STORY
"WHEN KNOWLEDGE AND SERV<span class="greenColorDot">I</span>CE COUNTS, CALL OWR"
Fred Wertlieb and Kevin O’Conner meet while taking CLU classes in New York City. At the time, Fred was known as “Mr. Key Pact,” teaching computer assisted financial planning. Kevin was doing joint work with producers in advanced sales. They became fast friends, sharing a love of the insurance industry and complex case design.
Fred and Kevin start owR Opinion. Their goal was, from the very beginning, to build a boutique life insurance brokerage agency dedicated to the more sophisticated insurance professional. They set out to let the marketplace know “when knowledge and service counts, call owR.” As the many insurance and financial professionals who have worked with owR can attest, they accomplished their objective.
The “Blend Book” is born and used to help a broker and friend close a large estate planning case. owR set itself apart in the marketplace through in-depth policy analysis, proprietary concepts and owR unique approach to case design and product selection. Focusing on the importance of diversification and internal rates of return (before they were commonplace on every illustration), the blend book was the hallmark of owR market-focused, proprietary, customizable sales concepts. These presentations helped owR earn its reputation as an innovator and expert in wealth transfer concepts and charitable giving.
Stacey’s “first” job at owR, filing and emptying the garbage cans in the evenings after school for extra spending money, planting the seed for her future in the industry, as much as her teenage self would deny it.
owR continues to grow and now employs 20 people, including a Medical Director and a Long Term Care Director. Fred and Kevin purchase and renovate the owR Building which sat on 3 acres of land in Oakland NJ. This converted warehouse served as owR headquarters for the next 21 years!
Fred and Kevin partner with 9 other BGAs across the country to create a new National Marking Organization, R Group. R Group looks for an innovative model focused on best practice sharing and investing in the success of each of its partners and strong carrier relationships.
After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania and spending 5 years in San Francisco working in market research within the public health field, Stacey (and Tim) decided to move back East and join owR. Stacey began her CLU classes at American College and learned how challenging, but rewarding, it could be joining a family business.
R Group mergers with Aimco to form AimcoR Group. Fred continues to serve on the corporate board to help AimcoR Group become the leading national Insurance Marketing Organization it is today. AimcoR employs a unique business model that places emphasis on forging and maintaining the right relationships with the intent of TRANSFORMING OUR BUSINESS.
owR is one of the 20 members that partnered together to build an innovative B2B insurance platform, AimcoR Enterprise Insurance Group (EIG), further expanding into the financial institution space. We recognized that to reach advisors, we needed to partner with their institutions and offer both the firms and the advisors an engagement process that is creative, consistent, and compliant. That’s where AIMCOR EIG stands out from the crowd.
Kevin passed away at home in April and is missed terribly. We feel so fortunate for having had the opportunity to know him and work with him. Kevin was a true student of the business and his passion for it was unmatched, as was the size of his heart. He was a trusted and admired partner to Fred, a kind and patient leader to all his associates at owR and within the business. Kevin’s positive outlook was contagious. He became a teacher and mentor to so many – his knowledge and enthusiasm extending well beyond business.
Fred spent most of the pandemic isolating with his wife, June, in the Berkshires. With much time for reflection, Fred decided to begin the process of retiring and transitioning the business to Stacey. While he will continue to be involved in owR, he is excited to watch and support owR next chapter and spend more time with June and his grandchildren, all pictured here on an annual trip to Aruba.
After 12 years studying under terrific mentorship and striving to learn OWR business, Stacey Lawler becomes Principal. OWR is now a second-generation, female-led company, looking to build on its rich tradition of integrity, thought leadership, service excellence, and innovation. OWR gets a fresh new look and logo, but continues the work of growing to meet OWR clients’ changing needs today and into the future.
