Our corporate plan is to research and open several new sales offices each year, and we are meeting our goal. See the current list of sales locations. Accounting, computer management, marketing and corporate management are centralized in Bryan with sales/service functions handled by each office.
Our business plan is to grow through new production, agency acquisition, producer acquisition, joint venturing with financial institutions, and maximizing internet opportunities. All of our producers are dedicated to increasing their production, and we are staffed to accomplish this. We are looking for agency acquisitions and for opportunities to acquire good experienced producers at any location that we believe is underserved. We have developed a "turnkey" plan to open new offices and provide producers with a unique ownership arrangement as part of an overall benefit package for producers that is extremely competitive.
We are committed to blending the combination of agency computer systems and the internet to reach for maximum efficiency in our operations. It is currently not our goal to acquire customers by solicitation through the internet, but to utilize the internet for sales and service, including our own website.
Our plans are to target future prospects based upon certain market characteristics. We desire for our markets to assist us in prospecting with competitive target programs, providing state of the art website marketing and superior customer service. We prefer that our markets provide us with unique opportunities by designing excellent programs for specific types of businesses. Our target customer of the future is one that buys both for personal service and for electronic efficiency.
Our producers have an average of over 15 years experience selling insurance to individuals/businesses. A part of our selection process for new locations includes producers who have spent most of their careers working and living in the areas where our agencies are located. Their future marketing plans evolve around the many contacts/prospects they have established over the years and attaining successful sales goals under a mentoring program. All of our producers have training to utilize underwriting guide/markets ranging from "manual" to "website".
We have a corporate wide mentoring/marketing program for commercial insurance. It is directed out of our Bryan office, and all producers receive additional training and marketing advice as it relates to commercial insurance production. Additionally, we utilize advertising, telemarketing, target marketing and "center of influence" to maintain a volume of prospects. We plan to grow in all lines of insurance and to have all types of customers that fit within certain parameters determined by a variety of target programs. Since 2000, our premium growth is over 100% with 85% of that obtained through organic growth. We forecast our annual growth to level off at approximately 70%.
Our perpetuation program is integrated into our overall business plan as the spread of locations and the development of a management group reduces the potential for any major disruption in the organization due to retirement, death or disability. We also believe our structure provides many benefits to insurance markets such as a spread of risk for weather related losses and the ability to acquire customers in rural type areas that are less litigious without having concerns about the ability of a small town agent being able to sustain enough overall markets to survive.