History may remember 2010 as the year that stuff didn't happen. The economy didn't get better. "Change" from Washington didn't magically appear. The 2010 hurricane season didn't deliver much of a wallop. And in spite of an active year of losses, the soft property-casualty insurance market didn't get any harder.

Some things did happen:

1. Deepwater Horizon. Unlike the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill, this disaster seemed to occur in slow-mo, for months at a time. Between Tony Hayward's whining and the bungled attempts to cap the well, the BP spill is a textbook example for corporations on how not to handle a disaster, from the fix to the public relations surrounding it.
2. Healthcare reform, thwarted? Despite all of the hand-wringing during the debate surrounding healthcare insurance reform, voices of reason made sure independent agents would have a role in the process. And after the bill was signed, others saw not disaster but opportunity for agents in the new law. Now, with Republicans holding a majority in the House and some states challenging the law, it's unclear how the law will be implemented.
3. Mother Nature turns mean in the Midwest. Along with California wildfires, a volcanic eruption in Europe and East Coast hurricanes, the Midwest got hit with record-setting flooding and windstorms. Insurers love writing property business here, but recent activity could suggest that things may be changing.
4. Social media grows up. Last year everyone engaged in Facebooking, tweeting and other social media activity. This year, businesses looked at the strategy underlying these practices, examining not just the how but the why behind social media. They're adopting more integrated marketing plans and formalizing their online rules, recognizing that although the benefits of social media are great, there's also risk involved.
5. The ongoing saga of NFIP. You know how you can watch a soap opera for a couple of days, then catch up with it months later and nothing seems to have happened? The National Flood Insurance Program reminds me of that. Every couple of months it expires, much to the angst of everyone involved, only to have Congress re-up it for another couple of months. This program needs some serious reform, and soon (see Mother Nature).
6. New urgency for recruiting young people. The average agency owner is now 58 years old. The clock is ticking, and our industry must get serious about attracting, recruiting and training young people. AA&B is such a firm believer in the need for new blood that we launched the nexGens Initiative (nGI), to spotlight the accomplishments and viewpoints of these people.

Congratulations on coming through 2010 and here's hoping that 2011 will be a better year for all of us!