5 questions with Brent Wasson

Jan. 30--At 6-foot-4, Brent Wasson looks like he could still line up on the gridiron.

The former Wichita State University and Bowling Green University strong safety was last month named president of Chapple Insurance Group, a locally based property and casualty insurance brokerage with 36 employees in Kansas, Florida, Oklahoma and Colorado.

Prior to his promotion, Wasson, 46, was senior vice president of sales for the company, which he joined about a year after its founding.

This year looks to be a busy one for CIG, Wasson said.

Q. 1 What did you do before joining Chapple Insurance?

A. In 1987 I moved to Missouri, where I started my career in sales. I have always been in the construction industry, from working for a Fortune 250 company in the coatings industry in Missouri to working back in Kansas as territory rep for a national masonry supplier.

Q. 2 How did you make the transition into the insurance business?

A. Like most insurance brokerage firms, construction-related clients -- whether it's a subcontractor, homebuilder or medium to large general contractor -- is a considerable part of an agency's book of business. With my background in the construction industry and the contacts that I had made over the years in Wichita, Chock Chapple gave me an opportunity with CIG to not only help grow this sector of the company but also expand into other areas.

Q. 3 You've been with the firm almost since its founding. What has that experience been like, having experienced first-hand its growth from a startup to a company that now has offices inside and outside of Kansas?

A. Since joining Chock and CIG 10 years ago and coming from the corporate world, it has been great to work for a locally owned and operated company. To work for an agency like this with a commitment to service versus the bottom line is very refreshing. Chock and I have not become complacent with the success of the agency. We continue to look at new opportunities almost daily, whether it's a new operation in another state or forming a new partnership with a vendor, all the while concentrating on our clients.

Q. 4 Will you be calling on your same clients in addition to your new duties?

A. We are and have always been a relationship-driven business. My responsibilities from a production standpoint are to continue to maintain my current client relationships as well as continue to build the agency and maintain our pace of growth. From a management position, I will continue to build new and stronger ties with the insurance companies we represent as well as work with Chock and our staff to bring better programs and processes for our client base.

Q. 5 What should we look for from Chapple Insurance Group in 2014?

A. Our Florida office continues to exceed projections, so we are adding a production employee as well as a service employee there in February. We have hired two new associates that started this week and have plans for two more by the first of next week here in Wichita. We will be re-entering the outdoor insurance arena and expect to hire more associates in Oklahoma and Colorado by the summer.

Reach Jerry Siebenmark at 316-268-6576 or jsiebenmark@wichitaeagle.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jsiebenmark.

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