With the creation of our newly formed Relation Select group and the opportunities it represents for our company, we needed an operating team to lead this new venture. Our recent acquisitions of former Nationwide-exclusive agents/agencies not only provided a strong roster of producers, they also brought us several proven professionals who are ideally suited for this role. As a result, we are pleased to announce the operational leadership team for Relation Select.

Named to the team were Katy Ringeman, Chief Operating Officer; Mallory L. Lester, Client Service Director; Mike Alfred, Sales Leader; and Elizabeth Benton, Finance Director.

“They will provide a unique insight into the needs of small commercial- and personal lines-focused businesses that partner with us, particularly those that were a part of Nationwide’s exclusive distribution model and recently transitioned to independent brokerages,” said Joe Tatum, Relation’s Chief Executive Officer.

“We are excited to lead the Relation Select brand,” said Ringeman, whose Hiller Ringeman Insurance Agency was Nationwide’s largest exclusive agency at the time of their joining Relation Insurance. “The resources and carrier relationships we offer will greatly benefit agencies who join Relation, providing significant growth for our company and partners.”

The new team brings operational experience from well-respected agencies in the Nationwide network. Hiller Ringeman earned the Nationwide Insurance All-Star Award five straight years—an honor provided to the top 12 agencies within the country. Lester comes from Laufer Insurance, which was ranked in the top 25 of all Nationwide Agencies for 26 out of the last 27 years. Alfred and Benton were both with Glick Insurance, one of the largest Nationwide Insurance Agencies in the country and a Nationwide President’s Conference and All-Star Team member.

“We’re fortunate to have this level of experience and expertise on the team,” Tatum said. “No one has a greater understanding of the challenges these independent producers face. It’s gratifying to think about the support and opportunities we’re going to be able to offer so many agencies.”

Learn more about the Relation Select Operating Team.

Katy Ringeman, Chief Operating Officer.

Katy came to us with the Hiller Ringeman Insurance Agency, Nationwide’s largest exclusive agency at the time of their joining Relation Insurance. Under a combined family leadership with her father and brother, their agency earned the Nationwide Insurance All-Star Award five straight years—an honor provided to the top 12 agencies within the country—as well as the Triad Family Business Award and the Nationwide Insurance Regional Community Service Award. Katy started her career handling claims for Nationwide Insurance until 2004 when she started a scratch Nationwide Insurance agency, ultimately merging with her father’s and brother’s agencies in 2016.

Mallory L. Lester, Client Service Director.

Mallory began her full-time career with Laufer Insurance as an Associate Agent in January of 2015, after spending four years of seasonal employment with the agency while obtaining her BA and MBA degrees. She spent time in every agency department in order to gain a holistic degree of experience. In 2019, Mallory was named Operations Manager of the agency after the completion of three sizable mergers. She currently holds her Life and Health and Property and Casualty Insurance Licenses as well as her Series 6, 63, and 65 FINRA licenses.

Mike Alfred, Sales Leader.

Mike has been successfully leading sales teams in the insurance and financial services industry for more than 13 years. Prior to joining us, Mike’s roles included VP of Sales and Managing Partner at Glick Insurance, one of the largest Nationwide Insurance agencies in the country. During his tenure, he was instrumental in bringing sales and technology resources together to drive organic growth throughout the company.  Before joining Glick Insurance, Mike was a successful Territory Sales Director with Nationwide Financial in Western North Carolina and New England.

Elizabeth Benton, Finance Director.

Elizabeth, like Mike, came to us through the Glick Insurance partnership. In each of her eight years with Glick, the agency was named to the Nationwide President’s Conference and made the All-Star Team four of those years. While there, she helped coordinate 15 agency acquisitions and manage 20 locations. She was also instrumental in helping with the transition from Nationwide exclusive to an independent agency in 2020, including implementing an agency-wide Management System. Prior to joining Glick, Elizabeth spent 10 years in the banking industry.

Looking To Join Relation Select?