First Connect

First Connect is proud to be recognized as an Inc. Best Workplaces Honoree for 2026. 🎉

The strength of our platform starts with the strength of our people. Our team brings curiosity, collaboration, and genuine care to everything they do, and as our CEO Aviad Pinkovezky puts it, "our growth has been driven by the people building this company every day."

We are so grateful for each and every one of them.

Check out the full press release here 👇
https://www.firstconnectinsurance.com/blog/first-connect-inc-2026-best-workplaces/

We're heading to Atlantic City! 🎉

Come find us at the 2026 PIA NY/NJ Annual Conference, June 7 & 9 at Prime Booth #440. Stop by to talk growth, partnerships, and what's possible for your agency with First Connect.

Hope to see you there. 👋

"Nothing is impossible. The word itself says 'I'm Possible.'"

Shamrock Holak has been saying that to the agents she mentors for years, and she means it.

This month, we're proud to feature her as our May Agent Spotlight.

After more than two decades in the industry, Shamrock knew exactly what was missing on the captive side: the freedom to do what was best for the client. She founded Shamrock Insurance Agency in 2018 to fix that. "Going independent gave us the flexibility to work with multiple carriers and truly focus on what is best for the client instead of trying to fit everyone into one company's products. We focus on making sure clients understand their coverage, helping them avoid gaps, and being available long after the sale," she says.

That instinct traces back to how she was raised. As a preacher's kid, she learned early that honesty and community aren't extras; they're the foundation. Before insurance, she worked in retail, mortgage origination, and debt collection, becoming the top collector in the country not by being aggressive, but by listening and treating people going through hard times like human beings.

For Shamrock, insurance is a calling, not just a career. "We get to be part of so many important moments in their lives, whether it's buying a first home, adding a teenage driver, starting a business, or helping them through a difficult claim," she says. "Being able to continue helping people over the years is something I truly value."

That means paying attention long after the sale. Shamrock reviews every renewal without exception, because a policy that goes down in price can still hide a change the client never saw coming, like a roof shifting from replacement cost to actual cash value.

As the market has shifted, that vigilance has only mattered more. Carriers have pulled out of ZIP codes, exclusions have tightened, and underwriting restrictions have landed on clients who never had to think about them before. Her approach has stayed the same: educate first, then let the client decide.

First Connect gave the agency the carrier options to make that possible. "When we call, it never feels transactional," she says. "We feel supported, heard, and treated like a true partner." That alignment matters to her because it mirrors exactly how Shamrock Insurance treats its own clients.

Outside the agency, she's a transportation insurance expert who built a community for women in trucking with over 12,000 members, now the foundation for a book about the stories and strength of women in an industry that doesn't always see them clearly enough.

A great day ends knowing someone felt taken care of, then home to her husband of more than 25 years and an evening of BBC shows with the noise of business turned off.

This is exactly why First Connect exists: to give agents like Shamrock the markets and support to build something that truly reflects who they are.

Shamrock, thanks for sharing your story with the First Connect community.

First Connect is heading to Insurtech Insights USA in New York and we could not be more ready.

Our CEO Aviad Pinkovezky will be on the Main Stage for "When Both Sides See the Same Data: What Changes" alongside Pete Shelley, President of Berkshire Hathaway Direct Insurance Company.

Our VP of Customer Success & Agency Operations Noe Gonzalez will be taking the stage for "Smarter Growth: Using Advanced Tech to Target the Right Risk at the Right Time."

📅 June 3 | Javits Center, NYC

Come see us there. 👋

🎟️ https://www.insurtechinsights.com/america/

Today, we pause to honor and remember the brave men and women who gave everything in service to our country. Thank you for your sacrifice. 🇺🇸

Generalist agents write policies.
Specialist agents build books. 
 
When you become the agent who genuinely understands a specific industry, you stop competing on price and start competing on knowledge.

That means knowing the risks, speaking the language, anticipating the seasonal exposures, and understanding exactly what keeps your clients up at night. That fluency is a much harder thing for a competitor to undercut than a rate.

It starts with picking one vertical and going deeper than feels comfortable. That’s really the whole straegy. Not more carriers, not more product lines, not more complexity. Just a focused book, the right access to support it, and room to grow as your reputation in that space does. 
 
Agents who build that kind of presence don’t have to chase clients.  
The clients come to them.

The decision to go independent is yours. 

So is everything you build. 

Our new guide covers the practical side of making that leap the right way, from the foundations most new agencies skip to the tools worth having early and the carrier access that keeps you competitive from the start. 

The agents who figure this out don’t do it because they had everything lined up perfectly. 

They do it because they showed up before they felt ready, built the infrastructure as they went, and found the right people and platforms to grow with. 

You are already further along than you think.

A mid-year check-in takes 10 minutes and almost always turns up something worth addressing. 

Here’s how to make it easy: Set mid-year check-in reminders in your calendar or CRM the moment you bind a policy. When that reminder hits, a quick email or phone call is all it takes. 

One question does the heavy lifting.

For a business owner it might sound like: “Has anything changed in your operations this year?”

For a personal lines client: “Has anything changed at home, a new car, a renovation, anything new of value?” 

Either way, the answer almost always surfaces something. New employees, new equipment, a recent move, a growing household. 

One question, asked at the right moment, is what turns a renewal into a real relationship, makes your book sticky, and keeps your clients protected.

Wishing all the mothers in our agent and partner community a wonderful Mother's Day from all of us at First Connect.

Flood insurance isn’t complicated. Not bringing it up is. 

Most clients may think they’re covered. They’re not. A quick “Did you know your home policy doesn’t include flood?” is often what turns a renewal into a bigger policy and a more protected client. 

You don’t have to live on the water to need it either.

1 in 3 flood claims comes from outside high-risk zones. 

Flood doesn’t check FEMA maps before it shows up and coverage can cost less than your client’s weekly grocery run.

The average claim payout is $68,000. 

For a small monthly cost, your client gets life-changing protection when they need it most. One question opens that door every time.