Virginia M. Bates is the president of VMB Associates, Inc., a consulting firm that specializes in education, agency management, and automation issues.

Virginia Bates has over twenty years of experience consulting to agencies and carriers and managing insurance operations for both a carrier and a large regional agency. She has a background in all property and casualty lines, experience as director of a country-wide underwriting school and direct involvement in many automated systems. As co-founder of VMB Associates Inc., she has worked with many agencies and brokerages on intelligent selection and use of technology, profitability, reducing E&O exposure, internal operations, marketing strategies, merger/acquisition planning and implementation, valuations of books of business and agencies in total, carrier relationships and successful automation.

 

She speaks often on the evolving exposures and preventive strategies related to automation, web-based sales & service, electronic processing and documentation. She has conducted E&O audits and rehabilitation projects for agencies at the request of E&O carriers such as Fireman's Fund. She developed and produces the Vendor Comparison Workshops that have helped thousands of agencies determine their automation needs and options.

 

She is a member of ACORD's People and Computers national faculty and Alumni Seminar Team. She is a certified E&O instructor and regularly creates and conducts educational programs for many state agents' associations, carriers and vendor groups. These programs encompass both technical subjects (such as personal and commercial risk management, direct and indirect property coverages, advanced workers comp coverages and rating, and umbrella coverages) and management subjects (such as E&O prevention, business planning, disaster recovery, profitable use of automation, and procedures manual creation and implementation).

 

Rough Notes asked Virginia to coordinate and edit parts of its property and casualty continuing education materials. This series of intermediate and advanced subjects encompassed over thirty volumes of both personal and commercial subject areas.

 

Virginia's educational background includes an honors degree from Swarthmore College and graduate work in management science. She is a licensed broker and licensed insurance adviser.

 

Sample Review Comments (from classes and consulting work):

 

"Her positive attitude is always inspirational. Her knowledge of material is always enlightening."

"The industry should be proud to have her."

"The Best!"

"Virginia explains everything and she is able to keep it interesting!"

"Excellent - Good sense of humor."

"Real life examples and time went by so fast!"

"Relaxed yet comprehensive"

"She was fantastic!"

"I wish I had Virginia Bates for all my classes"

"I look forward to Virginia Bates teaching seminars"

"I love to have you in our office. Everything seems possible at the end of the day!"

 

3 2016