Words cannot express how truly grateful the OIA team is that you came to IACON17 with your eyes and ears open, looking to learn and grow with each other. There was a buzz in the air that validates our belief that the IA channel is thriving and OIA is positioned to help our members grow their businesses. It is thriving because of people like you who are willing to put in the time, and the work, to make it happen.
We had a packed agenda that will give you a combination of big-picture perspectives and tactical tools to implement in your agency immediately after the event. Check out the speaker presentations, wrap-up video and attendee testimonials, and continue networking after the event with the Whova app!
Vote for the Agency 2025 winner!
Thank you to everyone that participated in the Agency 2025 Competition! We are blown away by the response we received and the thoughtfullness of the agent presentations. Now we need your help to pick the winning team! Watch the three videos below and cast your vote using the survey!
Attendee Testimonials
"The speakers were fantastic, and gave me many ideas to help drive our business forward." -IACON17 attendee from Central Ohio
"I thought the keynote speakers were second to none. A lot of insurance conventions are very boring and have a lack of content. The speakers were very informative, while keeping our attention for the hours they were there. It was nice to hear the speakers talk about how we can make our business better and not just stand up there and rattle off statistics and talk about their business. All of the speakers had a direct message on how we can become better agents. I was also part of the morning session for the Next-Gen, and this was extremely beneficial. Not only networking with other young agents, but hearing the ideas all the others had. I also thought the staff was phenomenal. Not only did they provide great speakers and content, but they did such a good job of entertaining. They made the events very enjoyable, but also hearing their backgrounds and their ideas, was huge in my eyes. Since the convention I have already had conversations with multiple OIA associates, and that is a huge benefit." -IACON17 attendee from Northwest Ohio
"AMAZING DATA AGGREGATION!!! You guys are doing a great job keep it up!" -IACON17 attendee from Northeast Ohio
"I was very interested to learn more about the OIA data and analytics initiatives being developed." -IACON17 attendee from Central Ohio
"Opened our eyes to the importance of digital media." -IACON17 attendee from Southeast Ohio
"The new energy exhibited by the OIA management team was contagious and evident." -IACON17 attendee from Northern Ohio
"The staff made a huge impact on me this year. Loved that they were easily identifiable and always friendly, outgoing, and asking and available to help always." -IACON17 attendee from Central Ohio
"Honestly, the fact that the whole conference got a make over. This was the first time in a long time
that we felt like we needed to be MORE involved with the OIA!" -IACON17 attendee from Northeast Ohio
"Listening to the pool guy. Online and blogging. I stopped delaying setting up my blog on my website. Done done and done." -IACON17 attendee from Central Ohio
IACON17 Speakers
Marcus Sheridan, The Sales Lion
IACON17 keynote speaker Marcus Sheridan, renowned for his brand The Sales Lion, is a powerful force in digital marketing and business. In fact, Forbes named Marcus one of 20 speakers you don't want to miss the opportunity to see." His presentation will talk about the ways the buyer has changed and how you can adjust to these changes. Get to know Marcus in the video below!
Learn more about Marcus' mission, vision and philosophy.
Made possible by Central Insurance Companies

Bobby Reagan, Reagan Consulting
Bobby Reagan's more than three decades of insurance industry experience has made him a true authority within the insurance industry. He has been a thought leader as evidenced by his creation of the IIABA Best Practices Study and consulting with many of the country’s most successful insurance agents and brokers. He has led strategic planning initiatives for agents and brokers, as well as leading industry associations and insurance carriers.He is also in consistent demand as a speaker and author, with speeches delivered to more than 100 insurance industry groups and associations, and articles published in the majority of the industry’s trade publications
Learn more about Bobby's mission, vision and philosophy.
Made possible by Westfield Insurance

Ryan Hanley, TrustedChoice.com
Ryan is the SVP of Marketing at TrustedChoice.com and the managing editor of Agency Nation. As head of marketing for TrustedChoice.com, Ryan is responsible for directional leadership in the brand, message and voice of the organization in its work helping independent insurance agents capture new business through inbound lead generation.He has been teaching the business of inbound and content marketing since 2009 through writing, workshops and keynote speaking. Furthermore, Hanley help brands and businesses find their audience, tell their story and win the battle for attention online.
Learn more about Ryan's mission, vision and philosophy.
Bryan Seely, Seely Security
Bryan Seely is a world famous cyber security expert, ethical hacker, author and former U.S. Marine. Seely is known for intercepting calls to the United States Secret Service and FBI by hacking Google Maps in early 2014, but rather than spending time in prison he was called a hero and moved on to bigger and better things. A few months later, he found an exploit in LinkedIn and helped the company resolve it.Seely has helped reveal a massive number of data breaches at several hundred major institutions which prevented the theft/loss of substantial amounts of money and information. He leads the security consulting, education and implementation division at Seely Security and sits on the MGT Capital Investments Hacker Advisory Board.
Check out Bryan's LinkedIn profile.
Claudia St. John, Affinity HR Group
Claudia St. John is an author and HR professional with 20+ years' experience in human resources. Prior to forming Affinity HR Group, Claudia served as senior consultant for Mercer Human Resources Consulting, the nation’s top HR consulting firm, Vice President for People for POMCO Group, Manager of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association’s National Labor Office and Senior Policy Associate for the AFL-CIO.She is also an author of Transforming Teams - Tips for Improving Collaboration and Building Trust and a popular public speaker. Her professional passion is in teaching teams about behavioral styles, conflict resolution, and collaboration.
Learn more about Claudia's mission, vision and philosophy.
Kelly Donahue-Piro, Agency Performance Partners
Kelly Donahue-Piro is the founder and president of Agency Performance Partners. She is a no-nonsense effectiveness expert who has helped hundreds of insurance agencies identify and capitalize on sustainable improvement opportunities. Over the past several years, Kelly has worked with small businesses across the country to build and implement successful programs to boost revenues, profits and efficiency.In 2014, she created Agency Performance Partners with a mission to “partner with insurance entrepreneurs who dream to take their business to the next level - and beyond - by relentlessly pursuing excellence in world-class service and sales strategies.”
Learn more about Kelly's mission, vision and philosophy.
Made possible by Imperial PFS

John Ammendola, Grange Insurance
John Ammendola oversees the future development and growth of Grange’s business. He joined Grange in 2010 as president of personal lines and later assumed additional responsibility for the commercial lines business as chief property & casualty officer. With more than 20 years of insurance experience, he previously held a variety of leadership positions with Kemper Insurance, Safeco Insurance and GEICO.
Mike LaRocco, State Auto Insurance Companies
Mike was named State Auto's President and CEO in May 2015. He has extensive experience in the property and casualty insurance industry, including roles at Progressive, GEICO, Safeco and Fireman’s Fund. In 2011, he began a startup effort that became AssureStart, a company that sells small business insurance online. Mike shares State Auto's deep and longstanding commitment to the independent agency system and is committed to upgrading State Auto's technology and becoming a faster and more innovative product provider.
Mike Lewis, MM, CIC, CLCS, Nationwide Insurance
Mike Lewis oversees the Independent Channel Sales operations for the Central Atlantic Regional Office encompassing Ohio, Maryland, Delaware, Washington DC, Kentucky and West Virginia
Jon Wade, United Fire Group
As a senior marketing representative for UFG Insurance, Jon Wade brings years of experience and expertise to UFG’s independent agency force in Ohio. Having owned his own agency and various positions with insurance carriers, including commercial lines underwriter and marketing manager/regional president, Jon understands his territory and the needs of his agents. He graduated from Bowling Green State University, with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree and insurance major.
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IACON17 App - Whova
To make your experience even better, IACON17 has a free, official app - Whova!
Get our official event app,


Get the most out of the app and have a more productive experience!
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NAVIGATE the event agenda and logistics, even without Wi-Fi or data. Access useful information like ridesharing and local attractions through the Bulletin Board
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NETWORK effectively. Plan whom to meet by exploring attendee profiles and sending out messages
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PARTICIPATE in event activities through session likes, comments, ratings, live polling, tweeting, and more
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Event Photos