Robertson Ryan & Associates Is A One-Stop Solution For Clients

For over 60 years, Robertson Ryan & Associates has been building a reputation as a trusted advisor that can provide more than just insurance. 

“We want to be able to step in and help our customers with whatever their business or personal needs are,” says Allan Degner, Vice President of Marketing.

For business clients, the agency’s in-house expertise and deep network of resources provide services such as human resources, loss control, financial services, and more. Those value-added services are particularly important to the mainstreet commercial segment that is the agency’s bread and butter. 

“Business is more complex today than ever before. Business owners appreciate the advice, resources, and expertise we bring to the table,” says Chris Illman, CEO. 

Agent Ownership

A.D. Robertson and Jack T. Ryan founded Robertson Ryan & Associates in 1960. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the agency today has offices in 23 states with a nationwide reach and is a top-100 agency in many national size rankings. It also earned the honor of being named a Milwaukee’s Future 50 company this year for its significant revenue and employment growth. 

From day one, Robertson Ryan & Associates has empowered each agent to personally own their book of business. That model has been a key driver of growth over time. 

“We have about 130 agent owners across the U.S. right now,” Degner says. “It’s a truly unique story because agents can spend time and energy on what they’re passionate about without anybody watching over their shoulder pushing sales quotas or other artificial objectives to reach.”

“Part of the reason we take such great care of clients is that our people have a personal, vested interest in that client because they own their own books,” Illman says. 

Maintaining agent autonomy while aligning geographically dispersed staff around a shared mission and vision is a team effort at Robertson Ryan & Associates. “We've developed an outstanding, team-based collaborative culture. We are also focused on being a great place to work—a place where you can build a rewarding career while having a positive work-life balance,” Illman says.

“We are also fortunate to have high-quality people across our organization who care about clients and doing business the right way. From our agents to our customer service reps to our account managers, everyone has a philosophy of servant leadership,” says Illman.

Philanthropy has also been an inseparable part of the agency’s culture since its beginning. Founder Jack Ryan’s legacy lives on through the Jack Ryan Community Service Award, and the agency sponsors an annual community service day, where staff members have logged more than 2,500 hours of community service over the past five years. This year, the agency also launched the Robertson Ryan Charitable Foundation, Inc.

“We have always provided direct support to the communities where we work and live. Now, the foundation helps us do that in an organized, intentional way,” Illman says. 

Bright Future 

In the coming years, Robertson Ryan & Associations plans to further expand its national presence by leveraging its proven growth model built on agent ownership.

“We are really hitting a great stride with our agent owners that we have in place right now. Whether focusing as a generalist agent or on niche markets, we're really proud of what each and every one of them is doing and contributing,” Degner says. 

The agency also intends to expand its service offerings to more independent insurance agencies. “There are many smaller shops out there who are looking for partners and resources, whether it’s providing technology, accounting services, human resources, leadership consulting, or other support,” Degner says.

“The future is very, very bright. We believe we can get to a billion dollars in premium in the next three years,” Illman says. “It’s an aggressive goal, but we believe in thinking big and acting bold.”