WinStar Insurance Group dba VFIS of Texas continues for the 2nd year to be part of an elite group of independent insurance agencies around the United States participating in the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (IIABA or the Big “I”) Best Practices Study Group.
 
The agencies comprising the study group are selected every third year through a comprehensive nomination and qualifying process and awarded a “Best Practices Agency” designation. The selected Best Practices agencies retain their status during the three-year study cycle (2019-2022) by submitting extensive financial and operational data for review each year.  During the 2020 Study year, only 262 independent agencies throughout the U.S. qualified and retained their status as a Best Practices agency.
 
The Best Practices Study was initiated by IIABA in 1993 as the foundation for efforts to improve agency performance. The annual Study of leading independent insurance agencies, which is conducted by the Big “I” and Reagan Consulting of Atlanta, GA, documents the business practices of these “best” agencies and urges others to adopt similar practices.
 
For nearly 30 years, the Big “I” has developed a family of products and webinars designed to help cultivate a Best Practices agency culture. The offerings include materials such as the Agency Comparison Workbook, Guide to Producer Contracts, the Customer Service Experience Handbook, Sales Potential Quick Check, Interactive Agency Self-Diagnostic Tool, and Best Practices Joint Planning Tool Quick Step.  Many of the publications include guidelines, worksheets, and case studies to help agents apply the information contained in each report and move beyond theory into practice.
 
In addition to these materials, hundreds of workshops and seminars have been conducted at various producer association functions, company sponsored agency meetings and national automation users group conventions. 
 
The Big “I” and Reagan Consulting jointly maintain the Best Practices Gateway website (www.reaganconsulting.com/reasearch/best-practices) that provides executive summaries of the annual Best Practices Studies and various Best Practices tools.  The Gateway, as well as the annual study, is made possible in part through the financial sponsorship of various insurance companies and industry organizations. 
 
The 2020 Best Practices Study sponsors include:  Amerisure, Applied Systems, Allstate, Beyond Insurance, Central Insurance Companies, Chubb, EMC Insurance, Encompass, Grange Insurance, The Hanover Insurance Group, The Hartford, Imperial PFS, InsurBanc, Integrity Insurance, Liberty Mutual, MetLife, Nationwide, Progressive, Safeco Insurance, Travelers, Vertafore and Westfield.
 
WinStar Insurance Group LLC dba VFIS of Texas purchased the assets of Regnier & Associates, Inc. on October 1, 2016. Regnier & Associates, Inc. was founded in May of 1982 providing coverage through the VFIS program for emergency service organizations in Texas. WinStar Insurance Group LLC also dedicates our time insuring niche industries including craft beverage, water districts, commercial ambulances, child care facilities and more and is dedicated to continuing the vision and commitment that Regnier & Associates, Inc. has provided for the past 34 years.
 
For more information on the Best Practices Study, contact Jennifer Becker at IIABA, 1-800-221-7917.
 
Founded in 1896, the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (the Big “I”) is the nation’s oldest and largest national association of independent insurance agents and brokers, representing more than 25,000 agency locations united under the Trusted Choice brand. Trusted Choice independent agents offer consumers all types of insurance—property, casualty, life, health, employee benefit plans and retirement products—from a variety of insurance companies.

Congratulations to the following recipients of the 2020 Financial Relief Grant sponsored by VFIS of Texas and Texas Mutual!

• 989 North Volunteer Fire Department
• Angleton Area Emergency Medical Corps
• Apple Springs VFD 
• Aquilla Volunteer Fire Department
• Arbala Volunteer Fire Department 
• Bardwell Area Volunteer Fire Department
• Bastrop County Emergency Services District Number 1
• Bellevue VFD
• Ben Bolt Volunteer Fire Department
• Brinker Volunteer Fire Rescue Dept.
• Brookshire Fire Rescue 
• Cat Spring Volunteer Fire Department
• Center Hill Volunteer Fire Department
• Central Emergency Medical Service, Inc.
• Central High Rural VFD
• Chatfield Volunteer Fire Department
• China Grove Fire & Rescue
• City of Joshua Fire Department
• Coke/Pleasant Grove VFD
• Cottonwood Shores Volunteer Fire Department, Inc.
• Crowell Volunteer Fire Department Inc.
• DCBE/Acton Volunteer Fire Department
• Eula Volunteer Fire Dept. 
• Faught Community Center Volunteer Fire Dept.
• Friendswood Volunteer Fire Department, Inc.
• Frost VFD
• Garrett Area Rural VFD
• Grand Saline VFD
• Hall County EMS
• Hilltop Lakes VFD, Inc.
• Hudson Volunteer Fire Department, Inc.
• Kingtown VFD
• Lake Coleman VFD
• Lake Palo Pinto VFD
• Littlefield Volunteer Fire Department
• Loco-Valley Volunteer Fire Department
• Menard Volunteer Fire Department
• Mertens Vol. Fire Dept
• Murchison Volunteer Fire Department
• New Ulm VFD
• North Zulch Volunteer Fire Department
• Novice VFD
• Nueces County ESD #2
• Petrolia VFD
• Pipe Creek Volunteer Fire Department, INC
• Ponderosa VFD
• Powderly Volunteer Fire Department
• Prairie View Volunteer Firefighting Association 
• Promontory Park VFD
• Pursley Volunteer Fire Department
• Raisin Volunteer Fire Dept
• Randolph Volunteer Fire Dept 
• Ravenna Volunteer Fire Department
• Round Mountain VFD Inc
• Sabinal EMS Inc
• San Felipe Frydek VFD
• Sandy Harbor VFD
• Shallowater Fire Department
• South Polk County Volunteer Fire Department
• South Van Zandt Vol Fire Department 
• SouthWest Bell County Volunteer Fire Department
• Sugar Hill Volunteer Fire Department
• Taft Volunteer Fire Department
• Tarpley Volunteer Fire Department
• Tennessee Colony Volunteer Fire Dept.
• Travis County Emergency Services District #7
• Tri County Emergency Medical Services, Inc.
• Trinidad Volunteer Fire Department
• Valley View Volunteer Fire Dept
• Vashti Volunteer Fire Department
• Volunteer Fire Department of North Shore
• West Carlisle Volunteer Fire Department, Inc. 
• Westminster Volunteer Fire Department
• White Oak Volunteer Fire Dept
• Whiteface Volunteer Fire Department
• Wild Peach VFD
• Willow City Volunteer Fire & Rescue Inc.
• Wilson County Emergency Services District #2
• Winnie Stowell Volunteer Emergency Medical Service
• Woodsboro Fire Department

Texas Mutual Insurance Company, a policyholder-owned company, and Volunteer Firemen’s Insurance Services of Texas (VFIS of Texas) will be awarding a total of $500,000 to nonprofit emergency service organizations across Texas through two separate grant programs. $200,000 will be designated for a financial relief grant program to help provide funding assistance to emergency service organizations affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and $300,000 will support these organizations in investing in their team’s health and wellness.

Grant applications for a financial relief grant ($2,500 per organization) will open on August 10 and will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. Applications for health and wellness grants will be open from September 1 through December 31 and grants will be awarded the first quarter of 2021.
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Texas Mutual, the state’s leading provider of workers’ compensation insurance, and VFIS of Texas partner with the State Firefighters’ & Fire Marshals’ Association of Texas to manage the application process and select grant recipients.

Texas Mutual and VFIS of Texas have awarded safety and wellness grants to emergency responders throughout the state since 2013. This year, they expanded their funding to include a grant program specifically to assist in the financial recovery of emergency responder organizations, as result of COVID-19. These new grants will not be restricted to a specific use other than to provide much-needed funding to the organization. During this unprecedented time, many emergency service organizations are facing critical funding needs because they are not able to conduct their traditional fundraisers.

For more information about the grants and how to apply, visit the links below.