Starting with success
For independent insurance agency The Plexus Groupe, their offices in Chicago, Dallas, and Oklahoma City stand at the heart of a network that connects across the country and even across the globe.
“We like to think we bring a complete solution to our clients,” explains Founder and CEO Walt Fawcett. “We can handle complex exposures and provide national, even international knowledge. At the same time, as an agency that’s smaller in size and truly independent, we have an approach that’s very deployable.”
Mike Mann, Plexus Executive Vice President and National Property & Casualty Practice Leader, adds, “We maintain all our services work locally. We can provide clients quick responses and turnaround. It allows us to offer a high degree of touch, with a local and friendly agency experience.”
Founded in 1990, the agency specializes in personal insurance, as well as offering commercial property & casualty insurance, employee benefits, corporate retirement plans, mergers and acquisitions services and beyond. Their Private Client Solutions practice, which was started two years ago, has become one of Plexus’ fastest-growing segments—perhaps because of their commitment to going the extra mile for clients.
“When it comes to our clients, it doesn’t matter if they are across the street or across the country. We’ll gladly meet them where they are,” Dave Miller, Vice President and Client Executive at Plexus Private Client Solutions, explains.
Personal ties
When it comes to relationships, Plexus takes pride in their consultative approach. They aim to help clients explore all the available options, to help them make the best decision for their needs.
“We are professional consultants,” says Dave. “We like to take a proactive approach.”
To help his clients find solutions, Dave compares problem solving to making separate puzzle pieces fit together. “It’s a great challenge, but also very rewarding. We don’t provide apple to apples quotes, we provide solutions,” he explains.
With their national reach, Plexus can help clients who have homes, cars and other valuables in various states. Knowing the nuances of each jurisdiction allows them to offer tailored advice. “We love it when clients call us to keep us in the loop about what’s going on in their lives,” Dave adds. “If they’re going to buy a car in another state, for example, we can offer advice for their insurance coverage, and even help them think of things like their paperwork for the DMV.”
Having multiple offices throughout the country also helps agents at Plexus rely on each other for advice and resources. “It’s the power of people,” Walt says. At Plexus, collaboration is key.
An entrepreneurial flair
One area where the team is excited about innovation is at Plexus Private Client Solutions, one of the agency’s newest practices. Building a personal lines team was an area of passion for Walt, and the practice came to life when Dave Miller joined the team in 2017. “We brought together the best and the brightest,” says Walt. “The feedback has been excellent with the clients that we’re serving.”
With each employee bringing over 20 years of industry experience, the team boasts serious knowledge. But they’re equally proud of how they’re looking at many aspects of the business in new ways. “We have insights not just as industry experts but also as consumers,” explains Dave, “We very much have an entrepreneurial flair at Plexus.”
Rewriting the rule book
It’s this spirit that Plexus was excited to bring to their relationship with Berkley One, a startup insurance provider that launched late last year.
“Based on the team that Berkley One had assembled and their reputation, I was excited to work together,” says Walt. “The technology they are building is also really exciting,” he adds. Berkley One’s high-touch, high-tech insurance solutions are designed to make the insurance experience easier and more positive for clients and agents alike.
The Plexus and Berkley One teams found they shared important parallels, not just in their experience in writing a new rule book for their businesses, but also in their convictions about using feedback to respond to client needs.
From the start, the relationship has been founded on communication. “It’s a two-way street,” the team at Plexus all echoed. From the start, Berkley One’s team listened to and quickly implemented recommendations to put the client at the center, as well as sharing feedback with Plexus’ team to the same goal.
“It’s more of a partnership than anything,” explains Walt. “It made it a fairly easy decision to get on at the ground floor when Berkley One launched.”
In bold letters, The Plexus Groupe’s website states their mission: “Our passion is helping others succeed.” From the way they work with providers such as Berkley One, to their commitment to bringing clients tailored options and service, it’s something they live at every turn.
The Plexus Groupe offers personal lines insurance, including home, auto, and umbrella insurance, as well as commercial property and casualty insurance, employee benefits, corporate retirement planning (401k), human resources administration and consulting, technology services, and mergers & acquisitions services. The agency is based in Deer Park, Illinois. For more information, please contact the firm at 847.307.6100 and ask to speak to a client executive.
