Arbor Insurance Group was recently featured in Lehigh Valley Business’s “Behind the List.” Hear from Bill Hacker, president and CEO of Arbor Insurance Group, why a personal relationship with an informed local agent is important.
Keeping up-to-date insurance for your business or home is imperative.
Throughout the Greater Lehigh Valley, there are many agencies designed to work closely with you to find the best solutions for your insurance needs.
An agency that has had a strong presence in the region for more than five decades is Arbor Insurance Group.
Here to answer this week’s “Behind the List” questions is Bill Hacker, president and CEO of the insurance agency in South Whitehall Township.
Lehigh Valley Business: How long has Arbor Insurance Group been operating in the Lehigh Valley and what are its primary services?
Bill Hacker: The Arbor Insurance Group has been serving the diverse needs of Lehigh Valley individuals, families and businesses for more than 60 years. The company remains committed to the same ideals with which it began: unparalleled customer service and the most effective protection for its customers.
Arbor represents a multitude of regional and national insurance carriers, allowing it to thoroughly compare rates and coverage options in order to custom-design each insurance package to meet a customer’s unique needs.
Our primary products include auto, home and life insurance for families and all forms of property, casualty and workers’ compensation protection for businesses. For employee benefits and more complex financial products, we have local strategic partnerships to assist our customers.
Arbor also has particular expertise in providing insurance to select business niches, such as restaurants, medical/professional facilities, manufacturers, wholesalers and construction companies. We also provide captive insurance programs, an attractive alternative to traditional insurance.
LVB: What have been some of the biggest challenges and opportunities that Arbor Insurance Group has encountered throughout its years in business?
Hacker: The insurance industry is facing an enormous talent gap. Almost half the industry workforce is over the age of 45, and 25 percent of all professionals are expected to retire in the next three to five years.
We consider these statistics our greatest challenge, but it also means there are huge opportunities for the young agents who have chosen insurance as their profession. Our focus is hiring and training the next generation of insurance professionals so that Arbor Insurance is here for another 60 years.
Another challenge: Market disruptors, such as the internet and direct insurance marketers, have made many insurance products a commodity. We think we can remain relevant to the insurance buyer who wants a personal relationship with a knowledgeable local agent.
We also embrace and utilize the latest — and rapidly changing — technologies to best interact with customers, including websites, social media and mobile apps, so we can do business wherever our customers want to do business.
LVB: With rules and regulations in health care constantly changing, how does Arbor Insurance Group position itself to manage these changes and stay current with the newest trends?
Hacker: We do offer involuntary and voluntary benefits and group health insurance, even though our primary focus is property and casualty insurance. For group benefits, we partner with a few firms that specialize in designing these types of plans.
But, we are constantly being updated about issues, regulations and other changes to keep our clients well informed and counsel them when insurance changes and improvements can benefit them. We have developed client portals and mobile apps to better interact with customers and to keep them current.
Business confidential information is also critical to our clients, so we offer data breach/cyber liability protection to many of our customers.
Arbor offers flexible insurance solutions to address the full breadth of risks associated with doing business in today’s technology-driven world.
LVB: How does Arbor Insurance Group directly stimulate the local economy?
Hacker: We take our commitment to the entire Lehigh Valley seriously, not only as an employer but also as a good corporate citizen and community steward. We provide an attractive and stable employment environment with good jobs and benefits.
Most importantly, we design and recommend insurance programs for both businesses and individuals that give them the confidence and peace of mind to function in an increasingly complex society, knowing that their assets are protected.
We offer solutions that empower the customer to make the proper choices to fit their needs. People can run their lives and their businesses prosperously and effectively.
Because of our solid reputation, our team of insurance advisers, through interaction with our customers, can connect our clients with our strategic partners, generating more business for them, as well.
Because Arbor is very community focused, we support several local nonprofits through our own foundation. We also encourage our staff to get involved in local community activities and share their time, talent and resources with those who can benefit from them.
LVB: What does the future look like for Arbor Insurance Group? Does it have plans for growth?
Hacker: We are very excited about the future of Arbor Insurance Group. We have made, and will continue to make, significant investment in our infrastructure and technology.
Over the past 10 years, we have built a great team of leadership and insurance professionals.
It is our commitment to remain locally owned and independent, retain the culture that has served our clients so well for over 60 years and attract that next generation of insurance advisers.
We never plan to grow just for growth’s sake or to lose the close personal relationships we have with each customer.
Our personal insurance client base remains stable. We have experienced healthy growth in our business insurance department over the past five years.
Our objective is not to be the largest agency, but just the best at what we do.
