I graduated from UGA’s Risk Management Department in 1996. While in school, I worked at an Athens based insurance company as a claims and underwriting assistant. I joined North Point as it’s 3rd employee in March 1996. We had 6 agents and a handful of MGA/brokerage contracts when I started and we needed to add many more agents and fast. I was very fortunate to be mentored by our founder in the principles of Property and Package underwriting. An owner at a Lloyds syndicate as well as a domestic E & S casualty senior underwriter took me under their wings and the lessons they taught me early were of immense value and accelerated my career. The marketing rep from the insurance company I worked for in Athens was extremely helpful in introducing me to respected Georgia insurance agents. The days spent in Panama City with YAC is where much our business was built as many YAC agents were nice enough to support our business. A YAC agent invited me to be the E & S representative of in a group of a dozen of agents across the state that met at a lake house once or twice a year to help each other grow our businesses. Being part of this group and developing an empathy for the internal struggles of an insurance agency early in my career was very key to my success of understanding our customer coupled with the underwriting mentors that invested in me. 28 years later we have perpetuated our business for the future and brought in our 3 department managers as owners to ensure stability and consistency for our staff, carriers and agents. And we have grown from being a single state MGA with 5 contracts and 6 customers to being a southeast regional MGA and wholesale broker with 100+ carriers represented, endorsed to several agency network groups around the southeast and work with close to 500 independent insurance agents.
About Rich Butler
Q: Please tell us a little bit about your family.
I have been married to my wife, Charis, for 25 years. My son, Thomas, is wrapping up an accounting degree at UNG Dahlonega and will be attending law school in the fall. My daughter, Taylor, is studying special education at GCSU.
Q: Please tell us about your current, past, or future career. What do you love most about what you do?
I am convinced insurance agents are the best customers in the world. They are leaders in their communities and deeply care about their customers. They appreciate supporting a business that desires to serve them. Insurance agents tend to enjoy hobbies we at North Point like such as college football and sports in general, hunting, golf, fishing, etc. Many of our agents have become friends and spending quality time outdoors with them is one of the best parts of my job.
How long have you worked in the insurance industry
28 years
Q: Who is the most interesting person you’ve met working in insurance?
Tony Jones
Q: How has your engagement with the Independent Insurance Agents of Georgia (IIAG) impacted your career?
It all started for me in YAC in 1996. I can honestly say if we didn’t get involved with IIAG and YAC early on, I’m not sure we would have survived.
Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world right now, where would it be and why?
Hawaii. I love getting in the water and observing marine life and Hawaii has some of the clearest water and diversity of marine life in the world.
Q: What advice would you give to people to succeed in our industry?
Become an expert. Don’t job hop just to make a few extra bucks. You need to be very good at following before you can lead. It takes many years for a business owner to know they can trust you as a leader in their organization. I see many job hoppers getting frustrated mid-career because they aren’t in a significant position.
Q: What is something on your bucket list?
Have VRBO in the Keys and get down their for a week or two quarterly to fish.
Q: What is your go to band when you can’t decide what to listen to?
Simple Man is my all-time favorite and what I want played at my funeral.
Q: Name one or two people that made the most impact on your success in insurance? What qualities made them stand out to you?
David Burchett- Retired Managing Underwriter at a Lloyds syndicate. Mark Pelais- US based E & S Casualty underwriter. Sam Mann- North Point founder. John Sybrandt- Retired Marketing Rep for Southern Mutual Insurance Company
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?
Kirby Smart- His house for an evening.
For Fun
Q: What is your favorite thing or something unique about the insurance industry?
We handle something very very complex and most insureds will never appreciate how complex or how necessary insurance is.
Q: Where do you see yourself in 5 to 10 years?
Adding a 4th and 5th and maybe 6th department to offer our agents more products and expertise to solve their specialty insurance problems.
Q: (Even for friends or family), what is something interesting that most people don’t know about you?
I’m an Eagle Scout and an only child.
Q: What is the most beautiful place you have ever been?
Hawaii
Q: Favorite month? favorite holiday? and best single day on the calendar?
March- Spring is starting, the fish are biting, and I can get out to play tennis, pickleball or go boating or kayaking.
Q: What would you rate a 10 out of 10?
Chick-Fil-A
Q: Who inspires you to be better?
An intimate and growing relationship with Jesus Christ
Q: Finally, what 3 words or phrases come to mind when you think of the IIAG community?
Family, Performers and Leaders, Care for each other, Politically Active
