How to Scout and Recruit Winning Insurance Producers with Dan Wellik

Hey, hey, welcome back to the Accelerate Your Insurance Sales podcast. Andy Neary here, CEO and founder of Complete Game Consulting, and this is our Broker Voice series where we go behind the scenes to get the stories of the people within the insurance industry. So today I am excited. I'm joined by Dan Wellick, uh, vice president with, uh, am I saying that right, Dan? Vice president with Tricor.

Yep, that's correct.

Um, TRICOR is here in the Midwest, uh, throughout Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois. Is Minnesota yet?

Not Minnesota yet, but, uh, Pennsylvania as well.

Really? Okay. I guess I'm just going to start off. This is, I'm being curious, how the heck do we end up in Pennsylvania?

Uh, acquisition of a, of an agency and, uh, presence in a state that we want to continue to grow.

So interesting. Okay.

You see that in Pennsylvania and Michigan as well, in addition to the states you mentioned.

You see that sometimes, you know, like in Wisconsin. I know there's a couple— actually, in the Midwest in general, a couple firms that have a very big Midwest presence, and then they've got a Phoenix office. It's like, where the heck did that come from? Um, but Pennsylvania, you know, here's what I'll say about Pennsylvania. We, we've done some work there ourselves, and of all the states in the country, I still feel Pennsylvania has the largest number of independent agencies. Still left. Yeah, I think there's still a big presence there compared to some other states. You know, I sold for 9 years in Colorado, and very hard to find an independent agency left in Colorado. But Pennsylvania, there's still a big, large independent presence. Yeah, yeah, which I think is a good thing. Well, we're going to talk about how you got in the industry, man, and what you're doing. You know, you were at Gallagher, now you're at Tricor. We're going to talk about that a little bit, but I would be, uh, remiss if we didn't start before your insurance career because you're a baseball guy like me.

I am.

And you're also a pitcher.

I, yeah, I figured this would be like the washed up pitcher episode of your series.

So first, first 15 minutes, folks, I'm sorry, you're about to hear a conversation of two washed up pitchers. So, yeah. So talk to me, Dan, a little bit about what I'm curious because I'm a nerd about this stuff. What led you or as a baseball player growing up? What's intrigued you about being on the mound?

Yeah, you know, you know, control, right? Like you're the guy that starts everything. And what I will say, I did a little research. I was not near as good as you were or anywhere close.

But we both got— at some point in our career, we are finally told we were both told we were no longer good enough.

Yeah, I don't know if I was ever good enough, but truly, you know, it was just an exciting part, like being a part of the team. Yeah. You know, when you're on the mound, you have control and, you know, certainly being able to, you know, start the action and then potentially finish the action all at once. So it was It was something that I loved to do for a period of time. And yeah, I wish I was blessed with some of the talent that you had, Andy.

Well, so you played— you're from Iowa, right? Where were you born? What city were you born in?

So I was born in a small town called Forest City, Iowa, actually on a farm just south of a small community of about 4,500 people. Played junior college baseball at Iowa Lakes Community College. And then transitioned to an NAIA school called Waldorf College, which now Waldorf University, which was actually my hometown. So, okay, played at a couple small schools before transitioning coaching.

So I'd be curious, because you played juco ball, what are your thoughts? I didn't actually realize this until a friend of mine here locally who has a son playing juco ball now said that you can play JUCO ball today, go to a major D1, D2, D3 program, and not lose any eligibility. Now you still can play 4 years. Yeah, that blows me away.

The rules of how that all— I mean, it's all morphed. I mean, I think you and I would both agree that things have certainly adapted since we played, right? Yeah. But, you know, junior college baseball was a whole different world for me. And I will say, like, you want to talk about hard work and working through adverse scenarios. Junior college is that. I was in Esterville, Iowa, which was, you know, 4,000 people. Primarily the campus there was, was all athletes playing with guys from Puerto Rico, Colorado, guys that were 24 years old. And, you know, for us to get to get to a 4-lane highway, you know, it took us like an hour just to get to a 4-lane highway. And actually, sadly, if you read about the— or have seen the bus accident that happened at the junior college, that was my former junior college team. And so it was something that certainly shaped me, you know, work ethic-wise, adversity-wise. But yeah, I would say that the junior college baseball landscape has certainly changed and now it's certainly a vehicle to propel yourself forward in what has become a NIL-laden, you know, transfer portal, Division I level where certainly it's a mechanism for people to kind of prepare themselves and move.

You know, it's so interesting nowadays with college sports because of NIL. When I look at the college baseball landscape, right, you've got these programs, all programs now, especially with football, basketball, they're hiring GMs. It's pro sports, right?

Yeah.

And it's almost like juco ball has now become the minor leagues to Division I because again, I can only live it out through dads I know here who have kids, but they're now being told to go to juco first.

Yep.

Because the big programs are only going out and getting transfers. They're not recruiting high school kids. So go play juco for a year or two and then we'll hit you up in the transfer portal. That's no difference in minor league baseball.

Absolutely. The level there at high-level junior college is unbelievable. And I was talking to a coach that I still know that coaches junior college baseball and every single kid that they offered accepted except one. So like even their recruiting, it's not like they're going to a large pool. They're specifically targeting kids that they know have a high level of skill. And they were one of the best hitting teams in the country and have been for the last number of years. And it's just amazing, you know, what is out there and what, frankly, what opportunities are available there, you know, for kids as well, too.

So I think you bring up a really good point, though. Even back when we played, JUCO ball, phew, some of the best talent came out of JUCO ball. Yeah, let's, let's remind everybody Bryce Harper came out of juco ball.

Yeah.

Even, even I look at baseball in the Midwest here, Division III, we've got the WEAC conference with Whitewater. I mean, that's this conference in Wisconsin for baseball is like the SEC of Division III. I mean, it's good college baseball.

Yeah. You've, you've seen the trickle-down effect of the transfer portal and, you know, those, those COVID years where people stayed longer. And the talent that you would have typically seen potentially commit earlier, where, you know, that's going down to JUCO or it's going down a level. And so I'm amazed. And the other thing is the teaching of like what's available from mechanics and arm development and how hard people throw. My goodness, I don't even know if I would have made a college roster back in the day.

I don't think so. You know, it's funny, I saw a clip on Instagram the other night of the closer for the University of Florida because he throws absolute gas like everybody now. His entire bullpen session was trying to hit 100 miles an hour. That was it. And it was funny because the guy, the coach, or whoever was clocking him, kept hitting 98, 99. And the guy's just dropping F-bombs. He's so mad he can't hit triple digits. But like, that's how— that's what pitching is today. Yeah, it's unbelievable. Let me— I wanted to ask you this question today. This is something I wanted to ask you, being a former pitcher. Something I struggled with in my insurance career is early on, I really struggled with what I would call sales pressure, like the pressure of feeling like I had to sell things. And I would always catch myself going, why do I freak out, have all this anxiety, uh, in a sales situation? Yet when I was on the mound with a guy on second and third and one out, I was calm. Why, why could I handle that pressure so easily? But over here in sales early, I was like freaking out. In your— when you look back being a pitcher, are there lessons that you took from the mound that you still apply to your insurance career today?

Yeah, it's a, it's a great question. I, I think of, um, again, I wasn't overly skilled, so preparation. —was a huge aspect. And I think that is something that certainly translates. Like, if you think about how often successful people prepare, you know, think of— again, we talk about kind of the evolution of preparing to perform, right? And you look at someone like Paul Skeens and you look at his like warm-up routine, right? Like, there are preparation components and how people can get ready to sell. And I think that is the one thing that has translated. And we talk about that here, you know, at TRICORP is, you know, how do we prepare? And frankly, if you want to cold call, if you want to learn technical forms, if you want to do whatever, it all takes time and preparation to develop the skill set. It's just a different skill set. And I think that translation and transition was something that certainly helped me. And it's something that at least I try to still focus on to this day.

I think you're— I love how you said that because it reminded me, you know, I think back to my routine as a starting pitcher, you know, in college, that routine probably started an hour before I actually went in the bullpen to warm up for the game. And I just think, you know, our industry tends to have a lot of former athletes. Right. And most of them are, tend to be really successful. And I think if asked why, it's because they know how to do the work when no one's watching. Absolutely. That preparation you talk about, it's, it's the work when nobody's watching that makes you great on the mound. And I think a lot of people in our industry unfortunately wing it. They think they can just get by with— and as you said, in pitching, you get exposed very quickly if you're trying to wing it. Absolutely. What was it like? Because you're also— you were also a pitching coach in college.

Correct.

What was that experience like? And I think you were pitching coach, correct me wrong, in the Cape Cod League.

I did that for, for 3 summers as well as Division III.

Yes. So what I would love to hear from you, I think this again, I'm the one nerding out here. The listeners might be like, this is the most boring conversation ever. But coaching pitching, coaching pitchers at DIII versus coaching pitching pitchers at the Cape Cod, which is invite only. You are one of the best pitchers in the country. In college baseball. Correct. What was that experience like?

Oh, if you ever want to feel like and have imposter syndrome, you know, that was a great way, especially initially, right? You're going to a whole other level. And we certainly had guys when I coached at Loras in Division III that wanted to get better and improve. But you also go to guys who Their focus is getting drafted and signing professional contracts and things. And I think everybody had a desire to get better and learn. And so trying to find the commonalities and the common thread of that, of, okay, what's your motivator? How can we help you? And I think the, you know, not to try to tie it into insurance, but really like I've always felt like, how can I help others? And how can I take whatever skill sets I have and whatever knowledge I have and disseminate that out to try to help improve. And I think once I got over the imposter syndrome of why, why am I here and how can I help these people, that common thread helped me acclimate myself. And yeah, I was fortunate enough to be out in the Cape and in Hyannis for, for 3 summers. Had a great experience there, had a great experience frankly coaching at the Division III level as as well too, built relationships. And as I'm sure you have, it's amazing the people you meet and the relationships that you build through those experiences. And so, yeah, I was fortunate to have both kind of shape me as I grew up through it.

I think there is a really big lesson though to unpack there on your experience. Yes. Between, when it comes to somebody pitching at D3 and somebody getting invited to pitch in the Cape. There is a talent gap there, right? There is a difference in talent. But from a coaching perspective, you can help anybody no matter what their talent is, as long as they have a desire to get better. It's a lesson for producers, right? You can hire any producer and they're gonna come in with varying degrees of talent. Yep. But we can work with any producer who's willing to be coached and has the desire to get better. Absolutely. Now, I am curious. This is the nerd in me. What was it like to play in the Cape? I've never got— you know, I've always had a bucket list to go out and watch some games there. But just quickly talk about the experience because you're playing in small towns, staying with families. Like, what was that experience like?

Yeah, I mean, for me, it was unique, you know, very fortunate that the Cape is unique in comparison to summer baseball because you're, you're basically staying in the same place at all times. For those in the upper Midwest that might be familiar with the Northwoods League, you spend a ton of time on the bus. Whereas I was sleeping at a host family, retired person out of the Navy. He and his spouse hosted me and later on me and my wife and last year my wife and daughter and, you know, grew a relationship with them. But yeah, just the, the true feeling that you're, you're a part of something special was awesome. I mean, the years that I was there, not on my team, but Aaron Judge was there, Kyle Schwarber was there, George Springer was there. We had some really good players in Hyannis as well, Sean Manaea, Jackie Bradley, a few others. And so just seeing the talent firsthand, rolling out and throwing batting practice where you've got 30 scouts behind, and it's a day where you decide to throw cutters to some of the top prospects instead of straight balls. So, yeah, all of that, just those are fantastic memories, seeing some beautiful places. You know, I would recommend to you, if you ever get the opportunity, take the chance. It is an Americana type setup out there.

Yeah, you made me laugh because I was— so our head coach in college was Jerry Augustine, and he was a left-handed pitcher with the Milwaukee Brewers in the '80s. And he sent— he sent more hitters into slumps because of batting practice. Because he would throw like cutters and two-seam fat. And like more guys just went into a slump because Jerry like tried to outsmart them in batting practice.

You know, the problem for me was when I pitched, I found way too many barrels. And then when I would throw BP, I wouldn't. So, you know, it's self-deprecating, you know, obviously. But, you know, So I, again, I had a great experience and it was certainly something that's certainly fond to reflect on.

Yeah, that's cool. Well, let's transition. You actually, you also spent time as a scout, which I'm going to come back to here because I got a question about that. And I think you were Red Sox organization?

Yep. Very briefly. Yep. Very briefly.

What ultimately led you to make it sound to me like here, you're on a trajectory to a career in baseball somehow, you know, more on the coaching side. What led you to go pivot? We're going in the insurance industry.

Yeah, family, really. And so it was always my dream to build my own program and team. And so obviously I had the goals of and applied for a number of coaching jobs, head coaching jobs. Really liked the head coach that I worked for, but, you know, again, wanted my own, my own program to build long term. But my wife and I had our oldest, who was a couple of years old at the time. We were going to have our second child. To no surprise, if you've ever coached at a small college, financially, it wasn't the most sustainable model. And one of the athletes that I had recruited His dad was an insurance agent and owner in a local agency here in Dubuque and went down to ask him, hey, how do you do what you do? I need life insurance for my daughter. You know, he didn't sell life insurance, but it led to a conversation that materialized in, hey, we have an opportunity. We're looking for a salesperson. And I think the thing that I was very blessed with was he identified very early, like, hey, right now you're selling a program, a school, and what that means for a family and a student athlete. We just need you to do that in a different way. And so that's how I got the introduction into the, into the industry. And like a lot of us, you know, we fall into the industry and certainly I did that. But it is— it's been a, been a blessing, certainly.

You know, you talk about you wanted your own program. I've thought about this occasionally running my company now that I have here. I've always thought about, okay, if I were to go become the head coach of some program in D3, whatever, now that I have the experience of running my own business and being an operator, could I go apply the same principles to building a baseball team and have success?

And I would tell you, I've— I've used that inversely. When I transitioned from producing to more of a leadership aspect, it was, I can get the satisfaction, I think, of what I'm looking for on the coaching side, but do that in the insurance industry. And the idea is, where can I find the people that I want to surround myself with, be with, work towards common goals, try to achieve common goals, see success of others, And I think that's the one really cool thing about our industry is there's so many different avenues that you can take, right? But for me, the fulfillment of that gave me the equivalent of what I was looking for in the former industry. And I remember specifically where I was, I was in, I was actually in Hawaii on a carrier trip. And I was trying to figure out, do I want to sell? Do I want to be in leadership? And, you know, I thought about what do I want to wake up in the morning and do? What excites me? And it was getting back towards the coaching realm, developing, being a part of a team. And how can I do that on a bigger scale? Because frankly, financially, the industry has provided a much better opportunity for me than I ever thought I would have. Obviously, you know, you think about coaching at a, at a small school and that's not a financially motivating factor. So where can I get that equivalent in, in our industry. And, and I've been blessed to be able to find that.

I, I, one, I think anybody who is coaching at, say, D3, NAIA, I mean, it is definitely a love for the game, right? Because you're not— even the head coach, you're not making a ton of money to do that. And now what I would love, the one, one angle I wanted to go with you, because I think you, you can provide a really interesting perspective on this. So you You started your insurance career at, is it the Friedman Group? Is that right? That's correct. And then did they get acquired by Assured Partners?

Yeah. So, the Friedman Group was a part of LMC Insurance and Risk Management. Okay. So, there was a holding company of a number of agencies that were combined together. LMC got acquired by Assured Partners and Assured Partners got acquired by Gallagher.

So, you've had a good perspective of being at what we might label a boutique independent. Then you got acquired by a large national organization who got acquired by even a larger, because of Sure Partners got acquired by Gallagher. And now you are at Tricor, who I would label a large regional independent player. Yeah, I would agree. That experience, you've kind of seen the trajectory of, you've seen all different types of agencies. Yeah. How has that perspective maybe shaped what you're doing? Because you're in a leadership role today at Tri Corps, correct? Correct. How has that shaped you? Because you got to experience what it's like to be on a Division III team, if we're just talking size, to a major D1 program. What has that experience been like for you?

It's been valuable. Maybe when you're going through it, you don't appreciate the value. I mean, you think back to, some of the times maybe as an athlete for you, Andy, where you were, you were training or going through stuff that wasn't exactly the most exciting. And maybe that would be like the phases of acquisition. But realistically, the, the different versions, you really don't know what is all out there until you experience it. And so to your point, extremely valuable to see, you know, the Friedman Group, great local leadership, people that really were technically focused. And, and, um, and as we kind of grew, you looked at the tools and resources and the ability to look at different types of risk you never thought about. And then as Assured Partners grew, and then to Gallagher, the tools and resources that are available and how things are done. So certainly invaluable to see all the different perspectives. And I think of like when, when as producers, right, perspective is so valuable. Like when you go out and you meet with a, with a prospective client, really you're selling your perspective and the value of that to an organization.

I like to define that real quick. I think producers who have an opinion are very successful producers, and I, I think I just wanted that, that perspective to me is like have an opinion. Yeah. So, yep, absolutely.

Yeah. So, so really it just, it, it provided additional perspective as to How do people do things? What do they value? What do they track? What mechanisms do they use? And so taking those, you know, again, going back to the coaching piece, I've always felt like, you know, whoever you play for or you work with, you try to take the good and the bad and it kind of morphs you into who you are. And I can say that about the organizations that I work for. There's lots of good that you can take. Maybe some things you don't like, and you try to morph that into what you want into the future.

Yeah, I think the— here's the truth, folks. There's no perfect agency in this industry. Whether you want to go to a small, small mom-and-pop independent agency all the way up to the number one agency in the world, Marsh McLennan, there's no perfect agency. There's the good and there's the bad. I think you just have to focus on where can I go and be my authentic self? Authentic self and have success. Absolutely. Now, what I would love to know, so, so I obviously your journey from Friedman to Assured Partners to Gallagher, that, that was a, that was a leveling up of resources and size and capability. But when you and I first met offline, you made a comment that one of the reasons you chose to go to Tricor was that you felt like you could have a bigger impact. Talk about that a little bit. I found that interesting.

Yeah, I mean, I think, look, Gallagher is a wildly successful organization. They're going to be wildly successful. The motivators for me really at that point that I was looking at were, you know, impact, autonomy, and then kind of the long-term value creation that I could have for myself and then others. I think that's where TRICOR is a— you know, you talked about like a flatter organization. Being that flatter organization where you can basically have a say in the structure, the methodologies towards growth, how we serve clients, how we serve fellow employees, and the ability to kind of build and influence the organization. Was a major motivator. And there's always lots of factors, but for me it was, again, where can I have that impact and who also would value that impact, right? And I think who was— for TRICOR, the thing that I loved, and our leadership team here is great, you know, there was a lot of, hey, what do you think? And, and, you know, wanting maybe an outside perspective that they hadn't had, um, that, that was extremely valuable to have for me. And, and genuinely, people that, that I felt like were trying to do the right thing again for clients and the people around them was, was, uh, was a huge motivator.

Being in a leadership position now, I'm going to have you put your baseball coach cap back on if you're cool with it, and your scouting cap. Okay. Um, good. Let's talk about producers a little bit. I, I think what you just said is, is very well said. You can have success whether you go to a boutique firm, you go to the largest in the industry, or you go to a large regional player, right? You can have success. Doesn't— it's not necessarily where you are, but as somebody now who is looking to acquire production talent. Yep. What are some of the things you're looking for? Just like you were as a scout, what are some of the things you're looking for in producers that you think would make a good fit for you?

Yeah, I mean, I, I ideally, um, kind of the same thing that, that I was looking for, right? Um, people who maybe want to have a larger impact in an organization for how it grows, um, where they can come in and have some autonomy and, and provide not only value to themselves but, but others around them. And then also I think where can they create long-term value for themselves as well too. I, I've been extremely impressed. Um, you know, one of our, our CEO's major goals is to get equity in more people's hands, and that's a powerful component of what our industry provides. And so just having someone that wants that to be the case, um, you know gives us a mechanism that we can have conversations about with people, yet also where can we acquire, again, talent that wants to either replicate or expand the impact within the organization is really what we're looking for. As— and like a lot of other organizations are looking for niche producers who want to focus in certain specific industry verticals that again turns out to provide, you know, increase client value. So all of those things would be things that, that we would be looking for. And again, trying to be in an environment where you've got other people that are motivated in the same way.

You just brought something up that resonated with me. It sounds to me like when you bring producers in, one of your goals is to help them find that vertical, that niche, as quickly as you possibly can. I think that's important today. I know there was a time when most, you Hey, you're a new producer. You're going to be more of a generalist. Just go out and write some business. I think today it's more important than ever to help a new producer find their niche as quickly as you can. Absolutely. Yeah, absolutely.

And I think it's where, it's where our industry has gone. I don't think you could even say going. It's where I think successful producers are focusing and niching and they're scaling faster than, than ever. And it doesn't mean that the one-off or accounts that are, you know, are related don't come up. But realistically, it's also where you drive client value. And I think that's massive because the client wants to know that you have the understanding of their industry, their concerns, where they're potentially going. And so I couldn't agree with you more.

When I was in baseball, Dan, one of the, one of the biggest adjustments I've ever had to make in my baseball career, and I don't think I did it overly well, was, you know, I spent my entire career outside of maybe my freshman year at college as a starting pitcher, which, as you know, very different routine. Yeah. Then I got to pro ball. And because I wasn't a high draft pick, I was in the bullpen. And where, where that is a very different adjustment to how you pitch. You know, sometimes you were given a 5-minute warning to get warmed up before you're in the game with a guy on second and third, and you have to figure out how to get out of the jam. I share that analogy because that's a big shift as a pitcher, right? There's a big difference between being a starter and a middle reliever. Yeah. For you, you spent a lot of your time as a producer. Now you're in a leadership role. How has that adjustment been for you? Have you found that you've had to leverage different skill sets in order to adjust to that successfully?

Really good question. Fortunately for me, there was and still has been kind of always a production component of what I'm doing. Even today, I'm still involved in some of that. But, you know, when I first transitioned into more of a sales leadership role, I was still producing even as an agency president and Assured Partners still had a book of business. So you kind of feel like you're still, you're still in the game. But I do think it is a different skill set because you do need to fully prioritize others and their success and also have an understanding and a mindset of, I will say, producers are typically solely focused on generating revenue, and we have other valuable team members who handle service work and handle operational functions that are crucial to success. So sometimes we have to be open to understanding why there's different mechanisms and, and, and not just, you know, I'm a producer at heart, solely focused on trying to support producers. But realistically, we have other team members that we need to take to take into account at times too. So shifting a little bit of thinking on that, but overall it's been refreshing for me to still stay sharp and stay in the game, so to say, but also try to just materialize that. Our Chief Revenue Officer Fred Bounds always talks about heroes versus hero makers, and I would much rather be a hero maker and continue to perpetuate that out with that mentality going forward. And, you know, that's something that if we can continue to do here, I think we'll continue to grow as we want.

It's a really good point. I hope more leaders who are tuning in heard. I've seen too many leaders at agencies, probably maybe in more of the sales leadership role. Yeah, they're now the manager, the director of sales, but because they still have an aspect of what they do that involves production, they're still trying to be the hero a little too much. Sure. And even that, even if that's going out and helping a producer close business, the producer may have closed the business now because of the, the leader, but they didn't really learn anything. Yeah, they got more revenue, but you didn't make them better. Yeah, I think that's a very important point. You're not the hero anymore when you step into a leadership role. You're no longer the hero, you're the hero maker. Yeah, that's a really good point. I'm glad you brought that up. Uh, last question, then we're gonna go through a little lightning round to get to know you if you're okay with it. Sure. Um, knowing what we talked about today, this is a really good conversation. What advice would you give maybe a leader, an agency executive or a sales leader who is looking to acquire talent today? It's a different world. Uh, thinking of how you recruited people in college baseball, what advice would you give somebody who is in a recruiting standpoint when it comes to looking for the right talent to join their team?

Yeah, I think a couple things pop to mind. I think number one, be directly involved. I think a lot of organizations have recruiting teams, and I think ideally where we found success is I'm having direct conversations because I— again, who, who are you dealing with and what can we actually get to to have a meaningful conversation as quick as possible. It is unbelievable the frequency as to how often producers are being solicited, you know, and I learned that through the AP acquisition process. As soon as the deal was announced to all the way up to when it's closed, just the constant perpetuation and outreach from recruiters, but often it was not the person that was actually either going to be hiring or that I would be working with. So I think that the direct connection. And then the other thing, the other two things that pop up are just transparency of like, again, tell me the good and the bad, you know, be honest with me as we work through the solutions. Because to your point, no place is perfect, you know, and tell me how it actually is. That way there's no surprises if we actually decide to move forward. And then I would say the last thing is creativity. There are so many different mechanisms and, you know, compensation mechanisms, reimbursement mechanisms that are out there. So just the creativity to, to actually listen and understand what a producer is trying to achieve and then how it can be structured. So, so everybody wins.

You talked about the between the acquisition, the transition from AP and the Gallagher to Gallagher, all the, all the calls you probably fielded. Sure. I have to believe it's a lot like the predatorial nature of the transfer portal these days.

Yeah.

And, and, and hey, you want to come work for us? Hey, you come right— we can offer more money.

The crazy thing was I, I didn't even, I didn't even go into the portal, right? Um, uh, so it's like, I— but, you know, and I know other people, you know, within AP felt that too. And, and I give a lot of people credit, um, that, that have stuck around there because again, I think they're going to be wildly successful at Gallagher. But for those that are looking or trying to find again that right fit for what is themselves, I do think there's options out there. But again, it's about finding who's transparent, who will listen, where can you actually deal with who you're going to work with. And again, I think that's something that we've got going on in the right direction here.

Well, it's been a great conversation, man. I really appreciate you taking the time to do this. We're going to end it here how we always do. We're going to get to know Dan Wellick a little bit, if you're cool with it. I did not prepare you for this. So— No, I am a man of habits, routine, and ritual, as are you. You're superstitious, probably a little bit, being a baseball player. Sure. Yeah. One thing I really pride myself on is a good morning routine. So what am I doing to prepare myself for the day? What does the morning routine for Dan look like?

Wake up, eat breakfast, drink coffee.

Workout. Okay, which is a good segue. And I was curious, 'cause you still have young children in the house, is that correct? I do, I do, yep.

A freshman, a 7th grader, and a 5th grader.

Okay. Workout, you got 60 minutes to do a workout, what's your go-to?

Yeah, combination of strength training and cardio.

Okay, are you a hybrid athlete like me?

I'm a washed-up athlete that his body does not respond in the way that he wants to.

But that I agree with.

But good enough at least to stay in decent enough shape to not get winded when I walk up the stairs.

I love that. How about an afternoon? If you had an afternoon to yourself, so the kid— wife's got the kids, just Dan, what are you doing?

Honestly, I don't know what that's like right now. I don't have an afternoon that's ever off. Our kids are in all kinds of activities. If I did get an afternoon, noon off, honestly, I think I would sit in solace and probably read a book.

It's funny, most of the dads I have on the podcast, moms and dads, it's exactly what they say.

Yeah. And I love my kids. I love the activities. I love all the back and forth. But just a rest piece where you can relax, maybe watch a little TV. But yeah, if I find out what that's like, I'll let you know.

Are you coaching baseball for any of the kids right now?

Yeah. Yep. So my son's team, we actually opened up this weekend. So, yeah, coaching, helping coach his team with a couple of their dads and girls just finished up club volleyball. And so, yeah, it's all kinds of activities.

Everything is clubs these days. Yeah. Well, last question. You said book. Any books you've read or podcasts you've listened to lately that you recommend?

Oh, I just read from a recommendation from a person here at TRICOR, Les McKeown's Predictable Success. I read that. That was a really good book. There's a couple podcasts that I try to follow, but yeah, I would say Predictable Success was a quality read. I'll definitely check that out. If you're in a leadership role in a business of of any sort, I think you can find some, some good takeaways from that one.

Well, that's great. Well, I appreciate the time. I think people are going to get a lot out of this conversation. You had a lot of good insight to share and a really good perspective. You've seen all different types of agencies in your, in your career, and I think you, you do shed a good light on what that's like to be at the different agencies. So if you want to reach out, maybe you got inspired by Dan's story and want to send him a message, go find him out on LinkedIn, W-E-L-L-I-K, Dan Wellek at TRICOR. Shoot him a note, let him know what you thought of the podcast, and, uh, make sure to give the podcast a like and subscribe. Dan, thanks for your time, man.

Yeah, hey, thanks so much, Andy. Again, really appreciate and enjoy what you're doing for independent agents as well.

Be good, everybody.

Thanks.