Iscential CEO, Warren Barhorst receives "Excellence in Mentoring" Award from the University of Houston's Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship

A Mentor with the program for three years, Barhorst is awarded for his commitment to giving back to the students of the University of Houston

The University of Houston's Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship recently awarded Warren E. Barhorst for "Excellence in Mentoring" at its Class of 2014 Induction and Mentor Ceremony. The awards program drew more than 270 mentors, students, faculty, staff and stakeholders and featured the Dean of the Business School, Latha Ramchand who made opening remarks for the evening.

Ranked as the best program in America by Princeton Review and Entrepreneurship magazine, each year the University educates thousands of students in entrepreneurship and, from this pool of talent, selects 40 students to participate in an elite, three-semester program. One of the most celebrated features of this educational experience is that each student is matched with a personal mentor who supports and inspires their student.

Periodically, the University selects one mentor who has exemplified the values and aspirations of the program. The award reads in part, "This award is bestowed in recognition of exceptional contributions in building and sustaining mentoring relationships with entrepreneurial students through selfless personal sacrifice. The extraordinary quality of his contributions has been demonstrated by the development of outstanding student entrepreneurs through a consistent and unwavering commitment to a deep caring personal interaction that has enriched the lives of these students." Barhorst has been involved in the program for several years and is the sixth person in the history of the program to receive this prestigious award.

"The truth is, I learn so much more from these students then they ever do from me," says Barhorst of his mentoring. "They have big dreams and it's so inspiring to be there from the beginning, to help them really understand what they're passionate about—what their dreams are—and help start them along the path to fulfilling them." 

"Required reading for the entrepreneurship mentoring program is a book entitled 'The Dream Manager'," continues Barhorst. "This book is everything I advocate to my employees: the key to success is (1) dreaming yourself and (2) teaching those around you to dream. The concepts may seem simple, but they are absolutely critical to professional and personal satisfaction and success. In fact, I implemented the program in my own business and we now have a part-time "Dream Manager" on staff."

Barhorst is the founder and CEO of Iscential (formerly the Barhorst Insurance Group), a Texas-based risk management and insurance firm. In 20 years, Iscential has grown from zero clients to more than 60,000 lines in force, from two employees to over 100 employees, and from one location in Jersey Village to 24 across the state of Texas. Barhorst's passion for educating and mentoring frequently has him presenting from coast to coast: from fourth-grade classrooms to executive boardrooms, he is driven to educate others about how to make wise choices that will positively impact their financial future. In 2008, Barhorst penned a book on entrepreneurship titled "Game Plan: The Definitive Playbook for Starting or Growing Your Business". In it, he delves into the power of dreaming and working toward fulfilling those dreams.

Iscential Celebrates a Successful Year and Sets High Goals for 2013 at 18th Annual Meeting and Awards in Houston

"Delivering Our Promise" was the theme of the event as the Iscential team set off to provide "Trusted Advice and Peace of Mind" in 2013

Iscential hosted its 18th Annual Kick-off Meeting and Agency Awards on February 8, 2013 at the Omni Houston Hotel in Houston's Galleria area.

"All of our dedication and hard work the last few years: restructuring the company, changing the brand, and improving our distribution efficiency is really beginning to pay off with our firm topping the $75 million mark in 2012,"  states CEO Warren Barhorst. "This is proof that being patient, aggregating our talents, and centralizing support is a proven formula for success.”

More than 120 team members attended the one-day event that included presentations by Barhorst and multiple break-out sessions by corporate partners. Barhorst delivered a "State of the Company" presentation at the morning session, and wrapped up with a motivating call to action along the theme of the event: "Delivering Our Promise".

"In 2012 we introduced the brand concept of 'I am Iscential'; bringing focus to the fact that our clients, our partners and our teammates—everyone is Iscential," states Barhorst. "We spent most of 2012 working on this concept and we must continue to do so to be successful in the future. As this develops further, we must begin to consistently deliver on our promise of 'Trusted Advice and Peace of Mind'. I am counting on each of [Iscential team members] to step up and do your part and make the delivery of 'Trusted Advice and Peace of Mind' actionable to each and every client you come in contact with."

One of the most anticipated highlights of the event was the annual agency awards dinner and ceremony. Team members who were awarded for raising the bar in 2012 included:


Individual Awards

Most At Bats: Bobby Talbott

Most Premium Booked: Phuc Dang

Total Lives Insured: Mark Farris

Commercial Leader: Jacob Jones

Cross-Sell Leader: Karen Kominczak



Agency Awards

Agency Commercial Leader: D/FW Office

Agency Life & Financial Leader: Bobby Talbott

Agency Account Relationship Leader: Eugene Pryor

Agency Retention Leader: Eugene Pryor

Agency Sales Leader: Agency Yu

Iscential Agency of the Year: Agency Yu



Iscential Pay-Off

Commercial Producer of the Year: Jacob Jones

Nationwide P&C Total DWP Growth Producer of the Year: Bobby Talbott

Nationwide New Personal Lines DWP Producer of the Year: Leash Yu

Support Associate of the Year: Stephanie Kleinhenz

Account Management Associate of the Year: Krystal Livingston



"We hope the event energized our team for a successful new year," says Barhorst. "We absolutely could not be successful without our employees and partners. If they take away anything from this, I want them to remember that they are a part of something great, and that they are appreciated. We've come a long way and have an exciting future ahead, and they are a huge part of that."

Iscential's partners and event sponsors included: Nationwide Insurance, Nationwide Financial, National Flood Services, Insurance Intermediaries, Inc. (III), Alliance Benefit Group, BenefitMall, Crump, Service King Collision Repair Centers, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, PURE Insurance, USLI, and ServPro Industries, Inc.

The Iscential team will celebrate one year under the new brand and honor team members who raised the bar in 2012 and its annual Kick-Off Meeting and Awards

Iscential is planning its 18th Annual Kick-off Meeting and Agency Awards for February 8, 2013. The much-anticipated event will be held at the Omni Houston Hotel in Houston's Galleria area.

"We're coming off our first year as the new brand: Iscential," says CEO Warren Barhorst. "It's taken a lot of work from every person on our team to make the transition. Maintaining our high level of service while also pushing out the new brand has been everyone's role this past year. I think we've done a tremendous job."

Barhorst will present to his team a message crafted under the event's theme "Delivering Our Promise".

"Our tagline is 'Trusted Advice, Peace of Mind'," Barhorst begins. "That's the core of our promise, doing whatever we can to provide this for our customers. Our mission for 2013 is to make sure we're living it every day, and in every way."

Iscential will use social media throughout the event and urges its friends and customers to follow along via Facebook and Twitter: #livingthepromise.