Tyler Ross

Agent

Timmco Insurance

Portland, Oregon

Age: 32

Go-to drink order: Champagne

No. 1 item on bucket list: Watch a baseball game in Fenway Park

Favorite candy: Snickers

How did you get started in insurance?

I had just graduated college, just got engaged, and my fiancée had been working at an insurance agency. Her boss was our marriage counselor, and after a session, he told me that I'd be good at insurance. I had no clue what I was going to do out of college, so I was like, “Sure, sounds great!" Many years later, I'm still in it.

Millennial and Gen Z stereotypes?

I think millennials have a stereotype of taking the easy way out, just wanting to work from home or do the bare minimum. But our ability to multitask is a huge advantage. In terms of how we work, we're willing to change processes and make things easier and more seamless. I also think there's a better understanding of work-life balance with millennials and Gen Zers. Speaking as a father of two boys, I see more parents prioritizing being around their kids, taking them to school, going to activities and just being around. I think that's on the rise and that's super healthy.

Work-life balance?

I coach high school baseball in the spring, and that's almost a full-time job in itself. I'm also married and have two kids, a four-year-old and a four-month-old. In a commission-based business, you can burn out quickly. Having a hobby, like coaching baseball, keeps the burnout away.

There's a place now for people in the workplace who want to spend more time with their family versus pounding the pavement to get as much money as possible. We have more room for healthier work-life balance in a lot of different stages, including people who say, “I love my work, and I'm going to do my best, but I also care about other things outside of work."

What do you love about being in insurance?

I love working with people. Being in personal lines insurance, half my job is quoting for people, but the other half is meeting with referral partners and actually getting to know who they are, who their families are, what they do for a living, and what they do outside of their job. I like to joke that I'm an insurance agent who could also dabble in mortgage, real estate and escrow—because when you need to talk to a client and help your business partners out you learn to speak those languages. I also love the flexibility that it gives me to coach high school baseball or to take my son to school and pick him up. Those things are super important to me. 

Future of the industry?

In my state, you're seeing a lot of smaller independent agencies go by the wayside. These huge independent agencies are selling multiple products—commercial, personal and life—as a one-stop shop. And some places have mortgage brokers tied to an insurance agency with real estate agents. I think 10-20 years from now, you'll have more of these one-stop shops selling multiple lines of service. 

As far as rates go, climate change is really affecting some places and that's not necessarily going to stop anytime soon. I don't know how we will insure homes. Maybe we'll just insure them for certain risks. I talk to people who've been in insurance for 30-40 years and they say that this time right now is very different than any time that they've experienced in the insurance world. 

Role model or mentor?

I've gotten lucky. My role model is my wife. She's a super-genius. She's one of the best account managers ever and she knows the ins and outs of insurance. That was huge for me as I started in the industry. Another role model is my old boss, Scott Sherbourne. When I first started in insurance, I had no idea how to network, and he paved the way to help me build my business to where it is today.

Also, right now I have coffee every Thursday with Van Anderson, a mortgage broker, and he really understands work-life balance. He's someone I can meet to talk about how I manage my roles and what things I need to learn to say “no" to or “yes" to.

AnneMarie McPherson Spears is IA news editor.