Parrott Insurance celebrate milestone anniversary
The staff of Parrott Benefit Group gather for a photo at the Weaver Dr. office.
{Davidson Local/Kassaundra Shanette Lockhart}
Laughter was the main entrée on the menu Monday, April 26 as the past owners, current owners and employees of Parrott Insurance & Benefits gathered to reminisce over their four decades of service and commitment. Under the trees at the office on Weaver Dr., staffers shared their love for their workplace and excitement about what’s on the horizon.
Highlights of the company’s 40 years.
{Contributed photo/Caitlin Rimmer}
In honor of its fortieth birthday, the company has rebranded. Parrott Insurance & Benefits is now Parrott Benefit Group. They also have a new logo and website.
Mac Parrott started the company in 1981. At the time, the logo featured the body of a parrot. However, the head belonged to Mac. His wife, Beth, joined him in helping propel the company in 1991. She is credited with establishing their core principles that focused on being the best in the industry at customer service. As the demand for their services grew, so did their need for dedicated employees. This was nonnegotiable for Beth. “I told him if we don’t hire people, I’m leaving.”
Amongst the giggles, her statement prompted a flood of stories from staffers revealing how they were hired and confirming this is the best place they’ve ever worked.
“I’m very thankful to have been brought into the family,” stated Dan Odorizzi, partner and manager at the company’s Raleigh office. “I had a terrible place to work for 15 years. I feel blessed every day I come to work. This is the best decision I’ve made from a working standpoint. I’m thankful for all of you.”
Throughout the conversation, Mac recalled many of the informal hires he made, which included asking employees to come work at Parrott while they were employed elsewhere. For Mac, it was worth the risk as they built a team that’s helped grow the business while maintaining its individuality. Mac noted many independent companies have been acquired by larger insurance agencies.
“We have a good team,” said Mac. “We’ve had almost no incidents of ‘That’s not my job. She/he needs to do that.’ Most of the time, it’s a self-managed company.”
Although their team can be trusted to do their jobs at an optimum level, they’ve encountered challenges adjusting to a world that now relies heavily on technology. For Mac and Beth, their saving grace came in the form of their daughter and son-in-law, Liz and Daniel Shive, the current owners.
“The best thing that ever happened was they came back,” Mac assured. “We needed help with marketing and Lizzie came to work for us. Daniel got his master’s in public health and joined us later. We’re in a blessed position to have two people come in and do it better. Without them, we wouldn’t still be a company.”
The Parrott Benefit Group “family” is all smiles as they celebrate their anniversary.
{Contributed photo/Tony Gutierrez}
For Daniel, when the opportunity presented itself, it was a welcomed change of environment considering his feelings for his last workplace.
“When you’re driving home from work on Friday and you’re already ticked off you have to go back on Monday, you know you need another job.”
Those were feelings communicated by many who admitted how much they enjoy working at Parrott and the extended family they’ve built. Before gathering for a few photos, Liz expressed her appreciation to everyone in attendance. “Thank you for all you do to make Parrott what it is today.”
For information about Parrott Benefit Group, visit www.parrottbenefitgroup.com.
