Chicago, IL, Sept. 29, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Applied Systems® today presented its annual Pinnacle Awards at Applied Net® 2026, the company's annual user conference, held at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in Washington, D.C. The Pinnacle Awards are Applied's highest customer honor, recognizing standout partnerships with the agencies, brokerages, and carriers who harness Applied's connective intelligence to power their insurance operations.
The 2026 Pinnacle Award winners are Inszone Insurance Services, Integra Insurance Services, The McClone Agency, OTIP/RAEO Insurance Brokers, and Travelers. Award recipients are selected based on their embodiment of the Pinnacle Award spirit: readily embracing new technology, being an active partner in product development, and turning that work into measurable results that push the industry forward.
"Applied is leading a shift to reimagine every point in the policy lifecycle, bringing data, intelligence, and automation together in ways that make the entire ecosystem of insurance more connected," said Graham Blackwell, chief executive officer, Applied. "We celebrate this year's Pinnacle Award winners for boldly adopting that shift, showing how organizations that embrace innovation early can build smarter, more resilient businesses."
2026 Pinnacle Award Winners:
Inszone Insurance Services
Founded in 2002 and headquartered in California, Inszone Insurance Services is a full-service insurance brokerage offering commercial, personal, and employee benefits coverage to clients nationwide. Inszone has built its growth strategy around Applied Epic's integrated capabilities, using the platform as the backbone that connects and extends the value of the agency's broader technology stack — a foundation that lets it fully integrate each newly acquired agency into Epic within industry-leading integration times. Inszone has also served as a design partner for automated remarketing in Epic, reflecting the agency's commitment to staying at the forefront of the industry's innovation.
Integra Insurance Services
Founded in 1983, Integra Insurance Services has spent more than four decades delivering top-rated insurance services with a strong commitment to community throughout East Texas. A long-standing customer of EZLynx, Integra uses the all-in-one management system with built-in automation across policy management, rating, accounting, marketing, sales, and reporting, to manage operations across 159 network locations while maintaining a keen focus on service. Integra, having used EZLynx for nearly 20 years, is living proof of the remarkable results possible when an agency runs EZLynx at scale.
The McClone Agency
Founded in 1949, McClone Insurance is a Wisconsin-based provider of risk management and insurance solutions. McClone leverages many of Applied Epic's integrated capabilities to power their agency, including dashboards for real-time performance visibility, marketing automation for targeted client and prospect outreach, and personal lines quoting. McClone most recently signed on as a founding design partner for Epic Agents and has contributed to the development of book-of-business insights, search, and data reporting capabilities. The agency regularly presents at Applied Net and remains an active participant in the Applied Client Network, reflecting the kind of sustained collaboration that helps Applied build better products for the broader community.
OTIP/RAEO Insurance Brokers
Founded in 1977 and headquartered in Waterloo, Ontario, Ontario Teachers Insurance Plan (OTIP) is a not-for-profit insurance provider serving Ontario's education community, offering auto, home, life, and group benefits coverage. To modernize the member and employee experience, OTIP adopted a data-driven approach, using Applied Epic to launch self-service capabilities that significantly increased registration rates while substantially reducing service request volumes. OTIP then completed a full rollout of Epic's browser-based platform, resulting in six-figure operational savings. By regularly sharing insights and best practices through the Applied Client Network, OTIP has earned a reputation as a leader in innovation within the Canadian insurance industry.
Travelers
Travelers is a leading provider of property casualty insurance. A longstanding partner in Applied's carrier network, Travelers uses Ivans Download to automatically send the latest bound policy data to its agency partners, as well as marketing insights and bookroll technology to identify and bring on new agency partners. Additionally, Travelers is the first carrier anchor partner to participate in the submissionless commercial insurance experience, powered by Cytora, which allows carriers to proactively deliver renewal quotes directly within Applied Epic before the remarketing process begins. Together, Applied and Travelers are creating a more connected, frictionless experience between agents and carriers across the distribution channel.
# # #
The Applied products and logos are trademarks of Applied Systems, Inc., registered in the U.S.
About Applied Systems
Applied Systems is the current that connects the insurance value chain. As the world's largest provider of insurance software, Applied connects agencies, brokers, and carriers across the global flow of risk, orchestrating data, intelligence, and action at every connection. As those connections multiply, value compounds – powering a smarter, faster, and more connected insurance industry that serves as a foundation for vibrant economies where more businesses, communities and dreams can move forward.
