A Letter to NAILBA from James Wong

Thank You to NAILBA and the Journey It Gave Me

For more than 20 years, attending NAILBA’s annual event has been both a privilege and a personal mile marker — one that quietly tracked my growth as an agency owner, leader, and now builder of something new.

In the early 2000s, showing up at NAILBA meant something very specific to me.

My partner and I were a young agency, fueled by ideas in the morning and execution in the afternoon. All self-funded, scribbled out on a yellow notepad with a cheap pen. Attending NAILBA was proof that we had earned a seat in the room. It meant we could celebrate being agency owners while learning from the best in the business.

Those early conferences helped us refresh our decks, rethink our strategies, and decide where to place our bets. Whether that was developing agents or recruiting the next one. Just as importantly, I learned how to show up among peers and industry executives. The wide-eyed agency owner promising the most production slowly gave way to a more measured, thoughtful operator focused on disciplined growth and meaningful results.

Those early conferences helped us refresh our decks, rethink our strategies, and decide where to place our bets. Whether that was developing agents or recruiting the next one. Just as importantly, I learned how to show up among peers and industry executives. The wide-eyed agency owner promising the most production slowly gave way to a more measured, thoughtful operator focused on disciplined growth and meaningful results.

NAILBA gave me a front-row seat to the evolution of our industry. I’ve loved watching Regional VPs and Directors grow into C-suite leaders at carriers…many of us advancing together over the years.

From practice management, leadership through change, culture, AI, and lessons from elite athletes and top performers across industries, the Main Stage always delivered. But as valuable as the programming was, the real education often happened elsewhere.

My favorite memories live in the hallways and hospitality suites.

Those spaces cut through the polished messaging and social media highlight reels and created room for honesty. Real conversations. Shared pain points. Collaborative problem-solving. As the drinks were poured, so too was the indirect coaching that shaped my thinking in ways no formal session ever could.

NAILBA was also where I learned how carriers truly think. It gave me meaningful access to carrier executives’ priorities, upcoming strategies, and how we stacked up against friendly competitors. Seeing carriers invest real dollars alongside us through marketing budgets and production goals created confidence and a sense of true partnership.

That deeper connection eventually led to board service. Friends encouraged me to step in, and after time with Dan LaBert, I said yes.

The seven years that followed were formative. During a period of heavy aggregation, NAILBA had to rethink who its members were and how best to serve them. Under Dan LaBert’s leadership, and later Warren May’s guidance post-merger, momentum returned.

Key priorities were addressed: financial discipline, sales alignment, certification programs, committees, and stronger storytelling. Pam Sheehan’s leadership turned NAILBA Perspectives into an award-winning publication.

Serving as Treasurer also allowed me to participate in the NAILBA Charitable Foundation by supporting meaningful causes and communities.

It was not easy to step away before serving as Chair, but it made room to build The Founder’s Chair. I kept meeting founders with incredible technology and energy solving real problems, yet lacking access to impactful industry relationships, especially on the distribution side.

Some of my favorite moments were bringing newer agency owners and founders to their first NAILBA: walking the expo floor, making introductions, and watching them see what’s possible.

While my board service has concluded, my support has not. I’m excited for the future leadership and advisory team guiding this organization forward.

As I step back from formal board service, one last thought stays with me.

If you’re reading this and feel even the slightest pull to serve (on a committee, an advisory group, or one day the board), don’t hesitate. Run, don’t walk! Say yes before you feel fully ready.

The work will stretch you. The relationships will shape you. And the perspective you gain by serving something bigger than your own business will quietly compound over time. Long after the meetings end and the titles roll off, what remains is a deeper understanding of the industry, a stronger network of friendships, and a clearer sense of how you can contribute beyond yourself.

And if you do step in, give it time.

One day, you’ll look back on your own journey through the seasons of learning, leading, disagreeing, building, and growing, and you’ll realize you weren’t just helping an association move forward. You were becoming someone new in the process.

You’ll have your own story to tell.

NAILBA. The place for independent distribution to thrive.