ITEM PHOTO BY OWEN O’ROURKE
Bryan Benevento, of the Benevento Insurance Agency in Swampscott, was recently honored by the Society of Certified Counselors.
BY GAYLA CAWLEY
SWAMPSCOTT — A local insurance agent was recently honored by the Society of Certified Insurance Counselors (CIC) for dedication and leadership in the insurance agency.
Bryan A. Benevento, vice-president of Benevento Insurance Agency, was awarded a certificate of achievement, recognizing five consecutive years of active affiliation with the Society of CIC. The CIC designation carries meaningful prestige in the insurance profession as it signifies commitment to advanced knowledge and customer service, according to information provided by Benevento Insurance Agency.
Benevento said he has been licensed in insurance for 22 years. Benevento Insurance is a family business that was founded in 1972 by his father, Anthony Benevento. He said he started working for the agency when he was 19 years old.
To be CIC certified, Benevento said there are five courses he had to take, along with passing five tests. He said it took five years for him to become certified. The courses he took were on commercial property, commercial casualty, agency management, life and health and personal lines.
Every year, Benevento said he has to take a refresher three day course, where he has to take one of those five courses again, but doesn’t have to pass the test.
“Every year I get recertified,” Benevento said. “I will continue to do that.”
Benevento said the courses are given through The National Alliance for Insurance Education & Research, which was founded by The Society of CIC. The Alliance is the nation’s leading source of continuing education programs for the insurance and risk management industry.
“This accomplishment is an outstanding achievement within the insurance profession,” Dr. William T. Gould, president of The Society of CIC, said in a statement. “The high standards maintained by Bryan A. Benevento reflect positively on clients, associates, and the insurance profession as a whole.”
Benevento said there are a lot of different certifications to get, but he said the certified insurance counselor is the best he can get for himself. He said his agency specializes in property and casualty insurance.
“It’s probably the most relevant to my day-to-day routine,” Benevento said.
Benevento said the CIC is not a certification many insurance agents have. He said the courses are very in-depth and a person “cannot get involved with the CIC program without a strong background already in the insurance industry.” He said he’s taken courses for the program in Maine and Western Massachusetts.
Benevento said he was “extremely excited” when he was initially certified and that “it’s an honor to be a CIC.” He said being certified has been a great help with work.
“Going back every year for the continuing education is very helpful because there’s always changes in the business,” Benevento said.
Benevento said he would encourage other insurance agents to become certified as “it really helps with the understanding of the constantly changing insurance market.”
Gayla Cawley can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @GaylaCawley
