Agent Spotlight: Specialization is Key to Better Customer Service
Marc Eagan, president of Eagan Insurance, sits at his desk surrounded with framed photographs of his family and photos representing his passion for sailing. He plans to sail from Key West, Florida, to New Orleans, Louisiana in late 2015 to raise money for cancer research.
AGENT MARC EAGAN BELIEVES SPECIALIZING IS THE FUTURE FOR HIS AGENCY
After graduating from the College of Insurance in New York City and moving to London to work for a large broker, Marc Eagan, president of Eagan Insurance, decided to return to his roots in New Orleans to continue the family business.
“I realized insurance was a good business,” Eagan said. “I put a lot of time and effort on the education side, so I knew I could use my skills to produce business.”
Established in 1954, Eagan Insurance is an independent, family-owned full-service insurance agency with three locations. Marc represents the third generation of the Eagan family with six members of the fourth generation as active producers. Currently, three sons, Marcus, Andrew, and Jordan, and daughter Mallory, work at the agency.
Though Eagan Insurance Agency has over 90 employees and is flourishing in the insurance industry, it did not begin that way.
“My grandfather and his five sons, one of whom was my father, were in the funeral business,” Eagan said. “He owned several funeral homes, and in 1954, he offered a new line of service selling burial insurance. That was the start of Eagan Insurance. From there, we continued to add new lines of insurance and grew to the full-service agency we are today.”
Today, the agency’s largest concentration is in the commercial area. “Commercial insurance was my background,” Eagan said. “When I started at the agency, I hired people that had more of an aptitude in the commercial realm.”
“LUBA provides quality insurance to some of our very best clients, and we trust them to do that. Our relationship has helped us partner with some of our larger clients."
Eagan Insurance recently adopted a small green space across the street from its Metairie location and planted trees, flowers and plants.
Eagan’s focus on hiring and retaining the best staff possible, which has created a positive business culture, is demonstrated in the many accolades and awards the company has won, including being named one of the Top Workplaces in 2015 by the Times-Picayune
This approach is no different from how they treat their clients. “We have great clients, some of which have been with us for generations,” Eagan said.
Eagan says he does not plan to change the agency’s current insurance lines, but believes to best serve his clients, he needs to specialize. “We’re starting to encourage and guide some of our newer producers to choose a few specific industries and really get them educated so they become the go-to guys for those industries,” he said.
Eagan believes that the insurance business is both rewarding and challenging. “It’ll teach you a lot about other businesses and life itself once you’re out there dealing with people. You can talk to a banker in the morning and meet an oyster fisherman in the afternoon. You start seeing the differences in the way people think and what they value.”
Eagan is also very proud of his relationship with LUBA Workers’ Comp. “LUBA provides quality insurance to some of our very best clients, and we trust them to do that. Our relationship has helped us partner with some of our larger clients. We’re protecting their welfare and entrusting LUBA to do a good job to help our clients’ injured workers get back on the job as soon as possible.”
The management team at Eagan Insurance sits in front of a framed portrait of the first generation of Eagans at the agency. Standing, left to right: Marcus Eagan, Vice President; David Strassel, Associate; Andrew Eagan, Marketing Representative; Jordan Eagan, Vice President; Josh Ellis, Risk Management; Chuck Strassel, Executive Vice President. Sitting: Mallory Eagan Ellis, Public Relations; Marc Eagan, CIC, President.
