Michael Coker Email & Phone Number

Florence, South Carolina, United States

Florence, South Carolina, United States

My time here was a great experience. It was a completely new industry and it was exciting being the only buyer and first learning about everything from the glues to the sails, then using that knowledge to negotiate the best outcome for the company. This was during the time when tariffs were being put in place that affected many of our vendors, so it was not easy. I also used my skills from my past to find new ways to save the company money internally. Once deals were made to have both U.S. facilities use the same vendors the responsibilities of my position were moved to the larger facility where there was a large team.

Florence, South Carolina

CHP, now Wellfleet, bought the business from AIG and was again fortunate to stay on board. Here I spent a lot of time working directly with the Director of Operations and creating training material, then training each department on the capabilities the administration system they would use going forward. During this time, most clients were at the end of their contracts and we lost a large percentage our business. While I was still working with clients, the sales/renewing was done by a sales team already established within the company. The company was forced to make layoffs which I was part of that group. I spent my remaining time creating manuals and training managers for additional duties they would need after the duties of those who left were put on them. This was a great team to work with and I'm glad I was able to give that extra at the end so they could be successful in the future.

Florence, South Carolina Area

AIG bought the business from Pearce & Pearce and I was fortunate they recognized my expertise in the student health business, which they were not familiar, and systems we had developed so was retained as an Associate Director. During my time with AIG my role with the decision makers with our clients increased and worked with them on weekly and sometimes daily to make sure their needs were not only met but exceeded. I was also put on the AIG Leadership Team where we worked with leaders in offices around the country to improve production, team meetings, and client relationships.

This was a small family agency that focused on student health and accident insurance. I brought in IT developers I knew with the goal to modernize, automate, and streamline processes so this small operation could compete with the larger insurance companies also going after the same business. Not only did we compete, but we won…a lot. Our new agility, personal client relationships, and robust systems led to a 500% increase during this time. My expertise in the products and systems was helpful in closing the big accounts that led us to becoming one of the largest agencies in Student Health in the country.