Brightway Insurance Employees Share Stories of Growth, Flexibility

Article sponsored by Brightway Insurance. For info about sponsored articles, please contact editor@thecoastal.com

Striking a work-life balance and climbing the corporate ladder are hard enough on their own – but the added challenge of child-rearing and constant relocation creates hurdles that disproportionately affect working parents and military spouses. The traditional workplace does not typically afford parents and military spouses the flexibility they need to work reliably, let alone the opportunity for upward mobility.

But Brightway Insurance, a national insurance distribution company based in Jacksonville and one of the largest property and casualty agencies in the country, has broken the mold.

Kayla Marlow, a mother of two, a Team Lead and a Brightway employee of eight years, knows about those opportunities first-hand. She has been recognized as an Employee of the Quarter and as an Employee of the Year, distinctions within the company that earn employees $500 and tickets to Disney World, respectively in addition to recognition at company-wide meetings and Brightway’s annual franchisee conference. Since starting at Brightway, Marlow has grown into her role. She began as a Router, handling data entry and learning the systems and processes before moving on to Processing, where she first started learning the ins and outs of insurance. Between those positions, Marlow became a mother, and she was pleasantly surprised by the flexibility the company offered.

“After I had both of my children, my availability wasn’t the same – I had a crazy schedule to work around. But Brightway accommodated me the whole way,” she said. “I came back working [odd hours] just to get out of the house and to stay involved with the company. Once my daughter turned one and was enrolled in daycare, I realized I wanted to focus on my career again and I wanted the opportunity to become a lead. I changed my schedule to five days a week, eight hours a day and [Brightway] continued to open doors for me. Once I was back full-time I applied for a Unit Lead position, and after a while in that role I was promoted to Team Lead.”

For Shanel Moseley, a mother of two and a Renewal Specialist who joined the company three years ago, the convenience and flexibility Brightway afforded her remain unmatched. Moseley started at Brightway when her husband, an active duty service member, relocated to Jacksonville. Two years later, he received orders to relocate to Fort Worth, Texas, and Mosely had to consider changing jobs yet again.

“As all military spouses know, when it’s time to change jobs, it’s no fun,” Moseley said. “When I informed my Team Lead at the time that my husband had gotten orders and we would be moving, I requested to work remotely. She did everything in her power to accommodate me. They provided me with a laptop and an extra monitor and had everything set up before I even left Jacksonville.”

She credits her team for facilitating the change and continuously making her feel as though she never left.

“I have never worked for a company where I truly felt like family, but I feel as if Brightway is my family, she said. “The people at this company have made working remotely the easiest thing possible. Brightway offers superior flexibility, and they will make the necessary accommodations for their employees. If you give your best to this company, they will in turn do the same.”

Brightway’s willingness to work around and invest in its employees for the long haul continues to be a huge draw, reinforcing the company’s mandate of existing to reach its potential. Many positions, like those in Routing or Customer Service, require virtually no formal experience and offer flexible hours that make it ideal for students, young professionals and parents. According to Marlow, employees who start at entry level positions tend to develop the ability to grow within the company.

“There’s plenty of room to grow once you get your foot in the door because you have so much support and you’re exposed to so many different areas that you naturally become a well-rounded employee and an asset to the company,” she said. “It’s a super beneficial way to make a workforce of employees who are well prepared to succeed in any position that they move up to. We’re constantly growing and developing new roles, and we’ve grown into something that’s truly streamlined.”

Brightway Insurance is located at 3733 University Boulevard West, Suite 100. To learn more about job opportunities or to apply for a position, visit www.brightway.com/careers.

The Coastal

The Coastal is a local magazine in Jacksonville, FL, founded in 2015 to bring you stories about the past, present, and future of the First Coast.

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Corey says:

June 13, 2019 at 7:53 pm

I will never use Brightway again. They have no respect for the customer's wishes and I pretty much had to do their job for them while they collected commissions. Use Palm Insurance Agency instead. Much better service and they actually listen to you.