The Boutique Insurance Firm That Puts People Before Policies
Concierge Insurance Solutions has grown to serve hundreds of high-net-worth clients by investing in employees and values at the heart of its business.
When lightning struck Paul Silberberg’s home in 2017, it was a formative bolt from the blue. His daughter, Tamar Silberberg Shiffman, watched her parents endure a frustrating claims process before reaching out to her longtime friend and insurance expert, Aaron Toben, for help. He explained the major problems related to the insurance industry. Wealthy families with much to protect weren’t getting the service they needed from rigid, impersonal brokerages in a reactive industry. So, the trio founded Concierge Insurance Solutions, a Pennsylvania-based boutique brokerage, in 2018.
The nationally recognized firm started without any clients or policies and now serves more than 600 high-net-worth families. Its success is rooted in the philosophy of putting employees and clients first. “We wake up excited to do what we do,” says Shiffman, CEO. “It’s an extension of who we are.”
Hiring for values, not just résumés
Concierge’s leadership looks for employees and clients who share their ethos of integrity and teamwork, putting culture ahead of credentials alone. “Our reputation is everything,” says Silberberg. “We want people with big wallets, but also big hearts.”
The result is a small but mighty team working in different states. The company encourages local colleagues to collaborate in person, holds regular team lunches, and invests in professional growth. In fact, every Concierge employee has completed professional development courses and educational programs that the company paid for.
“This is a family-oriented business,” Shiffman says. “We bring everybody into the fold—our employees and our clients.”
Everyone has a seat at the table
Concierge offers employees unlimited personal time off and flexible schedules, trusting them to manage their work while still delivering great service to clients. There’s also a strong feedback culture. The entire team meets three times a week, discusses personal and professional growth during annual reviews, and encourages sharing ideas. “Giving people opportunities to grow and see where they can be in the next few years keeps them engaged,” explains Toben, Concierge’s president. “When somebody has an idea, it never gets shut down. Just because we’ve been doing something for years doesn’t mean we need to do it moving forward.”
The payoff is that Concierge has achieved roughly 30 percent year-over year growth and maintains a 99 percent client-retention rate. “The biggest testament is seeing how investing in our employees translates to our clients’ happiness,” says Toben. The guiding mantra as the company expands is simple: Stay focused on service.
“You can spend decades building a reputation and then blow it like that,” Silberberg says with a snap of his fingers. “We focus on protecting what we’ve built before taking on the next client or employee.” For Concierge, that commitment is its greatest advantage.