Triple-I Weblog | Nationwide Black Enterprise Month – Dale Sharpe Jenkins, M.S., CIC, AINS, Proprietor, The Jenkins Agency Included, Celebrates 25 Years in Enterprise
By Kris Maccini, Head of Digital Distribution, Triple-I
Dale Sharpe Jenkins, M.S., CIC, AINS, principal/proprietor, The Jenkins Firm Built-in, is fast to diploma out that she didn’t select a profession in insurance coverage protection safety – insurance coverage protection safety chosen her. A primary-generation faculty graduate, Jenkins sought a occupation that can present her and her household with choices. She started her profession in life insurance coverage protection safety at a small company in Columbus, Ohio prior to transferring on to Progressive Insurance coverage protection safety and opening its first claims workplace in Phoenix, Arizona.
“Insurance coverage protection safety performs an necessary carry out in our lives. The insurance coverage protection safety enterprise has allowed me to make an superior residing and assist of us with their wants on the identical time.”
Lastly, Jenkins moved correct proper right into a senior setting up underwriter place at St. Paul Insurance coverage protection safety Firms (now Vacationers) and made the shift from claims to underwriting. Whereas it was a rewarding place, Jenkins began a household and wished additional flexibility in her profession. In 1998, she leveraged her expertise in setting up to assemble The Jenkins Agency Included, an impartial agency based mostly in Arlington, Texas, specializing in industrial underwriting for setting up, non secular organizations, and completely completely different non-profits.
“We write property/casualty, life, properly being, and group advantages. Most of our consumers are small Black-owned firms, and we’re minority licensed. I’m happy with what our agency has been able to do for the Black enterprise group. Their success is our success.”
Choice has been on the epicenter of Jenkins’ profession. The Dallas Black Chamber has acknowledged the company for its work contained in the Black group; the Dallas-Fort Value (DFW) Airport named The Jenkins Agency Included as its Choice Champion of 2023 on the SOAR Awards this yr; and Enterprise Insurance coverage protection safety Journal has furthermore acknowledged the company for its range efforts.
In 2008, Jenkins joined the Nationwide African American Insurance coverage protection Affiliation (NAAIA), the place she was a member of the founding Board of Administrators and served as president of the Dallas chapter for 3 years. Since 2011, the NAAIA DFW Scholarship Foundation has equipped monetary awards to highschool and college college faculty college students desirous about careers in insurance coverage protection safety, finance, and selling.
“I’m very targeted on offering [insurance] enterprise consciousness to youthful of us beginning out or searching for a profession for themselves. I used to be on the receiving finish early in my profession, and it’s good to present as soon as extra now.”
The Jenkins Agency Included celebrates its 25th anniversary this yr. Reflecting on the sooner twenty years, Jenkins feels blessed to be in her present place. She based her company on her personal with out a e-book of enterprise and constructed it from the underside up, counting on referrals. Her husband, Jeff, joined the enterprise in 2000.
“Contained in the early years, now we have now been in survival mode. We realized if we may make it to 5 years, we may make it to 10. Hiring our first staff was a spotlight, and most of them have been with us for over a decade.”
Like each small enterprise, The Jenkins Agency knowledgeable challenges in its preliminary years. Jenkins remembers the sturdy transition from working in an enormous company to working her personal enterprise and sustaining a bit/life steadiness.
“Whether or not or not or not working in your self or others, flexibility is necessary everytime you’re working and elevating a household. Having my very private enterprise granted me that flexibility. I used to be able to work spherical my daughters’ schedules and nonetheless take care of obligations on the workplace. Having your explicit individual enterprise doesn’t point out you’re employed loads a lot much less; in my expertise, you’re employed additional however with the revenue is with the facility to take care of your day.”
To these days, Jenkins cites her two daughters as inspiration, together with completely completely different up-and-coming professionals. Each of her daughters have worthwhile careers–her youngest daughter as a hazard supervisor for a municipality in Texas and her oldest daughter as a enterprise proprietor in California and a university professor. Entrepreneurship runs contained in the household. Jenkins’ father was furthermore a enterprise proprietor.
Jenkins, who teaches hazard administration on the College of Texas in Arlington, could also be motivated by her college faculty college students. “My inspiration comes from the youthful know-how and the best way during which they embrace range and steadiness work and residential. I’m furthermore impressed with their expertise.”
Referring to the persevering with efforts to push for range, fairness, and inclusion contained in the enterprise, Jenkins is cheering on this know-how and asks youthful Black professionals to not lose flooring.
“My know-how wished to maneuver one different means. We tried to slot in in any methodology we may–from hair to speech. This know-how has a voice, they often don’t seem like afraid to be heard. To them I say…Keep your expertise sharp so there isn’t any such issue as a query whether or not or not or not you’ll have the ability to do the job and be happy with who you’re.”
Trying to find to take part in discussions spherical addressing disparities and dealing in path of an additional inclusive and equitable insurance coverage protection safety panorama? Be part of Empowering the Group: The Significance of Insurance coverage protection throughout the Black Group, hosted on September 12 by The Black Insurance coverage protection Commerce Collective (BIIC).
Dale Sharpe Jenkins, M.S., CIC, AINS is an tutorial member of the Insurance coverage protection safety Knowledge Institute by way of her affiliation with the College of Texas at Arlington.
