My name is Abigail Whorton, and I serve as Chief Operating Officer of my family’s independent insurance agency, The Whorton Agency, Inc., in Carrollton, GA. This is a position that I took on after losing my Dad in 2020, wherein I stepped into his shoes with the hope of protecting his legacy. There have been moments of true clarity and grace in the years since, but there have been more times than not where I’ve failed – and grown.
With little skill or knowledge to lead at the start, I simply led from my heart, and it has worked beautifully. I manage our small business from top to bottom. From creating new business opportunities for my team to taking the trash out at the end of the day, my job is to best support the inner workings of our agency. Some days that looks like bolstering a team member’s confidence, and others, it means intervening in a claims situation between a client and the company that insures them. It’s my job to keep the lights on, manage the books, sort commission reports and payroll numbers and maintain solid company partnerships. I work hard to source the right service and sales training to enrich everyone’s skill set, while keeping our core values aligned to those learnings. I invest in technology to make us more efficient, work to find and acquire other small agencies, present our family and business to the community and give of our time and dollars as needed.
If there’s a job that needs doing, then I’m the first to step up to the challenge. I believe in leading with action, along with heart, and won’t ask my team to do a single task that I’m not willing to do first. By serving my people first and meeting their needs, everything else has fallen into place these last few years.
My work life bleeds pretty heavily into my personal life (because balance is a daily practice), where I focus on time with family and friends, pick up a new book every couple of weeks, enjoy walks with my sweet pup and hit the gym or a yoga class almost every day of the week. I graduated Magna Cum Laude in 2014 from the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Journalism in Public Relations and an English Minor. In 2023, I was named the Young Agent of the Year by IIAG and the Partners Advancing Student Success (PASS) Volunteer of the Year in Carroll County. I also serve on the Young Agents Committee Board as this year’s Golf Tournament Vice Chair, having served as the Membership Development Chair the last two years.
About Abigail Whorton
Q: Please tell us a little bit about your family.
My precious family now consists of my Mom, Linda Whorton, and my sister, Emily Whorton – both educators, one retired and one just getting started. Between the three of us, we have three Chihuahuas that keep us on our toes, and we take time to be together as often as our schedules allow. They are immensely supportive of my work and my whole self, and I’m so grateful to have them in my corner.
Q: Please tell us about your current, past, or future career. What do you love most about what you do?
My most significant contribution in life thus far is continuing my Dad’s legacy. By taking over our family’s business, I fulfilled a very personal need to not lose some last piece of him, and as a result, I also provided deep stability and opportunity for my family and my team. We’ve never been stronger, having doubled in size in the last few years through organic growth and acquisition, increasing revenue by 40-percent. Our team is thriving, in life and in business, and our profitability allows us to give back in bigger ways than we have before. I love being a part of his legacy and paving the way for a bright future for those along with us on this ride.
How long have you worked in the insurance industry
I’ve been in insurance for just over five years now.
Q: Who is the most interesting person you’ve met working in insurance?
I think, interestingly enough, that John Barbour might be the most interesting person that I’ve met in this industry. Mostly because he stands with one foot here and one foot in the Capitol. There’s a very cool duality to the work that he does, and from all that I’ve seen, he does it very well, while staying connected to all of us and supporting us daily.
Q: How has your engagement with the Independent Insurance Agents of Georgia (IIAG) impacted your career?
In mid-2021, I attended my first Independent Insurance Agents of Georgia (IIAG) annual conference and then followed that with my first Young Agents Committee Board meeting, eager to connect with younger insurance professionals coming up in the industry like me, and everyone welcomed me with open arms. I believe that by engaging with IIAG, specifically Young Agents, I’ve been able to learn and grow within the industry at a faster pace than having done so on my own. That connection has allowed us to grow significantly as an agency, and I’ve grown just as much as a leader for my team.
Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world right now, where would it be and why?
If I could travel anywhere today, it would be back to Oxford, England, where I studied abroad in college. Honestly, I’d love to see what has changed (and what hasn’t) and be steeped in the kind of quiet history again.
Q: What advice would you give to people to succeed in our industry?
Take advantage of every opportunity to try something new or meet someone new as you’re getting started. Relationships that began three years ago for me may just now be producing some business-related opportunity, but all this while, a level of trust and respect have been building. You cannot do this alone – not successfully and for the long term – so just start saying “YES” and going and doing as much as you can fit into your calendar. Put yourself around like-minded people, and the rest gets easier.
Q: What is something on your bucket list?
My bucket list isn’t very well formed, but something I’ve always wanted to do is go on safari in Africa.
Q: What is your go to band when you can’t decide what to listen to?
Ooh, good question. Zach Bryan is my go-to right now. He’s got a wealth of music to pull from, and his songwriting is true poetry.
Q: Name one or two people that made the most impact on your success in insurance? What qualities made them stand out to you?
Not to make his head bigger than it already is, but Kevin Panter has make a major impact on my success these last few years. He’s been a smart sounding board and never hesitates to speak the blunt truth when it matters most. My Dad respected and trusted him, and he’s proven himself worthy of the same from me as our relationship has grown.
Q: If you could choose anyone that is alive today and not a relative; with whom would you love to have lunch? Why? Where in Georgia would you ask them to meet?
Of those people alive today, I’d love to take Taylor Swift to lunch. Whether you’re a Swiftie or not (and I am!), you have to admit that she’s borderline a genius. Not just with her music but with her marketing and following. She has built an empire from a guitar, and it’s insanely impressive from all angles. Then I suppose that I’d ask her to meet me at Marcel in Atlanta for dinner, rather than lunch, for the best bread service I’ve ever had and a more upscale girl’s night out.
For Fun
Q: What is your favorite thing or something unique about the insurance industry?
I truly don’t believe that there is a better industry out there with more opportunity than this one. It’s multi-faceted, as are the people you meet, and the sky is truly the limit when you start to explore what you want to get out of it.
Q: Where do you see yourself in 5 to 10 years?
In the next decade, I see myself doing much of what I do today with work and with life, continuing to grow and challenge myself regularly. It’s my hope that I’ll be married to a man that dreams as frequently as I do and supports that life that I’ve built and love as equally as his own. And I hope that our agency has once again doubled in size and quality, if not grown past that even.
Q: (Even for friends or family), what is something interesting that most people don’t know about you?
Something that most people don’t know about me is that I lived in New York right out of college and worked at a beauty and lifestyle public relations firm.
Q: What is the most beautiful place you have ever been?
The most beautiful place that I’ve ever been was Rome, Italy just this Summer. The history alone makes the entire city unique, and there’s not a bad view inside or above the city to be seen.
Q: Favorite month? favorite holiday? and best single day on the calendar?
Though unpopular to most, January is my favorite month of the year. It’s a fresh start and my birthday month, so it’s always special. Plus, down here in Georgia, that’s when we most often see snow, and I adore a snow day. Then my favorite holiday is Christmas, and the single best day on the calendar is the day after Thanksgiving. I host turkey day for my family and keep my fall décor out until that’s done, so Black Friday is all Christmas movies, hot cocoa and leftovers and decorating the whole house for me.
Q: What would you rate a 10 out of 10?
A solid 10 out of 10 for me is a spa day. Give me a hydrating facial and a deep-tissue massage in a quiet room where no one needs me or can reach me, and I’m golden.
Q: Who inspires you to be better?
I’ve never been very competitive – at least not when it comes to competing against others. My high school volleyball coach never could get me to stop chatting with the players on the other side of the net and see them as a temporary enemy. I think that I inspire myself to be better than who I was yesterday. I am my own competition, and I’m competing to the benefit of my family and those entrusted to me. The memory of my Dad and the trust of my Mom and sister do inspire me, regularly, as well.
Q: Finally, what 3 words or phrases come to mind when you think of the IIAG community?
Supportive, fun and smart.
