Under the Hood with Ashton Smith

Under the Hood with Ashton Smith

Brokers are backed by a local team that understands the market and passion behind every collector vehicle.

Let's take a look under the hood and spotlight the people behind Hagerty Canada who support our broker partners every day from coast to coast. From underwriting and claims to sales and service, these are the experts who live and work in Canada, bringing local knowledge, practical insight, and a true partnership mindset to every broker interaction.

This month, we're connecting with Ashton Smith, Territory Manager for Alberta, who brings a broker's own perspective to the role and shares what honest, responsive partnership looks like from both sides of the table.

Meet Ashton

• Role: Territory Manager, Alberta
• Department: Canada Field Team
• Location: Lacombe, Alberta
• Years with Hagerty: New to the team
• Favourite Car: Volkswagen Beetle

Under the Hood

If Ashton had to pick a favourite, it would be the Volkswagen Beetle, a longtime cultural icon. While it was wildly popular for decades before the '90s and early 2000s, Ashton loves how its compact size and bold colours captured the fun personality of that early 2000s era. That sense of character is exactly what makes collector vehicles so personal, and it's a reminder for brokers that these cars carry stories and identity, not just value.

Building Strong Broker Partnerships

Ashton's view of partnership is shaped by years of sitting in the broker's seat herself. To her, a great partnership means brokers feel comfortable reaching out with questions and concerns, knowing the team will take them seriously and act on them to the best of their abilities. Having been the one making those calls, she understands how much it matters to get a real answer and a responsive partner on the other end. It's about working honestly and cohesively together to get results for customers, and that mutual trust keeps both sides aligned and makes every client interaction stronger.

Bringing the Hagerty Brand to Life

Because Ashton has worked as a broker, she knows firsthand the coverages that genuinely set Hagerty apart from the competition. Two stand out for her. The first is agreed value with no appraisal needed, backed by one of the world's largest valuation tools to help brokers and customers value a vehicle accurately. The second is the Hagerty Drivers Club, which elevates the experience from simply buying an insurance product into a membership, with exclusive industry discounts, member events, and even flatbed towing included. From a broker's point of view, Ashton sees these as the difference between handing a client a policy and giving them a premier experience they'll remember at renewal.

A Common Misconception

A common misconception is that you have to be a car enthusiast to sell the product. Ashton is candid that she wasn't born into a garage of classic cars, but her time as a broker gave her a front-row view of just how much these vehicles mean to the people who own them. She's seen firsthand the time, investment, and passion that goes into restoring and caring for them, and it's given her the utmost respect for the dedication enthusiasts pour into their special cars. Her takeaway for brokers is simple: genuine respect for the hobby carries just as much weight as being an enthusiast yourself.

Supporting Canadian Clients

Ashton emphasizes that the team is on the ground with brokers, facing the same turbulence of the Canadian insurance economy that they are. Hagerty is there to help every partner, whether they're in a remote community or a major urban centre, and every one of them is equally important. Having built relationships from the broker side herself, she knows that kind of steady, local presence is exactly what partners lean on when the market gets choppy.

What Ashton Wants Brokers to Remember

The goal is straightforward: to give the best possible coverage for the enthusiasts in brokers' books. Hagerty is an insurance product made by automotive enthusiasts, with exclusive, top of the line coverage and experiences built around their needs. For brokers, that means offering clients something made specifically for the vehicles and the passion they care about most.

The Takeaway for Brokers

The strongest partnerships are built on trust, honesty, and genuine respect for the hobby.

By working with a team that's on the ground, responsive, and built by people who've been in the broker's shoes, brokers gain more than coverage. They gain a partner who understands their day to day, respects their clients' passion, and is invested in long-term, collaborative success.