Mike Shea, President, SGP Advisors
July 2026 — Invest: sat down with Mike Shea, president of SGP Advisors, to discuss how the firm is navigating market volatility, hurricanes, and consolidation while building a culture that keeps talent and clients at the center. “We see our role in the Tampa Bay economy as raising that bar, being the kind of risk partner that businesses can rely on when it matters most,” said Shea.
What recent changes have had the greatest impact on SGP Advisors?
The biggest impact has really come from the strategic initiatives we talked about a year ago and then went out and executed. That growth has driven a different level of collaboration across the organization and created a renewed energy around what we’re building.
Culturally, we’ve settled into what I would call an unspoken hybrid environment. We still prefer people in the office because that’s where the best collaboration happens, but we also recognize that the post-COVID world has changed expectations. Rather than lose talent, we’ve chosen to adapt. Interestingly, over the last 12 months we’ve seen more people choosing to be in the office, which is partially attributed to both new hires and the momentum behind what the organization is doing.
All of that has given us a chance to reset our sales culture, align people around our growth strategy and attract new talent for the coming year. So when I look back, the combination of new business segments, a healthier in-office rhythm, and a more intentional sales culture has had the greatest impact on the firm.
How are you positioning your private client group to scale over the next few years?
Private client has been a real success story for us. A big part of scaling it has been leveraging technology, marketing, and social media in a more intentional way. We hired an outsourced marketing firm — founded by a University of Tampa graduate — that has helped us build brand awareness and drive traffic specifically to the private client group. We’re seeing that thoughtful digital presence directly translate into new inquiries and relationships.
Market conditions have also created tailwinds. Compared to the period when we had back-to-back storms and many of our colleagues and clients were personally impacted, the past year has been much less eventful from a hurricane standpoint. Coupled with legislative changes at the state level, that calmer environment has attracted new capital and new carriers into the Florida market. More carriers and capacity mean more competition, and competition is pushing rates down.
Established carriers have responded by filing for rate decreases to keep pace with new entrants that don’t carry prior storm losses. As rates move, everyone is paying closer attention to their insurance costs, which opens doors for us.
The combination of better pricing dynamics, targeted marketing, and new talent focused on that book has allowed our private client group to roughly double in size over the last 12 months. We believe we can reasonably double it again in the next year by continuing to invest in resources and people dedicated to that segment.
You’ve also highlighted cyber insurance and AI as major areas of change. How is your team prepared for that shift?
On AI specifically, we’re following developments closely but have been deliberate about where we lean in. We haven’t made a big, front-end investment in AI as a marketing or client-generation tool because we’re not yet convinced it aligns with our target market in a way that justifies that leap.
That said, we are using AI behind the scenes to bring efficiencies into day-to-day operations, such as support with email and certain forms of mass communication.
Where we’re very active is in understanding AI through the lens of risk and education. We work with a lot of law firms, and AI has become an important part of how they manage documents and workflows. At the same time, there have been some high-profile cases where AI was used incorrectly or unethically, creating real liability issues. We see it as part of our role to help clients understand those exposures and think through governance and coverage.
Cyber, more broadly, is where we’re spending the most educational energy. It’s a huge exposure, the risk is constantly evolving and the goalposts are always moving. We’re presenting through webinars, seminars and white papers, and pushing out information to keep clients current. For many businesses, and certainly for most of our clients, cyber has become one of the largest liability exposures. Our focus is to stay ahead of that curve and make sure clients understand both the risk and the tools available to manage it.
What role do specialist risk management and insurance advisory firms like SGP Advisors play in Tampa Bay’s economy today?
Our industry has been in a decade-long period of unprecedented M&A. Agencies like ours have been acquired, and then those larger firms have been acquired again. As that consolidation has accelerated, it has created a wide gap in the level of service, attention, and true risk management support that clients receive. The variance between what many businesses expect and what they actually experience has grown significantly.
For a firm like ours, that gap is both a challenge and an opportunity. We combine meaningful resources with what I’d call an old-school, high-touch approach — responsiveness, preparation, proactive advice, and real ownership of the relationship. There are fewer and fewer firms that deliver both the technical capabilities and that personal touch. As consolidation continues, our role as an independent insurance brokerage becomes more important and, frankly, more valuable.
It has also affected the reputation of the industry. When the bar for acceptable service gets set too low, it reflects on everyone. At the end of the day, that’s all we’re doing. We’re selling a promise on a piece of paper. If a client is investing significant dollars, the minimum expectation should be that their advisor is responsive and engaged. We see our role in the Tampa Bay economy as raising that bar, being the kind of risk partner that businesses can rely on when it matters most.
Given the hurricane context and broader risk environment, what does the region most need from your sector right now?
Above all, the region needs more firms that genuinely show up for clients. When something goes wrong, whether it’s a hurricane, a car accident, a fire, or an injury, people don’t want to be pushed to a 1-800 number and on their way. They want a trusted advisor who will pick up the phone, explain the process, and walk them through a difficult moment.
Hurricanes grab the headlines, but they are only one piece of the risk puzzle. There are countless other scenarios that impact individuals and businesses from an insurance and liability standpoint. In all of those moments, responsiveness and guidance are what people value. They want someone who not only placed the coverage but is also willing to stand beside them when it’s time to use it.
Our mission is to be that kind of partner in prioritizing service, communication, and advocacy over pure transaction.
Looking ahead to the next two to three years, what are your key goals and priorities for SGP Advisors?
We’re always focused on growth, but we’re very clear that we want to grow the right way. Top-line revenue is easy enough to measure; what matters more to us is whether we are meeting the needs of our clients, supporting our staff, adding the right talent and expanding into the right products and segments. If we execute on those things, the revenue will follow.
Talent is probably the single biggest lever. We have new sales professionals joining and we’re excited about what they bring to the team. Bringing in high-quality people who align with our culture and mission is a concrete, measurable way we define growth.
At the same time, we’re very intentional about protecting what makes SGP different: our culture, our service model, and our client-first mindset. We don’t want growth to dilute those attributes. That’s why we talk about growth in terms of “how” as much as “how much.”
Finally, we’re leaning into strategic partnerships — not capital partners, but industry-related collaborators such as technology companies and other complementary firms. Those relationships create shared opportunities, introduce us to new clients and help us deliver a broader set of solutions.
