Partner Spotlight: Eric Mellan
We’re excited to highlight Eric Mellan of Capital West Insurance, an independent agent with a decade of experience in property and casualty insurance. With his deep knowledge of personal umbrella policies and his commitment to educating clients, Eric has become a standout user of the Monoline platform. We recently sat down with Eric to gain his perspective on the personal umbrella market and how he’s using Monoline to take care of his customers.
A Decade of Expertise in Personal Umbrella Coverage
Eric has been offering standalone personal umbrella policies for as long as he’s been in the independent brokerage model. Before discovering Monoline, his go-to was PersonalUmbrella.com. He quickly saw the value in Monoline’s technology and the ease it brings to the process.
"Your product is easy to use, intuitive, and flexible, not a ton of underwriting reviews needed. So, for those reasons, it’s a go-to for me, for sure," Eric shared.
When underwriting review is required, he appreciates the speed and efficiency of the Monoline team. "Yeah, very quick. Generally, within an hour," he noted.
Building Trust Through Education
For Eric, insurance is about educating clients and ensuring they understand the importance of protecting their assets.
"I like building trust and being thought of as an advisor to people when it comes to protecting their assets. I like teaching people about coverages because people generally don’t understand it and really need to," he explained.
He also has great advice for other agents looking to grow their personal umbrella placements.
"If you’re trying to earn business from somebody who’s not with your agency already, ask them: ‘Do you have an umbrella? Do you understand how that works?’ They’ve probably heard of it but don’t understand why it’s important. That gives you an opportunity to advise and help them understand," Eric said. "It’s generally really affordable and really important to have that coverage for most people."
A Passion for Jazz Guitar
Beyond insurance, is a semi-professional jazz guitarist.
"I’ve been playing guitar since I was 10 years old and jazz since middle school. I was in all-state bands and was ranked second-best in the state of Arizona for jazz guitar in high school," he shared. While he once pursued music professionally, he now plays at restaurants and resorts simply for the love of it.
When asked if he promotes his music, Eric laughed, "I don’t really promote myself that much in that realm. It’s more of just a thing I love to do than a career."
Final Thoughts
Eric’s dedication to his clients and his ability to simplify the personal umbrella conversation make him an outstanding Monoline partner. We’re grateful to work with agents like him who bring expertise, passion, and a personal touch to everything they do.
