Risk Management

2019 Break Out Awards, South: Kyle Schielack

June 01, 2019 Reprints

Agents & Brokers More + Less -

KYLE SCHIELACK

Executive vice president

Higginbotham Insurance Group Inc.

Houston

Age: 34

In his nine years in the insurance business, Kyle Schielack has racked up many accomplishments, including serving on a panel of experts for local business publications and helping to launch a risk purchasing group for the multifamily industry, covering thousands of apartments in the Gulf Coast. His practice is heavily focused in the real estate industry.

What is the No. 1 concern in your specialty?

Windstorms and floods, which continue to be a top concern for the coastal real estate industry and its affordability over time. With consecutive active seasons in a row, our clients are concerned about the marketplace and reaction from reinsurance underwriters and how it will have a direct impact on operations. We have to remain creative and flexible in this area of practice.

What advice would you give to someone starting out in the business?

Find great mentors and know that you can never have too many. There are so many areas in this business, having successful mentors guide and encourage you along the way is going to take your career much further and much faster.

What surprised you about the insurance industry?

As a kid, you don’t think about wanting to be an insurance agent when you grow up. Many people say they fell into the insurance business and didn’t seek it out, but they are all glad they did. I’m in the same boat. I’m seeing more and more new faces joining the industry as the industry is creating new opportunities in technology.

What is something most people don’t know about you?

You can ask any of my colleagues they would tell you that I was a Junior Olympic race walker. Everyone finds race walking so unique and so funny that they are excited to hear about that. For me, I would say that it was interning for President George H.W. Bush for four years while I was in college.

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