Bethany Insurance’s Growth Puts Employee Appreciation at the Center

Bethany Insurance Agency’s growth story starts with a business that nearly ran out of road. Today, the independent brokerage has 24 employees and projects $14 million in annual revenue. Its staff say the agency’s close-knit culture and leaders’ attention to employee needs have helped make that growth a place they want to be part of.

The San Dimas, California, firm received the West region’s Silver Award for Best Agency to Work For, based on employee nominations. The recognition points to a workplace approach built around daily gestures and longer-term opportunity: staff described supportive colleagues, approachable leaders, flexibility, and room to develop their careers.

From personal lines to a broader brokerage

Bethany launched in 2006, initially focused on personal insurance. Daniel Shehata, now the agency’s owner, received his producer license as the business opened. His parents had deep ties to the industry: his father had an insurance background, and his mother spent 40 years in insurance before starting the agency.

The early years tested the family business. By 2009, Bethany was close to shutting down. Shehata’s father put the family home and his 401(k) behind the effort to keep it operating. Shehata responded by expanding beyond personal lines, learning to sell business insurance and employee benefits as well. He looked for customers directly, approaching small restaurants, laundromats and dry cleaners to offer quotes for general liability coverage.

That push helped the agency survive and broaden its business. Bethany now offers commercial and personal insurance, employee benefits, and workers’ compensation. Its agents work with complex commercial risks and clients in real estate, construction, hospitality, healthcare and professional services. The agency serves clients across California and elsewhere in the country, and holds licenses in 40 states.

Everyday actions shape the workplace

Employees who nominated Bethany described a balance between the resources of a growing firm and the feel of a small, family-run business. One recent hire said the welcome began on the first day and that the atmosphere felt more like family than the large corporation they had left. Other staff pointed to a team culture where people are encouraged to learn and share ideas, including ideas about technology.

Those descriptions are grounded in ordinary routines. Shehata’s father brought a homemade Egyptian-style meal to share with the staff. Shehata often makes affogatos for employees: espresso served with vanilla ice cream and chocolate drizzle. He calls his approach “service-ship,” describing a leadership style that puts service to staff at the center.

Employees also cited catered lunches and check-ins about whether colleagues have the support they need. One nominator said the schedule allows them to work from home twice a week. That flexibility, together with what the employee called excellent work-life balance, stood out as a significant benefit.

These gestures can make appreciation visible, but the larger test is whether staff can see a future at the agency. Shehata says Bethany invests in employees, recognizes their contributions and creates chances for them to take on more responsibility. In a growing brokerage, those opportunities can connect an employee’s development to the firm’s expanding needs.

Growth can mean different things to employees

Shehata’s view is that a strong workplace doesn’t define success in only one way. Some staff may want to move into leadership; others may focus on earning potential, flexibility, stability or becoming experts in their specialties. His stated aim is to make room for those different goals while keeping expectations and accountability clear.

That approach matters for an agency that has widened its business and client base. As a brokerage adds lines of business and serves more types of commercial risk, employees may need to build new skills and take on new responsibilities. Creating routes for that growth can help connect the firm’s expansion with the people who support its clients day to day.

Bethany’s experience also shows how small workplace practices can sit alongside business pressures. The agency’s difficult 2009 period required a major family commitment, while its later expansion depended on learning new lines and winning clients. Employee appreciation alone doesn’t explain the business’s results, and the source offers no measure of its effect on retention or revenue. Still, staff accounts identify concrete features they value: personal recognition, access to leaders, schedule flexibility and opportunities to grow.

For Shehata, the central point is not to assume that strong employees will stay without attention. He says leaders should recognize their contributions and show how their future can fit within the company’s plans. Bethany’s award and growth provide a snapshot of that effort; sustaining it will depend on whether employees continue to find support and room to pursue their own goals as the agency changes.