About AHA

History

The Master Agency, now known as Agents Helping Agents, signed on with SIAA in December of 1997. At that time, the organization went under the name of American Advantage Agency Alliance (AAAA). The “byline” of the organization was “agents helping agents” and it became so synonymous with the focus of the organization, that the name was officially changed to Agents Helping Agents, Inc. in 2001.

From the beginning, the SMA was built on utilizing the best talent of the Partnership Agency, Hyland, Block & Hyland, Inc. A team was developed from the existing “talent pool” at HBH to build and develop the master agency so that it “passed through” to the master agency the complete talent and resources of the partnership agency. The “Development Team” consists of a Personal Lines Specialist; a Commercial Lines Specialist; an Automation/Systems Specialist; and an Administrative/Accounting Specialist. The design of the “team” was to provide support in every area of agency development and provide a true “back office” for each member of the network. This approach has worked well, and the team remains intact within the current AHA operational framework. Although everyone shared time in the early days of the network, AHA now has 3 fulltime employees and two “shared” employees who constitute the Development Team.

Tim Hyland, the agency principal of HBH, has served as the “recruiter” for AHA since its inception in 1998. The first ISM was signed in May of 1998 and the network now has 76 members that cover a territory that encompasses three different states, Kentucky; Indiana; and Tennessee. The network began in the initial territory which was Central Kentucky. Several years later, an additional territory was purchased in Southern Indiana, and in 2005, two additional territories in Western Kentucky and Western Tennessee were added to the overall AHA territory.

As AHA has grown and matured, it has focused on working from the “inside out” with its members to help them “maximize” their efforts. In particular, it works to identify “income opportunities” through book rolls and the purchase of other agencies by AHA members. The bonus and override income within the network has grown each year with a peak of $640,000 being reached in 2006. The goal for the AHA “opportunity income” for 2007 is $1,000,000.

The current AHA network goal is to have 100 members; 150 million in written premium volume; and $1,500,000 in bonus “opportunity income” by January 1, 2010.