Burand & Associates and SageQuest Consulting Announce Perpetuation NexGen

Denver, CO, 07/05/12 – Insurance agency consultants, Burand & Associates, and family business advisors, SageQuest Consulting, are proud to announce the first of its kind, holistic perpetuation planning program – Perpetuation NexGen.

“The need for perpetuation or succession planning is truly staggering. According to a recent study sponsored by the Insurance Journal, more than 25% of independent agency owners/principals will be retiring or leaving the business in the next five years. Based on this fact, coupled with insurance carriers demanding perpetuation plans in return for contracts, the industry is in dire need. Yet most agencies do not have strategies for transitioning their business into the next generation,” states Chris Burand, Owner/Founder of Burand & Associates. “If they have done any planning, it is typically focused on financing, sales price, terms, and other structures but disregards one of the most important parts of their business – the people.”

This need ignited the development of Perpetuation NexGen. Burand & Associates and SageQuest Consulting recognized their combined expertise could make it possible for agencies to truly continue their family legacy. Perpetuation NexGen is unique because it weaves together all aspects of business succession planning. The backbone is the structural and business components that include deal structuring, expert valuations for tax planning, financial structuring, balancing the needs of the seller and buyer, and masterfully orchestrating various legal contracts, employment contracts, agency operations, and insurance company relationships. The second layer of Perpetuation NexGen is all about creating an environment for critical conversations that aid businesses through the maze of conflicts that arise during perpetuation planning. It focuses on the Founder to help him or her clarify, renegotiate, and design next steps for their personal and professional lives. The program also works with the Family to identify and navigate long-standing dynamics that are impasses to successful perpetuation. And the Firm is helped to align roles, remove roadblocks and develop next generation leaders.

“Perpetuation can be a daunting organizational, emotional, and family challenge. My expertise focuses on this human side of business succession—the part that too often derails the best of legal, tax, and financial exit plans,” states Jay Brenneman, Principle of SageQuest Consulting. “We facilitate often long-avoided family conversations to eliminate emotional logjams that keep families and businesses from executing on well-designed transition plans.”

About Chris Burand and Burand & Associates:
Burand & Associates, LLC specializes in management consulting for independent insurance agencies and property & casualty insurance companies. Owner and Founder, Chris Burand has over 20 years of experience in the industry and is recognized as a leading consultant for agency valuations and strategic consulting including producer compensation contracts/plans, agency operation efficiencies, and E&O audits. Chris is an accredited business appraiser and approved by the two largest E&O carriers as an auditor. For more information, visit www.burand-associates.com

About Jay Brenneman and SageQuest Consulting:
SageQuest provides consulting services that preserve family integrity and family enterprises. They focus on guiding critical conversations that help navigate business transitions for the founder, the firm and the family. With over 25 years of experience as a counselor and consultant to family business owners, Jay Brenneman gets to the heart of family enterprise perpetuation challenges. For more information, visit www.sagequest.com

Contact:
Chris Burand
Chris@burand-associates.com
719.485.3868