Young Agent Spotlight: Meet Walker Ross
We’re excited to introduce you to Walker! He is part of the North Carolina iLead (Young Agents), proud Kitty Hawk, North Carolina resident, and he’s bringing a thoughtful, grounded perspective to the industry. With a focus on relationships and a belief that people (not just technology) are the future of insurance, Walker represents a new generation of leaders who are equal parts driven, reflective, and real. If you ask us, the future of the industry is in very good hands. 💼✨
Age?
29
What’s your go-to drink order?
Cold Brew Red Eye
Favorite movie or TV show?
Favorite Movie: The Place Beyond the Pines | Favorite TV Show: Workaholics
No. 1 item on your bucket list?
Hike the Appalachian Trail
What’s the biggest benefit you’ve experienced from Big “I” membership?
The Legislative Conference in D.C.. Getting a chance to see our government in action and advocate for our clients and community.
What do you love about insurance?
I love being able to show up in a time of crisis. Being a coastal agent means our clients’ livelihoods are at risk every year during hurricane season. It’s fulfilling to make a community built on the shifting sands of a barrier island a little more stable.
How is the work-life balance in your role?
My wife and I are expecting identical twin girls in June. I imagine whatever work-life balance I have in place now will explode. That being said, going to bed early (lights out by 8:30) has been huge for me. I’m able to get up between 4 and 5 and get my workout in, listen to podcasts or music, and get in the right headspace for whatever I may have going on that day. I find that 4AM-8AM is much more valuable time to me than 8PM-12PM.
I take full advantage of office hours to protect my mornings and evenings. That time is important to unplug, reset, and let the brain and body recover. You cannot fully engage with work if you don’t also fully disconnect.
What do you see happening in the future of the insurance industry?
AI has transformed the SaaS and InsurTech landscape, and the pace of change is only accelerating. The back-end work (processing, document management, AMS, and CRM workflows) that early adopter agencies have implemented will become the norm.
That shifts the real competitive advantage to something no technology can replicate: relationships. The agencies that win won’t be the ones with the slickest tech stack; it’ll be the ones that invest deepest in their staff and clients. That’s where we’re putting our energy, and I believe that’s where we can truly be different from the herd.
What are the benefits and challenges of multiple generations in the workplace?
The benefits are obvious to me. Every generation brings a perspective that cannot be recreated by another. The more diverse voices in the room, the better the collaboration, the better the output. We serve an incredibly diverse collection of clients. Why should we not have those voices in the room when we’re making decisions?
The challenge to me is assuming generational differences are bigger than they are. Generational friction is usually a strengths mismatch, not a values mismatch. We have middle-aged folks who hate picking up the phone and young people who struggle with QR codes. Age isn’t as much of an indicator of strengths and weaknesses as people think.
That’s why we invest heavily in assessment work like Clifton Strengths, Working Genius, Kolbe. These tools give people the vocabulary and the trust to say “this work doesn’t fit me” without it feeling like a weakness. When you put people in the right seat, the generational stuff is more of a personality trait than determining what type of work someone can or can’t do. Everyone wants to do work that energizes them. That’s not a generational thing.