News & Events

The Insurance Associates of Billings recently elected two Taylor-Leavitt employees as officers for the July 2011-2012 year. Janet Zaccagnini, CISR, AINS, as president-elect and Pam Oberweiser, CISR, as treasurer.

The Insurance Associates of Billings is a local nonprofit organization made up of insurance professionals, providing education and professional development to members and employers as well as providing various opportunities and donations to the general public.

Mike Taylor, managing co-owner of Taylor-Leavitt Insurance Agency, was inducted into the University of Montana Western (UMW) Hall of Fame on Saturday, October 1st during the 29th Annual UMW Hall of Fame brunch.

Taylor earned a degree in business from Montana Western in 1998 while playing football for the Bulldogs. He was a three-year team captain, a three-time All-Conference athlete, a two-time All-American, an academic All-American, and a recipient of the National Football Foundation Montana Chapter Scholar Athlete Award. Taylor is a member of the 1994 and 1995 Frontier Conference championship. He is also in the Hall of Fame as a member of the 1994 football team.

After graduating from Montana Western, Taylor played three seasons in the Indoor Football League for the Billings Thunderbolts with former members of the University of Montana Grizzlies, the Montana State University Bobcats, and NFL players.
Taylor has worked in the insurance industry as a commercial lines producer for Western States Insurance since 2003. In February 2010 he purchased his own agency, Taylor-Leavitt Insurance Agency, which is part of the 12th largest brokerage in the nation. He has excelled in this role where he manages the Billings, Bozeman, and Livingston, Montana, locations.

Pat Greany, CIC, of Northern Montana Insurance Services (NMIS), a Leavitt Group affiliate, has been named president elect for the Professional Insurance Agents (PIA) of Montana. Greany will assume the head leadership role at the annual PIA producer seminar this October in Bozeman, Montana.

Greany has 35 years of experience in the insurance business. He is the co-owner of NMIS, which was named agency of the year in 2009 by the Leavitt Group. He currently manages the agency of 21 employees.

Travis Clark, CIC, a commercial producer in the Shelby office of NMIS, will join the PIA of Montana board of directors at the upcoming meeting. “With five years in the business he will be a welcome addition to the PIA Board,” said Greany.

Mike Taylor, CRIS, managing co-owner of Taylor-Leavitt in Billings, Montana, will also join the board of directors. He brings ten years of insurance experience specializing in construction, workers compensation, and farm/ranch insurance. “Mike is a charismatic big time producer here in Montana and will be a great addition as well,” said Greany.

Melissa Hancock, a part time employee of Taylor-Leavitt, recently brought home four gold medals, two silver medals, and a bronze metal from the Montana State Special Olympics. She competed in wheelchair racing and bowling. The Leavitt Group would like to congratulate Melissa and recognize her accomplishments. She works about an hour a week shredding paper for the agency.

Taylor-Leavitt Insurance Agency is pleased to announce the hiring of Bryon Mayala as a licensed insurance agent. Mayala specializes in commercial insurance products and risk management.

Most recently with Western States Insurance, Mayala specialized in servicing large commercial clients. Prior to Western States Insurance, he worked at SYSCO as a sales executive in the national accounts department for nine years. He attended Montana State University and was recently designated as an Accredited Advisor of Insurance (AAI) from the Insurance Institute of America.

“I am excited to offer our customers the personal touch of a locally-owned agency and also the insurance markets and resources of the Leavitt Group, one of the largest insurance brokers in the nation,” said Mayala.

Taylor-Leavitt Insurance Agency provides all types of insurance products to area residents and businesses, including life, health, commercial packages, financial services, personal auto, homeowners, and a special emphasis in workers compensation insurance.

Taylor Leavitt Insurance “Team Taylor” threw their agency owner, Mike Taylor and his wife Robin, a surprise one year anniversary party. It has been a year since Mike and Robin purchased the agency. They were also joined by Ed and Barb Lee from Rapid City.

Scott Rogers of Taylor-Leavitt Insurance Agency has earned the designation of Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC). Having earned this designation signifies a higher professional level of experience and competence. Scott has also previously earned the CIH (Certified Industrial Hygienist) and CHMM (Certified Hazardous Material Manager) designations.

Laurice Bishop of Taylor-Leavitt Insurance Agency recently earned the Associate in Personal Lines Insurance (API) designation. With this designation she gained a thorough understanding of the personal lines business. She has previously earned the CPIW, CISR, and AINS designations. Laurice is a personal lines account manager and has been with the agency for 17 years.

Mike Taylor, managing co-owner of Taylor-Leavitt Insurance, recently earned the Construction Risk and Insurance Specialist (CRIS) designation. He gained specialized expertise in construction insurance and risk management. With this certification comes credibility with contractors, and shows a commitment to the construction industry.

Taylor-Leavitt Insurance Agency is pleased to announce the hiring of Lourie Feragen as a licensed insurance agent. She will focus on servicing the insurance needs of commercial accounts.

Most recently with Victory Insurance Company, Feragen was policy services/underwriting manager. She brings 30 years of insurance experience to the agency, both with insurance companies and insurance agencies. She holds the Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) and Certified Insurance Service Representative (CISR) designations.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for me to be associated with this agency and the Leavitt Group,” said Feragen. “Their success has been the result of the honesty, integrity, and fellowship of their employees. I am looking forward to being a part of that same success.”

Taylor-Leavitt Insurance Agency provides all types of insurance products to area residents and businesses, including life, health, commercial packages, financial services, personal auto, homeowners, and a special emphasis in workers compensation insurance.

The Leavitt Group is an organization of independent insurance agencies with 115 offices across the United States. As the 12th largest brokerage in the nation, the Leavitt Group provides affiliated agencies with management services, specialty products, and greater access to insurance markets that create a stable insurance environment for clients. More information about the Leavitt Group can be found at www.leavitt.com.