In the C-Suite: Nick Moriello; President of Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Delaware
September 8, 2021
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WILMINGTON — Looking back on his early years, Nick Moriello did not envision himself in the insurance sector but a test scheduled one fateful summer may have changed his course. “I just came home after freshman year at DeSales University and I couldn’t wait to go to the beach. I’ll never forget, my dad told
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Nick Moriello | PHOTO COURTESY OF HIGHMARK BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD DELAWARE[/caption]
WILMINGTON — Looking back on his early years, Nick Moriello did not envision himself in the insurance sector but a test scheduled one fateful summer may have changed his course.
“I just came home after freshman year at DeSales University and I couldn’t wait to go to the beach. I’ll never forget, my dad told me, ‘You have an insurance producer licensing exam on Saturday.’ It was Wednesday,” Moriello said.
His father, who worked on commission with Health Insurance Associates, thought he would be a natural. Moriello failed the first exam — but drawing on his competitive spirit, he retook it as soon as possible and passed.
From then on, Moriello joined his father selling health insurance on his summer breaks and part-time throughout the year.
Soon after Moriello graduated with a degree in management, JPMorgan Chase opened an insurance agency. Chase was looking for staff that held management or finance degrees, but also with an insurance producer license. In the 1990s, most people who worked in insurance did not hold college degrees — but thanks to his father’s foresight, Moriello was able to get into Chase's new enterprise from the ground up.
Through Chase’s mentorship programs and leaning on his unique background, he became one of the youngest management officers. But when Chase decided to close the office, Moriello decided to take a negative and turn it into a positive.
“I met my wife there, but I also discovered my entrepreneurial spirit. I asked to stay on to close the office, but I was able to start building a commission base without breaking the non-compete clause,” Moriello said. “I guess my dad recognized me before I recognized myself.”
He then joined his father at Health Insurance Associates, and started to work on updating the business model. While there were excellent products being sold, he found the client base did not fully recognize its potential.
“So I thought if we had a partner that did have a need for preference, we would be much more successful,” he said. “Then it became my mission to land a wholesale contract with 
