Spencer Houldin, President of Ericson Insurance Advisors and Speaker at IIAV's 2022 Convention is awarded The Woodworth Memorial Award
Print this Article | Send to Colleague
The prestigious award, established in 1925 in memory of the second Big “I" president C.H. Woodworth, recognizes the outstanding contributions of an independent agent or broker to the national association, to their Big “I" colleagues, and to the insurance industry.
In 2004, Houldin became the youngest person to ever serve as Independent Insurance Agents of Connecticut (IIAC) president. The subsequent year he began a six-year term as IIAC's representative to the Big “I" National Board.
When Houldin and his wife were called on stage to receive the award, he was surprised by his siblings who flew out to Washington, D.C. to witness the moment. A notable absence was Houldin's father, who passed away a few months ago.
“He was a great independent agent, and he was a great advocate for the Big 'I,'" Houldin said of his father. He also thanked his wife and siblings for their support, as well as the Big “I." “What this association has done for our family because of its advocacy for independent agents around the country, putting us all through college—second generation—and the role model that our father set and made us get involved in the association … we couldn't be more grateful for everything that this association stands for. Thank you, Bob, and the Executive Committee for this honor, and thank you, Bob, for your friendship and your staff and everything that you've done to help me along."
On the national level, Houldin has held several leadership positions, including serving as Big “I" chairman in 2016-2017. He is the youngest person to serve in that capacity. Before that, he served a three-year term as chairman of the Big “I" government affairs committee, testifying before numerous congressional committees on behalf of the association on topics ranging from the modernization of the insurance industry to the National Flood Insurance Program.
In addition to his Big "I" association involvement, he also serves on the InsurBanc board of directors.
“This year's honoree is a forward-thinking innovator who has always strived to push the independent agency channel to new heights. He truly loves his work and the independent agency system and has a zeal and talent for telling our story within the broader industry," Fee said when presenting the award. “We're thankful for his service to our industry and especially the Big 'I.'"
