NASBP Is Building Better!

The 2025 NASBP Annual Meeting & Expo in Nashville was an incredible event. Zach, Krista, the 2025 NASBP Annual Meeting Program Committee led by Dedi Belis and Tyler McIntyre, NASBP Meeting Planner Bethany Jones, and the entire NASBP staff deserve well-earned kudos for an excellent event. The participation in the general sessions was outstanding! The Tuesday morning panel discussions, “Account Manager to CEO—Managing a Career in an Everchanging Landscape” and “Reinsurance Trends,” were especially well attended. Thanks to our Affiliates, our Associates, and Women in Surety for their support of NASBP and for making our meetings productive and memorable.

Reflecting on the NASBP Annual Meeting & Expo and the last three years as a NASBP Officer as I look forward to the year to come, I can’t help but recall my first Midyear Board meeting. There was an issue before the Board that had passions rising and the debate was heated. In the midst of the debate, Chris Como stood up and reminded us that we are all friends and colleagues with a common goal of building a better association. While we may not always agree on the best path forward, in the end it’s the relationships we build here at NASBP that are the cornerstone of our success. The fundamental truth of this statement inspired my theme for the coming year of Building Better.

There are so many ways that the NASBP “builds better.” The first thing that comes to mind is our NASBP Surety School. In August NASBP producers and underwriters will come together in Denver to teach new and experienced surety professionals about commercial and contract surety. Last year over 325 students attended the summer and winter sessions of the NASBP Surety School—learning the foundational knowledge to build a lasting career in our industry. The NASBP Surety School is supplemented with NASBP Virtual Seminars, the NASBP Let’s Get Surety podcast episodes, and other NASBP learning opportunities for those who seek to improve their understanding of the nuances of suretyship. In turn, we take that knowledge and use it to help our clients build better businesses and stronger surety principles.

NASBP members join our partners at the Surety & Fidelity Association of America to advocate for our industry at the annual Federal Legislative Fly-in in Washington DC. The 2025 Fly-in had a record number of meetings with Congressional offices. These meetings are vital to maintaining and building support for the Miller Act and new surety opportunities, such as the BEAD bonds. The current “cut first, ask questions later” atmosphere in Washington makes good relationships on the Hill more important than ever. You’ll find the Fly-in a rewarding experience where you meet with your members of Congress and their staff to help them understand the importance of surety bonds. Be sure to plan to join us at our Federal Legislative Fly-in next year on February 24 and 25.

Exploring and supporting technological advances in the surety industry, such as XBRL and digital bonds, through our partnership with the XBRL US and RiskStream Collaborative are other examples of how we’re Building Better. As technology has evolved and transformed the way business is conducted, the surety industry has fallen behind, with a bond often being the only paper at a contract closing. Commercial surety obligees are looking for better and more efficient ways to manage their bond guarantees. Identifying ways in which we can leverage technology is critical if we want to stay relevant and maximize productivity. We’re starting to see the fruits of that labor as construction technology vendors incorporate XBRL functionality in their software, promoting financial data sharing across systems. As it becomes more widely adopted, we will all benefit from the results.

We are constantly looking for ways to provide value to our Members—single office agencies and regional and national brokers. That also includes our Affiliates and Associates that support our mission to build a better industry. NASBP’s Make Surety a Career Program (https://learn.nasbp.org/MakeSuretyACareer) is raising the profile of surety careers at our colleges and universities. We want to make a surety career a destination, not happenstance. Your participation, either through helping us connect with the right contacts at schools and colleges or providing internships or early career opportunities for students, is an integral part of Building Better.

The famous author, John Donne, wrote “No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.” Like most associations, clubs, and social groups, you get more out of them, the more you engage in them. Your participation at NASBP events and meetings—as a student, teacher, advocate, presenter, committee member, Board member, or attendee, helps us build a better surety industry. It also helps you be successful through the relationships you make with your fellow members. I can’t tell you how many times a NASBP member has been helpful to me when I’ve reached out for assistance in getting something done.

As summer begins, now is the time to register for the NASBP Fall Meetings, which will be held September 10-12, in Salt Lake City, UT and October 15-17,  in Charlotte, NC. Registration, meeting information, and the hotel group block is now available for both Fall Meetings.

I hope to see you at the NASBP Fall Meetings, NASBP Surety School sessions, Midyear Meeting, Legislative Fly-in, and the 2026 NASBP Annual Meeting & Expo at the Broadmoor, so that you can enjoy the experience of Building Better!

#BuildingBetter #BeGuaranteedToSucceed #MakeSuretyACareer #NASBPWestMeeting #NASBPEastMeeting

Robert Coon is Vice President – Surety at Scott Insurance in Greensboro, NC. He can be reached at rcoon@scottins.com or 336.510.0072.