History

Established in 1995, SIAA (Support, Inspire, Adapt, Achieve) has evolved into the largest alliance of independent insurance agencies in the country. Yet, the SIAA concept began much earlier – in 1983 Jim Masiello, owner of Masiello Insurance Agency in Keene, NH, was looking for a way to overcome the two biggest challenges faced by independent agencies: growth and access to markets.

The Concept

The concept of the SIAA alliance began in 1983 with the creation of the first Master Agency – Satellite Agency Network Group (SAN Group). Smaller independent agencies kept running into roadblocks because of their size, specifically, low commissions, and access to competitive companies. The idea was to create a Master Agency to provide company access and other services to help grow these agencies – profitably.

After a group of independent agencies signed on, the master agency was appointed by its first Strategic Partner Company, which saw the potential of the model, and SAN was off and running.

With interest from agencies throughout New England, SAN grew quickly as a regional alliance. Local agents found they could remain independent, concentrate on producing profitable business and take advantage of the opportunities usually only afforded to larger agencies producing significant volumes of business.

Re-Creating Success

By the mid-90’s, SAN Group had grown successfully in membership and written premium, giving smaller member agencies an opportunity to get company appointments and to grow. Insurance executives and consultants encouraged SAN Group to repeat this success on a national basis.

In 1995, the national alliance – SIAA (Strategic Insurance Agency Alliance) – was born. The multi-level partnering model of SAN was recreated in geographic markets across the nation. Today, SIAA has a well-established alliance of 49 master agencies covering all 50 United States.