We've heard a lot about insurance agents becoming an endangered species. NU's recent survey and the conversations we hold regularly with agents, however, indicate that they are alive and well, and thriving. But clearly, it takes a lot of work to succeed in the current business environment. Each year, the Travelers Companies, Inc. recognizes a select group of its personal insurance agents for their outstanding customer service, delivery of long-term profitable growth and commitment to Travelers. The 2019 awards were recently presented at the Travelers annual leadership conference for top independent agents and brokers. The following are the 2019 Agent of the Year Award recipients:

• Greg Bacon, TAG Insurance Services (The Ahbe Group, Inc.), Centennial, Colo.
• John Deichl, Guaranteed Rate, Chicago, Ill.
• Annie Hanna Engel, Howard Hanna Insurance Services, Inc., Pittsburgh, Pa.
• Joe Finney, The Villages Insurance Partners LLC, Tampa, Fla.
• Matt Naimoli, G&N Insurance, Southborough, Mass.
• Brooke Roche, Wine Valley Insurance Services, Napa, Calif.
• Bruce D. Roddy, Whitney H. Roddy, Inc., Bloomfield, N.J.
• Dan Roper, Capstone Insurance Agency, Overland Park, Kan.
• Michael Silverman, Gloron Agency, Inc., New York, N.Y.
• Tracy Ward, Seven Hills Insurance Agency LLC, Cincinnati, Ohio.

"We work with a tremendous group of agents who routinely deliver high-quality services to customers, and we are excited to once again recognize those who have achieved exceptional results," said Michael Klein, executive vice president and president of Personal Insurance at Travelers, in a statement. "We thank each of the winners for their partnership and the value they provide, we commend them on their commitment to their communities, and we congratulate them on their continued success." Continuing NU's tradition of listening to the voices of agents, we asked seven of Travelers' agents of the year for 2019 to share their thoughts on the trends they're seeing outside the insurance industry that they expect to have an impact their business or their customers' needs. We share their responses in the slideshow above. Related: 

• NU Agency of the Year Award, G&N Insurance: Earning success, one bobblehead at a time
• 2019 forecast predicts strong growth for independent agents, brokers
• Insurers come up short for independent insurance agents, J.D. Power finds