Top 10 Under 40, 2018: Garrett Jones, Valley First Insurance

Who are the brightest young talents in Canadian P&C today? Each year, Canadian Insurance Top Broker magazine (recently acquired by CU) answers that question with its Top 10 Under 40.

Meet the other winners here, and don’t forget to pick your favourites for the Peer-to-Peer Awards.

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Garrett Jones Regional Sales Leader, Commercial Insurance Valley First Insurance Kelowna, B.C.

Garrett Jones has an impressive track record in the insurance industry. And it’s all because of one core value: his passion for the community.

He’s relatively new to the brokerage world, having joined Kelowna, B.C.-based Valley First, a division of First West Credit Union, as their regional sales leader for commercial insurance in 2017.

So, how did a former RBC Insurance senior advisor and Allstate agency manager become the head of a brokerage, managing a team of direct reports and selling commercial insurance for the first time? By building relationships—both personally and professionally.

“It’s key, having a diverse network,” Jones says. “I’ve been fortunate throughout my career to meet some amazing individuals.”

His community involvement—he’s served as a member of not-for-profit boards of directors and coached kids’ sports teams—has helped him develop the leadership skills he draws on today.

“To have direct reports is a new era in my career,” he says. “The first thing I wanted to do was lead by example, taking more of a coach mentality. My biggest objective for my management style was to set the pace and create a work ethic.”

Since becoming the commercial insurance lead at Valley First, his team has grown its total book of business by 15.8%. But achievements like that aren’t what drive Jones.

“Working for a credit union that’s putting its money back into the community is why I made the move to Valley First,” he says. “The insurance industry does so much for communities. We need to do a better job of communicating that to the next generation.”

Meet the other winners here, and don’t forget to pick your favourites for the Peer-to-Peer Awards.