Big I Indiana

What Big I Indiana does

Big I Indiana (legal name: The Independent Insurance Agents of Indiana, Inc.) is a nonprofit professional trade association founded in 1898 and headquartered at 11611 N. Meridian St, Ste 250, Carmel, Indiana. It represents independent insurance agencies and branches across the state of Indiana, whose combined workforce exceeds 3,500 licensed agents and customer support representatives. The association was rebranded from the Independent Insurance Agents of Indiana to Big I Indiana in 2021 to align with long-standing usage by members, carrier partners, and the legislative/regulatory community.

The association's offering is organized around four pillars: state and federal advocacy and lobbying (daily Indiana Statehouse presence via CEO Steve Duff and Catalyst Public Affairs Group, plus IIABA-led federal lobbying), professional development (live and on-demand webinars, AILP/AIAM/MLIS designation programs, The Institutes partnership covering 30+ designations, ABEN micro-credentials with digital badges), market access (Big I Alliance Blue/Blue Plus/Gold, Smart Choice with extra 5% commission and three access tiers), and operational support (Big I Hires powered by IdealTraits, CareerPlug recruiting software, E&O and cyber liability insurance products, ACORD Forms licensing for sub-$50M P&C agencies, contract review services, and an exclusive Indiana P&C Marketplace Summary). Membership tiers comprise Agency Membership (for independent agencies), Associate Membership ($1,000/year for non-agency organizations), and a tiered Partner Program for corporate sponsors.

The business model is subscription recurring membership dues plus partner program sponsorships, with events (annual convention, Emerging Leaders Conference, Farm Ag Conference, Women in Insurance, Social Club regional events) layered on top as both member benefits and monetization channels. GTM is community-led and event-driven: recruitment via the website, referrals, carrier/vendor partnerships, and the in-person convention cycle. Geographically the organization is constrained to Indiana, with no disclosed plans for multi-state expansion, though it shares national advocacy infrastructure with IIABA. Leadership is led by CEO Steve Duff; the broader team size is 11-50 employees, and revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Name

Big I Indiana

Legal name

The Independent Insurance Agents of Indiana, Inc.

Website

https://bigi.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1898

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Big I Indiana is a nonprofit trade association representing independent insurance agencies across Indiana, providing statehouse advocacy, professional development, market access, and hiring resources to its 3,500+ licensed agent members.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Carmel

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Agency Membership Dues: Annual membership fees for insurance agencies that join Big I Indiana to access advocacy, education, market access, and other member benefits.
2. Associate Membership Dues: Annual membership fees for organizations that are not insurance agencies but wish to support the association and gain exposure to members. Priced at $1,000 per year.
3. Partner Program Sponsorships: Corporate partners, wholesalers, and vendors pay to participate in the Partner Program, gaining exposure to Big I Indiana's member agencies. Includes tiered sponsorships from Diamond to General levels.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Big I Indiana is a non-profit trade association that provides independent insurance agencies and agents in Indiana with legislative advocacy, professional development, market access, hiring tools, and member-only insurance products. Its core deliverables include state and federal lobbying, continuing education and designation programs, carrier appointments through Big I Alliance and Smart Choice, recruitment platforms, and a calendar of industry events.

Product overview

Big I Indiana is a trade association for independent insurance agents offering a comprehensive platform of membership services rather than a single software product. The core offerings include advocacy and lobbying (state and federal government affairs, regulatory affairs, IPAC/InsurPac political action committees), professional development (education & training, live/on-demand webinars, designation programs AILP/AIAM/MLIS, micro-credentials via ABEN), and market access services (Big I Alliance with Blue Plus/Gold tiers, Smart Choice with Agents Program/Smart Start/Express Markets). Supporting products include hiring solutions (Big I Hires with IdealTraits, CareerPlug), insurance products for members (E&O insurance, cyber liability), data resources (Indiana P&C Marketplace Summary, Market Share Report), contract review services, and event networking (conventions, conferences, Social Club). The association represents independent agencies and branches across Indiana with member agencies employing over 3,500 licensed agents.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Agency Membership Annual membership tier for insurance agencies providing access to advocacy, education, market access, marketing assistance, agency management resources, and member-only products.
• Associate Membership Annual membership tier priced at $1,000 for non-agency organizations seeking exposure to Big I Indiana members, weekly legislative updates, Focus magazine subscription, networking at reduced rates, and discounted booth rates.
• Partner Program Tiered sponsorship program (Diamond through General) giving carriers, wholesalers, and vendors exposure to Big I Indiana member agencies through Annual Convention, Emerging Leaders Conference, Farm Ag Conference, Social Club events, and Women in Insurance Conference sponsorships.
• Education & Training Programs Comprehensive education and training for insurance agents at all experience levels, including live webinars, on-demand programs, staff development, specialty conferences, and the annual convention.
• Market Access Services Market access and carrier relationship services connecting member agencies to carriers, including Big I Alliance Blue, Blue Plus (vendor discounts), Gold (strategic carrier alignment), and Smart Choice offering personal, commercial, and life markets.
• Advocacy & Lobbying State and federal legislative representation and regulatory affairs advocacy including state lobbying by CEO Steve Duff with Catalyst Public Affairs Group, federal lobbying via IIABA, and the IPAC/InsurPac political action committees.
• Big I Hires Hiring and recruitment solution for independent insurance agencies to attract, identify, assess, and train producers and CSRs, including IdealTraits platform integration, assessments, Affinity HR support, and DIY hiring toolkits.
• CareerPlug Recruiting Software Recruiting software offering a free Basic account for Big I Indiana members (branded careers page, job templates, configured hiring process) and a Premium subscription with unlimited job board postings, texting, automated interview scheduling, and personality assessments.
• Designation Programs Professional designation programs including AILP (live online), AIAM and MLIS (virtual classroom), and partnership with The Institutes offering over 30 designation programs with significant member discounts.
• Micro-Credentials Short, focused learning programs delivered through ABEN partnership providing targeted skills in bite-sized formats with digital badges, including Personal Auto Core Concepts, Homeowners Insurance Core Concepts, and Worker's Compensation.
• Events & Networking

Quantifiable outcome

• Members receive $30 off three-hour webinars, $25 off two-hour webinars, $20 off one-hour webinars
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Smart ChoicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSmart Choice and Big I Indiana have partnered to bring an extra 5% commission to agents who join both programs. Smart Choice has been helping independent agents since 1994, offering personal, commercial, and life markets along with ancillary products. Three access options: Agents Program (carrier appointments), Smart Start (online marketplace), and Express Markets (E&S carriers).
• CareerPlugcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCareerPlug is Big I Indiana's recruiting software of choice, providing an easy-to-use hiring system for members. Every member is eligible for a free Basic CareerPlug account with branded careers page, pre-built job templates, and configured hiring process. Premium subscription available for unlimited job postings to major job boards and advanced communication tools.
• Big I Hires / IdealTraitscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBig I Hires is a comprehensive recruitment solution developed by IIABA for independent insurance agencies. Provides tools for attracting, identifying, assessing, and training top-performing Producers and CSRs. IdealTraits platform powers the job posting and candidate assessment functionality.
• Big I Alliance (Blue, Gold, Plus)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBig I Alliance (formerly Big I Markets) provides market access for independent agents. Options include Big I Alliance Blue (standard market access), Big I Alliance Blue Plus (vendor discounts), and Big I Alliance Gold (strategic carrier alignment).
• The InstitutesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with The Institutes provides Big I Indiana members with significant discounts on over 30 professional designation programs for career advancement in the insurance industry.
• ABEN (American Business & Specialty Insurance Institute)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerABEN provides micro-credential programs for Big I Indiana members. These short, focused learning programs offer targeted skills in bite-sized formats with digital badges. Programs include Personal Auto Core Concepts, Homeowners Insurance Core Concepts, and Worker's Compensation.
• ACORDmajorTechnology or IntegrationBig I has negotiated an agreement with ACORD where Big I covers the cost of End User License for eligible agencies accessing ACORD Forms via a management system or redistributor. Members with annual P&C gross revenue under $50 million receive complimentary license to use ACORD Forms.
• Catalyst Public Affairs GroupmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCatalyst Public Affairs Group supplements Big I Indiana's lobbying team at the Indiana Statehouse. The team includes Matt Bell, Tony Mitson, Scott Carr, Gretchen White, and Matt Whetstone, providing one of the strongest lobbying presences in Indiana.
• Affinity HRminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAffinity HR provides HR support services to Big I Hires users, helping agencies customize HR policies and procedures.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Michigan Association of Insurance Agents (MAIA): Mid-size state-level IIABA chapter in Michigan operating under the same federation as Big I Indiana. Comparable on advocacy, education, and market-access product stack and on Midwest P&C agent base.
• Professional Insurance Agents (PIA): National trade association for independent insurance agents operating as a direct competitor to the IIABA network. Offers similar advocacy, education, and market access services; competes with Big I Indiana (and its state chapters) for the same independent agent member base.
• Independent Insurance Agents of Texas (IIAT): Largest state-level IIABA-affiliated independent agent association (member count and budget exceed most peers). Same member-benefit stack (advocacy, education, market access, E&O), state-specific lobbying, and Big I Alliance equivalents — most directly comparable to Big I Indiana by model and mission.
• Independent Insurance Agents of North Carolina (IIANC): Mid-size state IIABA chapter operating the same member-benefit architecture as Big I Indiana: statehouse advocacy, education programs, market access partnerships, and member E&O products. Directly comparable chapter peer for benchmarking scale and product mix.
• Florida Association of Insurance Agents (FAIA): Large state IIABA-affiliated association in Florida with a similar product stack (education, advocacy, market access, partner program). Provides a useful template for how Big I Indiana could scale member benefits in a more populous state.
• Independent Insurance Agents of Kentucky (IIAK): Neighboring mid-size IIABA state association serving independent agents in Kentucky. Directly comparable on geography-adjacent membership base, similar Midwest independent agency mix, and similar reliance on P&C carrier appointments.

Others

• The Institutes / Insurance Institute for Highway Safety: Provider of the designation programs (CPCU, ARM, CIC) that Big I Indiana resells at member discount. Functions as both partner and adjacent competitor in the professional-development category — represents a comparable niche education/credentialing operation in the insurance ecosystem.
• National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies (NAMIC): National trade association for mutual insurance carriers. Adjacent ecosystem player with comparable advocacy and education infrastructure; relevant reference for state-level legislative/regulatory trade association operations, though serves carriers rather than agents.

Broad incumbents

• Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers (CIAB): National association representing the largest commercial insurance brokers. Adjacent rather than direct peer — Big I Indiana serves the independent/small commercial agency segment while CIAB serves large national brokers — but offers a relevant benchmark for association scale, advocacy model, and benchmarking products.
• Independent Insurance Agents of America (IIABA / Big I National): National umbrella federation that licenses the 'Big I' brand to state associations including Big I Indiana. Operates federal lobbying, the Big I Hires / IdealTraits national rollout, and InsurPac/IPAC — directly comparable as the parent of Big I Indiana's advocacy and product stack.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/BigIIndiana
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bigi
• Instagraminstagram.com/bigiindiana
• Xx.com/IIAofIN

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Big I Indiana