. i n s i g h t o n b u s i n e s s . c o m J u n e 2 013 • Insight | 27