Oct. 7, 2020

This paid piece is sponsored by Marsh & McLennan Agency.

Workplaces are changing dramatically, from navigating working in the COVID-19 era to engaging a workforce with five generations. In addition to the changes 2020 has brought, organizations are in fierce competition to develop, retain and attract talent from Gen Z. From an office willing to cater to work-from-home needs to the expectation that a company cares about a diverse and equitable workplace, newer generations entering the workforce are seeking more than the traditional work experience.

Marsh & McLennan Agency has made it a priority to appeal to those motivators. The firm’s summer internship program seeks to foster and grow young talent using an innovative immersive-experience model. This investment in the internship program has successfully generated a pathway for young professionals to find a career at MMA.

Though the internship program looked different this year because of COVID-19, MMA remained committed to providing college students an outlet to learn about and continue their involvement in the insurance industry.

One MMA intern in particular did not let the pandemic interfere with his passion for insurance.

Intern Devin Gilbertson, a senior at the University of South Dakota, was selected to compete in the nationwide Aspiring Broker Challenge coordinated by the Council for Insurance Agents & Brokers, or CIAB. Gilbertson took part in a 2.5-day virtual simulation competition designed to bring the inner workings of a commercial brokerage to life.

Gilbertson and his teammates found themselves as executives of a struggling insurance agency and were challenged to turn the company around. Their business acumen, strategic thinking, financial knowledge, leadership skills and teamwork earned them the top-place finish in the national competition.

“My experience with MMA set me up for the win because the entire summer I was constantly learning how a brokerage operates and what a successful brokerage prioritized for the clients,” Gilbertson said. “I used the involvement in this challenge to use the learning MMA invested into me. I was able to contribute to my team with the skills I had learned last summer in the office, throughout my degree in school and this summer as an extern.”

Gilbertson also received a $5,000 scholarship through the CIAB. Annually, the CIAB awards academic scholarships through The Council Foundation to promising interns in the insurance industry. This scholarship aims to bring fresh, diverse talent into the insurance sector by way of internships with member firms of the CIAB. In awarding the scholarships, an independent selection committee looks for candidates who have the potential to excel as leaders and contributors in the commercial insurance brokerage business sector.

“Our leadership team places great importance on attracting, investing in and retaining early career talent,” said Kira Kimball, MMA’s chief innovation officer. “Devin exemplifies how our organization supports continuous learning and growth for the emerging workforce generation.”

As the internship coordinator for MMA’s Sioux Falls and Fargo offices, Kimball was a key contributor to Gilbertson’s CIAB recognition. Gilbertson’s experience and development with the employee health and benefits department was another contributing factor to being the sole MMA Upper-Midwest nominee.

Employee health and benefits director of client services Jo Lynn Higgins knew Gilbertson excelled from the beginning.

“Devin strives to understand the ‘why.’ His uninhibited curiosity is a trait that isn’t easily taught and something that we seek out when composing our team,” Higgins said. “Devin represents the future of our agency because he brings the dedicated work ethic of past generations, the personal touch that clients need for the present and the technical capacity to develop new innovations.”

Devin Gilbertson takes part in a rotation to learn about workplace safety. 

Gilbertson was not the first MMA intern honored with the CIAB scholarship. Gavin DeHaai is a previous scholarship recipient and former intern turned full-time employee.

DeHaai, who began a role as a business insurance sales associate in the summer, was struck by the agency’s interest in his career development as an intern.

 “MMA’s internship program enabled me to find what I was passionate about and pushed me into opportunities to help me grow and prepare me for a full-time position,” DeHaai said.

The Sioux Falls office has four previous interns working full time; all have either grown up in South Dakota or graduated from a South Dakota-based university. The success of MMA’s internship program also gets recognition from statewide college institutions.

“It’s important for companies to realize the significance of having a quality internship program,” said Mandy Hanson, manager of the Career Success Center at the University of South Dakota’s Beacom School of Business. “Internships are a great way for both the employer and the student to see if they are a good fit for each other, plus a quality internship program helps develop a pipeline of talent for companies.”

MMA is always looking to grow and develop new talent and looks forward to attending career and internship fairs virtually this fall. To find out more about the internship program or employment opportunities, click here or contact [email protected].