NetVU Presents ACT Leader With Professional Award

ALEXANDRIA, Va., March 30 -- Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America issued the following news release:

Ron Berg, Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America's Agents Council for Technology (ACT) executive director, is the recipient of the NetVU's 2017 'Wade S. Dunbar Jr. Award for Insurance Technology Advocacy'.

"For decades, Ron Berg has backed up words with deeds to support NetVU, AUGIE, ACT and independent agents," says Jim Armitage, NetVU past president and vice president of Arroyo Insurance in Arcadia, California. "He's been a key contributor to progress on Commercial Download, ID Federation and Single SignOn, privacy laws and security, and more. He's always willing to step up and shape solutions to the real challenges our industry faces."

According to NetVU, the Insurance Technology Advocate Award is in memory of Wade S. Dunbar Jr., and is presented to an individual who has led the industry in technological advancement and provided leadership on an industry-wide basis. NetVU developed the award to recognize someone who emulates Wade Dunbar's passion to streamline the overall insurance process industry-wide.

"I have had the pleasure of working alongside Ron as an ACT member for years, and have witnessed firsthand his commitment to improving our industry through advancing technology," says Kitty Ambers, CIC, CPIA, CISR, NetVU CEO. "His efforts have benefited NetVU members, as well as other insurance professionals, and ultimately, insurance consumers. He is a steadfast volunteer, catalyst, problem solver, and leader, and we are fortunate to have him leading ACT's efforts. Honoring him at NetVU's awards gala was truly special."

Armitage, a previous winner of the Wade S. Dunbar Jr. Award for Insurance Technology Advocacy, presented the award last week in Nashville, Tennessee, during the annual NetVU Conference.

NetVU (www.netvu.org) is an independent national member organization committed to providing industry advocacy, world-class education and networking to more than 25,000 insurance agencies, carriers and MGAs, and more than 500,000 users of Vertafore's solutions.

Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America (IIABA or the Big "I") was founded in 1896 and is the nation's oldest and largest national association of independent insurance agents and brokers, representing a network of approximately a quarter of a million agents, brokers and their employees nationally. Its members are businesses that offer customers a choice of policies from a variety of insurance companies. Independent agents and brokers offer all lines of insurance--property, casualty, life and health--as well as employee benefit plans and retirement products. Web address: www.independentagent.com.

The Agents Council for Technology (ACT) was established in January 1999 by the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America (IIABA or the Big "I") to provide a candid, action-oriented forum to address the critical workflow and technology issues facing the independent agency system. ACT helps participants understand the perspectives of the other stakeholders in the process and provides excellent networking opportunities with the participants who are shaping the future for the industry on these issues. For more information about ACT visit www.iiaba.net/act.

ACT members include:

Industry associations and consultants: AAMGA, ACORD, CSIO, IIABA, Insurance Brokers Association of Canada, NAPLSO, Angela Adams Consulting Services, Red Barn Consulting, Steve Anderson Consulting; Technology providers: Applied Systems/IVANS, AssureSign, Citrix Sharefile, CoreLogic Insurance Solutions, Duck Creek Technologies, EZLynx, HawkSoft, ITC, Insurance Agent Mobile Application, InsureSign, My Insurance Videos, North American Software Associates, Simply Easier Payments/EchoSage, Strategic Insurance Software, Vertafore/QQ Solutions;

User groups: Applied Client Network, InStar Users Group, Partner XE User Community, NetVU, Nexsure User Group;

Carriers: Allstate IA, The Berkley Companies, Central Insurance Companies, Chubb Group of Insurance Companies, The Cincinnati Insurance Companies, CNA, Columbia Insurance Group, Dryden Mutual Insurance Company, EMC Insurance Companies, The Hanover Insurance Group, The Hartford, Kemper Preferred, Liberty Mutual Insurance, The Main Street America Group, Merchants Insurance Group, MetLife Auto & Home, Motorists Insurance Group, Nationwide Insurance, New York Central Mutual Insurance, Penn National Insurance, Progressive, Safeco Insurance, Selective Insurance Company of America, State Auto, Travelers, and Westfield Insurance.