John Fear has worked in the insurance industry for 32 years in the areas of Life & Annuity, Small Commercial, Boiler & Machinery, Field Operations, Process Engineering and Personal Insurance. In 2007, John left the corporate life to start his own consulting firm – Premier Business Consulting.

 As National Director of Agency Development at Travelers, John conducted hundreds of workshops for agency owners and developed and facilitated sales training sessions throughout the country for thousands of Producers and CSRs. He has consulted with agencies across the country, focusing on improving sales and maximizing operational efficiencies. In addition to developing and delivering sales and continuing education courses, John is also a certified facilitator for National Alliance and the American Insurance Marketing Society (AIMS) where he facilitates the CPIA designation classes.

 Since starting his own business, he has been a featured presenter at several National Sales Meetings for major insurance companies and Independent Agency organizations. Those experiences have given him an outstanding knowledge and insight into real life solutions that effectively meet agency needs. His workshops enable agents to meet and exceed their business objectives by incorporating sound business principles into their everyday operations.

 John, his wife Cheryl and their twelve-year-old Cairn terrier Sasha live in the Adirondack Region of New York State where they are owners of The Adirondack Inn which has been recognized each year with Trip Advisor’s Certificate of Excellence.

Brian Lawrence is the Director of HR Solutions for Ohio Insurance Agents.  He is responsible for developing HR resources for the membership which includes over 1000 Independent Insurance agents across Ohio. His career includes over 23 years in Human resources, including 20 years at Nationwide. His tenure at Nationwide included included seven years as an HR Director/Strategic HR Business Partner providing support to a variety of executive leadership teams including P&C, Commercial and Non-Standard Customer Service & Operations, Life Insurance and Annuity Operations, & Nationwide Pet Insurance. A graduate from Ohio University, Brian has a Bachelor of Science. He resides in Gahanna with his husband, Matt and their two children. Both are passionate about their community and serve as licensed foster parents for over a decade. Outside of work and family, Brian enjoys coaching basketball and soccer and playing softball. He enjoys traveling and hiking and has visited 45 of the 50 United States! 

Dr. Bill LaFayette is owner of Regionomics®, a consulting firm focused on helping clients understand and thrive in small-area economies — neighborhoods, communities, and regions. Services include economic development strategy, workforce strategy, economic impact analysis, economic and demographic analysis, and fiscal analysis.

Bill brings to his work 25 years of experience in economic development and economic analysis in central Ohio. Prior to founding Regionomics in 2011, he spent 12 years as vice president of economic analysis for the Columbus Chamber of Commerce and four years with Rickenbacker Port Authority, which formerly managed Rickenbacker International Airport and its Global Logistics Park and Foreign-Trade Zone.

Previously, he was a full-time member of the finance and real estate faculties of Ashland University and the University of North Texas, and has more recently been an adjunct faculty member of The Ohio State University’s Fisher College of Business and John Glenn College of Public Affairs.

Bill is coauthor of Knowledge Economies and Knowledge Work (Emerald Publishing, 2019); writes a bimonthly column, On the Money, for Hannah News Service exploring various aspects of the Ohio economy; and has produced an economic forecast for the Columbus metropolitan area annually since 2000. Bill is a board member of Employment for Seniors and the Affordable Housing Trust for Columbus and Franklin County, a commissioner of the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC), and a member of the Columbus Metropolitan Club Program Committee. A recognized authority on the Ohio and Columbus economies, Bill earned a Ph.D. in real estate economics from The Ohio State University in 1994.

He also holds an M.B.A. in investment management and a B.S., Summa cum Laude, in finance and accounting, both from Wright State University. He is a 2004 graduate of Leadership Columbus and the 2018 inductee into the Leadership Columbus Hall of Fame. In his off hours, Bill enjoys 20th Century concert music and collects popular, jazz, and country recordings from the dawn of the talking machine to the present.

Scott Treen is the President of Treen Insurance Agency in Jefferson, Ohio. He has more than 30 years of experience as an insurance professional. He earned a bachelor's degree from Youngstown State University in 1981 and holds the CPIA designation and earned his CIC designation in 1999. Scott received the Jack V Hedges Educator of the year award in 2007 from the Professional Insurance Agents of Ohio and is on the National Faculty for the National Alliance.

Scott has taught for CISR, CIC, LUTCF, CPIA and other professional development courses and speaks to various civic groups. He has also taught insurance related curriculum to high school students. He was past president of the Ashtabula County Life Underwriters Association.