Jeffrey M. Yates and Brady Polansky are the first two industry experts featured in The Leadership Series, a podcast forum that highlights timely topics for the independent insurance agent and broker community.

The new series is produced by Applied Systems, Inc., developer of insurance agency and broker management systems. Series host is Peter van Aartrijk, Jr., managing director of The van Aartrijk Group, a communications firm specializing in the insurance and financial sectors.

Yates, executive director of the Agents Council for Technology (ACT), discusses how ACT has identified current industry trends and related must-do activities that will affect the independent agent and broker channel. Polansky, agency operations director, Westfield Insurance Group, discusses how major bottom-line impact can result from even small improvements in communications efficiencies between agents/brokers and their carriers.

Leadership Series podcasts are available for free download from iTunes^® and as audio files at www.appliedsystems.com. Each podcast features an insurance professional being interviewed about news and issues relevant to agents, brokers, carriers, and others. The series is the first of its kind produced by an agency management technology company.  

Upcoming podcasts include interviews with:

• Madelyn Flannagan, vice president of Education and Research, Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America (IIABA)
• Alvito Vaz, IT director, The Progressive Group
• Doug Johnston, executive vice president, Applied Systems Interface Services
• Donna Barr, assistant vice president, Marsh Private Client Services
• Robert G. Slocum, president, The Slocum Agency, Inc., Warwick, RI, and ACT chair

“Applied Systems is happy to make these podcast interviews accessible not only for our customers, but for everyone in the independent agent and broker universe,” said Rick Morgan, Applied Systems senior vice president of Marketing and Strategic Services.  “We look forward to The Leadership Series becoming a dependable resource for insurance practitioners to hear the voices of insurance leaders who can have significant influence on the business and success of independent agents and brokers.”

Applied Systems, Inc., develops and supports insurance agency management systems and provides services for accounting, customer, policy, claims management, and all related agency functions. More than 126,000 users in 11,000 agencies of every size and complexity level use Applied Systems technology and services. The company leads the industry in agency-carrier real-time and batch communication solutions. Applied Systems automates insurance transactions at every distribution level from consumer through carrier, providing technical support and professional services to maximize customers’ return on investment. www.appliedsystems.com