National Real Estate Insurance Group (NREIG) recently announced that Tim Norris has taken the helm as sole owner and Chief Executive Officer. Though he founded the Agency in 2008, he had stepped back from day-to-day operations in recent years after a merger with another real estate investor insurance Program in 2011.
Norris, a single-family rental and commercial property investor himself, has been in the insurance business since 1989. He started NREIG in response to a gap in the market for an insurance agency that truly understood the unique needs of the real estate investor.
“I figured out back in the early 90s, when I attended my first Cincinnati Real Estate Investor’s Association meeting, that most agents were on one end of the spectrum or other – they either only wanted to deal with personal lines: home, car, life; or the traditional commercial property: retail, office space, warehouses, and so forth,” said Norris.
“Nobody was really able to help an investor understand what coverage they needed; those intricacies that come along with being a rehabber or a landlord.”
Norris has already implemented many changes to set NREIG up for future success, particularly in the company structure. He promoted Senior Vice President of Sales, Shawn Woedl, to the role of President. Woedl, a nationally-recognized speaker and educator, joined NREIG in 2014, bringing with him an expertise in large commercial real estate properties. With his strong industry relationships, Woedl is focusing on product development, as well as creating more efficient internal sales and service processes. In addition, Norris and Woedl have identified a team of leaders to spearhead each company department.
“As I’ve jumped back into an active leadership role at NREIG,” says Norris, “I’ve been focused on two things every day: continuing to enhance our technology to streamline how we work, and above all, taking care of the client. I say this to our associates every chance I get – WHAT we do is not what makes us different, it’s HOW we do it. It is our job to educate our clients and prospects about what their options are, so they can make the best decision for themselves.”
