2014 40 Under 40 Broker Awards: Brian Gross
Northeast Region Reprints
President
GFI Insurance Brokerage Inc.
Age: 35
"Loyalty has to be earned, not expected.” This is the chief lesson Brian Gross has taken from his tenure in the insurance brokerage sector.
Mr. Gross enjoys sales and thrives on the industry's competitive nature.
“Sales are fun. Competition is fierce, but that's what makes it exciting. If there wasn't competition, it would be boring,” he said.
He started as a sales broker at GFI in 2003, became vice president in 2006 and has been its president since 2008.
Mr. Gross also takes great pride in his leadership role at GFI Insurance.
“It makes you feel really good when you are able to motivate and help other people be successful,” he said. “By running a team, I think it's a lot more exciting than doing it on your own because then you have no one to share that happiness with.”
He especially likes the challenge of taking on and cultivating new talent from inside and outside the industry.
“With the right back office support, I show them how successful they can be. As long as they know the coverage and they're good at sales, there's no reason they won't get the business,” Mr. Gross said.
Aaron Rosenfeld, executive vice president at GFI Insurance, said Mr. Gross “uses creative ways to get business, thinks out of the box to get a deal completed. That's how he gets things done.”
“He has a very hands-on approach and makes sure all his clients are satisfied. He is very responsive to our needs,” said Albert Fernandez, controller at Apple Core Hotels, which operates five hotels in New York.
Mr. Gross envisioned a career in real estate, but was drawn to insurance by the need he saw among real estate owners to be more knowledgeable about insurance.
The “tremendous” potential to teach clients about their insurance is what prompted his entry into the brokerage business, Mr. Gross said.
“The void I saw was educating people. We spend the majority of our time educating them that they could be better consumers,” he said.
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