The Legacy of Roger McCarty

"He was a leader that only comes around once in a generation," said Mark Heitz, executive vice president of sales and distribution for Aviva USA and a longtime friend of McCarty.

"Roger always completely fixated on the needs of the agent," Heitz said, noting that McCarty would constantly be in the front row during any training session — interacting, listening, participating and making sure that what was being presented to agents was absolutely accurate and entirely the support that agents needed. "That sort of commitment and compassion for the business is really unusual, and that, coupled with his leadership and vision of where our industry was going and needed to go, really are the things that I remember most about him."

In addition to his home in Texas, McCarty did spend time at other residences in Panora and Arizona, but he never retired as the CEO of Brokers International, Ltd. "I never will retire. As long as I'm breathing, I'm the boss," he said during an August 2011 interview at the company headquarters. He also mentioned how the company had zero debt, millions in the bank, and was in position to significantly increase its business in the next five years. "We are probably the most financially stable company in America," McCarty said.

Brokers International, Ltd. continues on under the direction of Roger's nephew Bill McCarty, who has been the president since 1998; son Kelly, the chief marketing officer; and Chief Operating Officer Mark Hutzell.

It all started in 1955

Roger McCarty's long road to becoming an industry icon began in 1955, when he left the family farm in Iowa with $300 in his pocket and set out for Denver, where State Farm Mutual was hiring. Roger related the story during the August 2011 interview with Life Insurance Selling. "My dad thought I was nuts. 'You'll be back in six months,' he said."

He would be back, but it took a lot longer than six months. And it would be a triumphant return. McCarty quickly became one of State Farm's top agents nationally, thanks to a strong work ethic and his engaging personality. He went independent and started doing brokerage business in the 1960s with Oregon National Life, which later became First Far West Insurance Company. His success in the '60s and '70s helped him develop relationships with leading insurance companies, which were the stepping stones to his success with the evolution of Brokers International, Ltd.

He started selling individual health insurance for First Far West in the late 1970s and was so successful in his first year that he was their top agent in the state of Colorado. First Far West wanted to hire McCarty to train other agents to sell like he sold.

"They wanted to give him an office and a phone and a salary and all this stuff," Bill McCarty recalled in a recent interview. "And Roger said, 'Well, I'll train agents for you, but I don't want an office and I don't want a phone. What I want is an override on their business. If I'm going to teach other agents how to do this, when they sell a policy, I want a piece of the action.' So Roger was kind of an innovator in the 'I'm going to teach others how to do it, but I'm not going to do it for a salary, I'm going to do it for an override on the business.'"

The arrangement was working out so well that, within a year, First Far West gave him an exclusive with the company to market the individual health insurance. His first independent marketing organization started in earnest with the recruiting and training of agents when he got that exclusive deal. "That's one of his initiatives that really elevated him to the next level. It's also how he developed, in my mind at least, the override system that's in place today," Bill McCarty said.

Connecting with carriers

Connecting with a fellow industry legend, Bob MacDonald, in 1987 led to another major milestone for Brokers International, Ltd. That was when the company transitioned into the annuity business, which Bill McCarty said essentially makes up about 90% of the company's revenue today.

"Roger was the very first independent marketing company to support Bob MacDonald in his new venture with Life USA in 1987," Bill said. "We held the first meeting with Bob MacDonald in Denver and Des Moines, back to back, having in excess of 100 agents in the room to hear the new Life USA agent-owned story. Bob MacDonald actually gives Roger a lot of the credit for the kickoff of Life USA."

Allianz acquired Life USA in 1993, and to this day, Kelly McCarty said, Allianz remains a key carrier partner for Brokers International, Ltd. "We're pretty proud of that relationship with Allianz, but it started with Life USA," Kelly said.

Kelly added that one more big accomplishment for Roger came in 1997 when Brokers International, Ltd. first partnered with American Equity. Roger and American Equity founder David J. Noble, yet another industry legend, were very close friends.

"It was an honor to have known Roger McCarty. He was a pioneer and icon both in the business and insurance world," Noble told Life Insurance Selling. "Roger mentored many in his lifetime, so his legacy will continue through others. It was a privilege to have been a personal friend to him and also his family for so many years. He will be truly missed."

"To this day, we're the No. 1 marketing organization for American Equity," Kelly said.

And then there was the partnership with AmerUs Group, which was acquired by Aviva USA in 2006. "My dad always had a vision, because he was a salesman, to develop products delivered by the field force. When you can build a product by looking to producers, you can develop one heck of a product."