The Accelerate Velocity Awards recognize independent agencies, MGAs and carriers advancing Distribution Velocity across the insurance industry

DENVER, April 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Vertafore^® announced the recipients of its inaugural Accelerate Velocity Awards, which recognizes agencies, MGAs and carriers who are leading with innovative approaches and Vertafore technology to drive Distribution Velocity for their businesses, clients and the insurance industry. The awards were presented at Accelerate 2026, Vertafore’s annual user conference.

The 2026 Accelerate Velocity Award honorees are Guardian Service, Relation^™ Insurance, Specialty Program Group (SPG) and Westfield. The recipients were chosen for their leadership in leveraging technology to reduce friction and accelerate the flow of data and processes within their organizations and across the insurance lifecycle. With their success, the 2026 Accelerate Velocity Awards winners are demonstrating the power of Distribution Velocity—speed with intentional outcomes.

“Across our industry, there’s a lot of conversation about transformation, but what matters is execution,” said Rick Warter, chief customer officer at Vertafore. “These organizations are showing what it looks like to move faster with intention, operate smarter and deliver better outcomes. That’s what Distribution Velocity is all about, and it’s why their success matters so much, not just to Vertafore, but to the future of this industry.”

The 2026 Accelerate Velocity Award honorees

With a focus on personal lines coverage for insured in the southeast, independent agency Guardian Service was recognized for redefining the client experience through a digital-first, technology-driven approach to insurance. By leveraging automation, intelligent workflows and Vertafore’s PL Rating^™ and AMS360^®, they re-shop policies to ensure clients are receiving optimal pricing and coverage without added effort. Their use of technology enables more personalized, risk-based recommendations tailored to each client’s needs. Combined with a streamlined, multi-channel experience, Guardian is creating a more efficient, proactive, and customer-centric model for modern insurance servicing.

Through a deep collaboration with Vertafore, national broker Relation Insurance is setting a new standard for AI innovation and partnership in the insurance industry. They have gone beyond incremental improvements to find ways to put AI to work to better serve their teams and clients. With strong leadership and a clear vision, Relation has developed solutions like RelationGPT to drive smarter decision-making, increased efficiency and enhanced client experiences. Their approach reflects a forward-thinking organization that is actively shaping the future of insurance. 

Specialty Program Group LLC (SPG) is a leading specialty platform headquartered in Chicago, IL, with a diverse portfolio of specialty insurance operations spanning underwriting management, digital solutions, wholesale and specialty retail brokerage, and insurance services. With its expansion through strategic acquisitions, SPG has focused on delivering a consistent, high-quality digital experience for retail agencies across its entire organization. By bringing together AIM^™ and Surefyre^™, SPG is creating a seamless, end-to-end experience that makes it easy for agents to do business. SPG’s strategy is driving faster onboarding and greater operational efficiency while improving the company’s ability to serve agents at scale—positioning SPG as a digital leader in the MGA space.

Westfield^®, a global leader in property and casualty insurance, is driving meaningful transformation in how carrier distribution and compliance are managed at-scale. Leveraging Vertafore’s Sircon^® for Carriers and Producer Central^™, they have automated just-in-time appointing and centralized producer compliance across nearly 25,000 agent and agency relationships. This low-touch, highly efficient model embeds compliance directly into the policy lifecycle, reducing manual effort, lowering risk exposure, and delivering significant cost savings. Westfield’s approach reflects a modern, scalable operating model that combines automation, compliance, and expertise to improve performance across their distribution network.

About Vertafore

Vertafore powers Distribution Velocity, accelerating every part of the insurance value chain within and across agencies, MGAs, and carriers so they can adapt faster and grow smarter. As the trusted backbone of the industry, Vertafore provides the core digital systems, specialized AI, and data-driven foundation to eliminate distribution drag across sales, servicing, accounting, underwriting, and back-office operations, taking insurance workflows from friction to flow.

Supporting over 95% of the top agencies and insurers and 50% of industry compliance transactions, Vertafore leads at the intersection of innovation and trust, giving customers the speed, performance power, and confidence to transform and grow at scale in the new era. Vertafore is headquartered in Denver, Colorado. Learn more at www.vertafore.com.

©2026 Vertafore and the Vertafore logo are registered trademarks of Vertafore. All rights reserved. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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SOURCE Vertafore, Inc.