The Ontario Broker - Volume 21, Issue 5 - 35

It's apparent in every interaction how much culture is at the
forefront with KASE. Even Alex's recent appointment to Talent
& Culture Manager points to culture first.
" I started as Office Administrator just over a year ago and
began getting into HR. Now I lead all recruitment, training and
development, employee engagement and community giving, "
says Alex. " We're really trying to build a culture where everyone
feels valued and aligned. We're mostly able to do this based on
the level of employee engagement we have. "
I can attest employee engagement is high based on their social
feeds and this interview-not only do they have a dodgeball
team, soccer team and podcast together, their enthusiasm and
support for one another shines through.
" It's honestly so much fun being part of this team. And part of
this interview! I've been looking forward to this, " says Alex.
" We really appreciate the opportunity. I've been bragging about
being in this magazine to anyone who will listen, " says Aneeza.
They carve out time to be together, like their recent
KASEaversary where they spent the afternoon on Toronto
Island to " take a step back, reconnect and make sure we're all
aligned on our goals. " And of course, document on social.
" We've definitely taken advantage of social media as a way to
promote ourselves and promote the culture we're building, "
says Aneeza. " The key is to stay on top of trends. Everybody
knows somebody who started a podcast. So what did we
do? We started a podcast. It's a great way to attract different
markets and a younger generation. We want to draw new
talent into the industry-social media is a great way to pursue
that cohort. "
" This culture we're building... it really comes down to making
the team our focus, making sure they know we care about
them, " adds Alex. " We want them to be happy, healthy and
successful. We do that in a variety of ways. Recently we
hosted a wellness series with a naturopathic doctor to discuss
mitigating stress, boosting immune systems and acting in more
mindful ways. It's become very important we promote this kind
of lifestyle if we want our team to stay healthy. "
Stanislav chimes in. " It's a professional duty and obligation for
me to share how great it is to work at KASE. I'm not trying to
poach people, I'm just trying to be a nice guy. "
we started out just the two of us in a 50 square foot room. For
privacy, Arian would stand in the corner facing the wall when
he took phone calls. Initially we asked ourselves why we chose
insurance, but we soon fell in love with it, working with so
many people, so many business owners. From day one, we felt
we were adding value. "
KASE won Brokerage of the Year with a team of 10. Over the
course of the pandemic, they've added another 7. In the last
three years, they've grown from $200,000 in revenue to $2M.
" There was a lot of luck involved from the beginning, " continues
Stanislav. " We were lucky to bring a few key team members
on board, including Alex and Aneeza who have made a huge
difference at our company. We've been able to grow through
the different partnerships we've created along the way. Our
goal is to grow 35% year-over-year for the next 10 years to hit
$100M in revenue. With our current team in place, I have no
doubt we'll get there. "
" We're proud of our growth, " says Arian. " But we're just getting
started. Our plans are much bigger than what we've been able
to achieve so far. They've always been bigger. And we're right
on track-it comes down to having the right people on the
team. "
Team is a recurring theme of the conversation, so I ask Alex
how she knows it's a good fit when it comes to hiring new team
members.
" Alignment. If someone embodies our core values-drive,
authenticity, integrity, innovation and fearlessness-we know
they'll be successful at KASE. People don't need insurance
experience. If they have the attributes we're looking for, we
can train them and give them what they need to be successful
here. "
Arian agrees. " We want brokers if they think like us. If they
want to be part of something bigger. But most of the people
who've joined KASE come from outside the industry. We've
become really good at bringing in people with no experience
and giving them the tools to become great brokers. Anyone
looking to take their career to the next level-that's who thrives
at KASE. "
KASE has a great story. Co-Founders Arian and Stanislav first
met in a call centre where they sat across from one another.
" It was pretty uninspiring, " says Stanislav. " Which is what
inspired us to start something new together. We had a vision
of creating a fun workplace with a smart team. Five years ago,
" A lot of people on our team do their day job serving our
clients, but then contribute in all kinds of other ways, which
allows us to grow the company, " says Stanislav. " Aneeza is our
Client Success Manager, but she also runs our Surety Bonds
Department, which we established earlier this year. It's another
way to provide value to our Construction clients-obtaining
bonding directly from us instead of having to go to another
broker. We grow through our people. Everybody who joins us
is ambitious and entrepreneurial and they're counting on our
growth to continue. "
VOLUME 21 | ISSUE 5
35
The Ontario Broker - Volume 21, Issue 5

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