PIA Connection Online

The future of insurance will not wait for anyone. That means it’s more important than ever for PIA to lead with clarity, courage, with a little humor along the way, according to Mark Suhr, PIA’s President, and leader of Suhr & Lichty Insurance in Seward, Nebraska. Suhr became President of PIA National in October 2025 for a one-year term.

Suhr understands that complacency is dangerous and often references the example of Blockbuster, which passed on the chance to buy Netflix in 2000 for about $50 million. Blockbuster declined. Netflix later grew into one of the world’s largest entertainment companies while Blockbuster went bankrupt. To Suhr, that story isn’t just entertainment trivia—it’s a cautionary tale for every industry, including insurance. Standing still is not a strategy.

“Insurance is more complex than ever, and agents play such an important role—but they must adopt technology and new ways of doing business,” according to Suhr. “Technology will support, not replace, professional guidance. At the same time, no one in our business can simply do things the way they’ve always done them.”

He sees an important inflection point today, especially when it comes to AI and digital automation for buying and servicing insurance. Suhr explains that he doesn’t need much sleep and instead spends his nights testing technology platforms, studying workflows, and exploring automation. In the last few months, he has evaluated tools that can speed bond issuance, enable online scheduling, and improve claims responsiveness, to name a few. He is as comfortable analyzing digital dashboards at midnight as he is sitting across the desk from a longtime client the next morning.

Strong Roots in Nebraska and Insurance

Suhr’s family history traces back to the 1870s, when his ancestors homesteaded in Nebraska. Farming was part of the family’s early DNA though the land divided as more generations were born. Today, Suhr & Lichty reflects both that agricultural heritage and the realities of a modern rural-metro community. Founded by his father in 1962, the agency is family-owned and operated, and Suhr and his sister Diane Lichty now lead it. The third generation has also stepped into the business, including his son, Thomas Suhr, and his sister’s son, Tyler Lichty. Their service areas, which include personal and commercial lines as well as farm and crop reflects their geography, making them one of the largest farm-focused agencies in Nebraska.

Yet even as technology reshapes the industry, Suhr believes deeply in the value of the front door. In a small-town agency, people still walk in—sometimes without an appointment, sometimes with a broken windshield claim, and sometimes just to pay a bill. It can take time to pivot, he admits, but turning someone away has never been an option. “That’s what we’re here for,” he says. “We can offer things that online services can’t.” For clients uncomfortable with technology, the agency becomes the bridge, guiding them through digital systems while preserving the personal relationship that keeps them loyal for decades.

A Familiar Pattern Takes Shape

Suhr gives back to his community and other organizations in many ways. From youth groups to his fraternity, local boards, and the fire department, he doesn’t like sitting on the sidelines and complaining. “If I’m going to criticize something,” he says, “I’d rather step forward and try to help fix it.”

He’s a third-generation firefighter whose department responds to roughly 850 fire and rescue calls each year. And in a small town, that responsibility carries a different weight than it does in a major metro area. It means running toward a fire knowing the homeowner personally, recognizing a name on dispatch before arriving, calling the claims office from the scene while still in fire gear, and coordinating with adjusters and the Red Cross before the trucks even leave.

It also means living in a constant state of readiness. During storm season, he participates in weather spotter training, monitoring tornado systems and reporting real-time updates, not chasing storms but tracking them carefully. He often knows about accidents or fires before many others do. In one instance, while inside fighting a fire in full gear, the fire chief—also an acquaintance—asked the homeowner for their insurance agent’s name. “You want me to call him?” the chief asked. “Sure,” the homeowner replied. The chief turned and said, “Hey, Mark.” Suhr was already there. They just didn’t recognize him beneath the helmet and gear.

In a small community, there is no off-switch. He jokes that he’s a walking 24-hour teller machine, fielding insurance questions at dinner, during a drink downtown, or in the grocery store aisle. To him, it’s part of the privilege of being trusted.

That deep-rooted, community-first instinct now defines his leadership as the new President of PIA: practical, visible, and unmistakably hands-on. Suhr is candid: PIA must grow smarter about how it attracts and retains members in a changing industry. It’s about ensuring independent agents have a unified voice. He believes growth won’t come from nostalgia, but from relevance, innovation, and providing tangible value to agents navigating unprecedented change.

The Road Less Traveled

Whether Suhr is headed to meetings in Anaheim, Calif., a conference in Washington, D.C., or a trade show in St. Pete Beach, Fla., he makes sure he studies the location, including the history, economics, political culture, and advertising patterns. For example, in D.C., he visited the Soldiers’ Home where Abraham Lincoln drafted the Gettysburg Address. In California, he spent time considering the volume of legal advertising and reflected on how marketing shapes public perception of industries, including insurance.

That curiosity fuels both his humor and his leadership. “I might have been a comedian if I wasn’t an insurance agent,” he explains as he shares a bit of White House trivia about the first pardon of an animal at Thanksgiving by President Calvin Coolidge in 1926. “Everyone assumes the first Thanksgiving pardon involved a turkey, but the surprise twist is that it was actually a raccoon,” Suhr says, using the punchline to remind colleagues that in insurance, a little humor keeps things light, the unexpected is part of the job, and there’s always a lesson tucked inside history.

Humor comes naturally to him. But beneath the wit is a fifth-generation Nebraskan, second-generation insurance agency owner, third-generation firefighter, and President of PIA who is deeply focused on where the association—and the industry—must go next. For Suhr, the future of insurance is not about choosing between technology and tradition. It is about honoring both: serving clients at the front counter while building systems that prepare the industry for what comes next.