Insurance company Allstate is bringing Christmas early to the Grand Rapids job market.
The company announced that it is looking to add eight new insurance agency owners in the city, as well as 24 licensed sales professionals to its new and existing agencies.
Individuals interested in becoming a sales professional at an agency are encouraged to apply if they have a high school or college degree, sales experience or interest and a willingness to learn the insurance business and become licensed.
“The state licensing requirements are 40 hours of class time in order to get your property and casualty license,” said Kevin Clickett, Allstate strategic deployment leader for the North Central Region. “If they are currently licensed, that is helpful, too.”
For those interested in becoming an Allstate agency owner, Clickett said the company is looking for people with sales or sales management experience, as well as an entrepreneurial spirit.
“(Someone who) wants to branch out and do their own thing . . . that really wants to take ownership of the business that they write,” Clickett said.
Candidates for agency ownership are required to have a minimum of $50,000 of liquid capital to invest in their agency to ensure that the agency can successfully fund the normal day-to-day costs associated with opening and running a business.
Allstate owners do not have to pay a franchise or licensing fee and are independent contractors, not employees of Allstate, he said.
Clickett said that a big differentiator between Allstate and other similar insurance companies is the ownership factor.
“You own economic interest in the business that you built,” he said. “For example, if you were to come into Allstate as an agency owner, at any given time, you could say, ‘You know, I’m done. I want to sell this to my kids.’ and leave this as a legacy and pass it down to their children. They have the right to do that. Some other programs, you don’t own economic interest in that business.”
Agency owners receive around-the-clock call center support from Allstate.
Currently, the greater Grand Rapids market contains 25 Allstate agencies with about two to three licensed insurers at each location.
Clickett said the company is looking to expand its presence in Grand Rapids and other cities based on demographic indicators that show growth can be maintained.
“We see opportunities for market-share gain in our major metro areas,” he said.
The company also plans on expanding its presence in metro Detroit, Flint and Ann Arbor. Overall, in Michigan, it plans to appoint 27 new insurance agency owners and hire 81 licensed sales professionals.
Interested candidates can apply to become an Allstate agency owner by visiting www.allstateagent.com or by connecting with Allstate recruiter Trish Mylek at (248) 994-9253 or Trish.Mylek@allstate.com.
Charlsie Dewey, Grand Rapids Business Journal.
