Pro-File

March 2010
Blindside
Gil Lowerre sees brokers failing to take voluntary benefits seriously as a major revenue generator. After the sale, they lose sight of the strategic value of what they have sold.

January/February 2010
Reboot!
With Digital Insurance, Adam Bruckman restructed a failed business concept and emerged a winner.

December 2009
Portrait of a Dutch Master
Jaap Meijers’ unorthodox people-culture built his firm into the Netherlands’ largest private brokerage.

November 2009
Balance is Not a Four-Letter Word
Peter Cella's firm, Beere & Purves, is not laid back. It has expectations.

September 2009
Move Like a Sprinter, Think Like a Long-Distance Runner
Kevin Kelley moves from Lexington to Ironshore and quickly makes his mark.

June 2009
The Wizard of Worcester
Fred Eppinger comes home to save a failing carrier and ends up reviving a glorious theater and the spirits of a struggling town.

May 2009
Tom Motamed’s Second Act
At 60, he takes on the challenge of making CNA a producer-friendly company again.

March 2009
The Gould Life
Jackie’s World (Is A Very Cool Space). She turns Assurance into an adventure.

January/February 2009
Stepping into His Clients’ Shoes
Rob O’Byrne figured it out locally, then took his customer-based benefits ideas national at CBIZ.

December 2008
Weathering Any Storm
Give him any situation and insurance wholesaler Steve DeCarlo will figure out how to make it work. He has the scars to prove it.

November 2008
What Makes Mike Run?
Illinois Director of Insurance McRaith sees the changing insurance universe for what it is—not all about state regulation.

October 2008
Wheel of Fortune
Nobody expected Tom Watjen's amazing turnaround of Unum. Nobody.

September 2008
The Personnel Touch
Mike Sherman believes strong relationships—especially with your staff—build a great business. Who’s to argue with success?

July/August 2008
Small-Town Roots to Big-Time Dreams
D. Gaines Lanier built the family business into one of the largest private brokerages in the nation.

June 2008
Operating on the Margins
Mike Paschke benefits from cultivating the ethos of benefits in a p-c world.

May 2008
Zest Fest
From smashing fruit to smashing sales records, her zest for life creates a successful boutique wholesale operation.

March 2008
Wild Game Hunter
Brash, quirky, innovative: Corporate Synergies' Eric Raymond grows his business organically, promoting serivces others don't.

January/February 2008
Catching the Wave of the Future
Mary Sklarski, Charlie Rosson are the fresh faces of Woodruff-Sawyer & Co. The San Francisco firm makes a point of looking to youth and diversity to build its future.

December 2007
At the Peak of His Career
California wholesaler Jerry Sullivan not only loves history, but makes it.

November 2007
Greg Makes His Case
With nearly three years under his belt, Aon’s Greg Case has persuasively moved his firm’s culture and taken advantage of market changes to shift into high gear.

October 2007
From Pottery to Premiums
Long after the family business shifted from pottery to insurance, Jacques Verlingue is casting a new mold.

September 2007
Breeding a Winner
JLT’s chief exec Dominic Burke jumps hurdles on the way to remaking the Europe’s largest, home-based brokerage. sells U.S. retail unit, reshuffles London operations and moves into China.

July/August 2007
Czech Mate in the Eastern Europe Market
At 34, Czech entrepreneur Pavel Nepala, has created the largest independent brokerage in Eastern Europe.

June 2007
Uncommon Touch
As soon as you meet the receptionists—Jake, Pirate, Lola and Mabel—you realize Craford Benefit Consultants is not your typical benefits firm.

May 2007
Opening Moves
New York’s new insurance superintendent, Eric Dinallo, moves easily on both sides of the industry chess board.

April 2007
The Far Side of the World
Kunio Ishihara, president of Japan’s largest insurer and chair of his nation’s property-casualty association, eyes the U.S. and explains his company’s blueprint for global growth.

January/February 2007
Robert Hiscox’s Avant-Garde Work Ethic
The iconoclast breaks free of Lloyd’s tradition-bound culture to build his new Bermuda empire.

Feature

March 2010
Uncommon Inspiration
Chubb experiments with new forms of innovation using brokers and agents.

January/February 2010
Misspent Youth
Most brokers prefer experience over spending on youthful producers. Yet research shows investing in youth—especially straight out of college—produces quick results.

December 2009
Process Makes Perfect
Delivering on client promises makes organic growth possible, but predictability requires monitoring every step of the way.

October 2009
Dark Side of the Fantasy Factory
Brokers assure the only real risk is at the box office.

July/August 2009
Changing the Mindset of Medical Liability
Medical malpractice case verdicts continue to be a high stakes gamble. Health courts may increase the odds of fair compensation and improve patient safety.

June 2009
Eye on the Storm
When Hurricane Ike struck, John L. Wortham & Son in Houston was ready, but the firm still discovered much about dealing with Mother Nature’s wrath.

May 2009
The Science of Failure and the Art of Success
Cut the losers loose quickly, but carefully nurture those with potential.

April 2009
Titanic Trail of Intrigue
Murder, fraud, theft, sex, alcohol and mayhem—this is not your father’s insurance company.

January/February 2009
Barack to the Future
Will Obama succeed on insurance issues where others have always failed?

December 2008
Specialty Agent
Wholesalers take on the impossible missions, placing coverage no one else can.

November 2008
Nicotine Nation
Weaning workers off the nicotine habit cements business relationships and client savings.

October 2008
It Takes a Sophisticated Thief
Divesting of stolen masterpieces may be more difficult than stealing them.

September 2008
Smash Hit!
After years of legal battles, The Council shatters all U.S. countersignature barriers.

July/August 2008
The Color of Money
What does going green really mean? These brokers are happy they found out.

June 2008
Committing Insurance Without a License
WHAT? ME WORRY? Florida's hurricane insurance reforms mean every Florida insurance consumer may be buried under surcharges piled atop surcharges--all to create cheap rates today. Some see a federal bailout in the offing.

April 2008
The Grapes of Math
Pinot Envy: The winery business is a vintage case of romancing the soul and kidnapping the palette while robbing your peace of mind. Specialist brokers managed the risk to help vintners sleep at night.

March 2008
A Show of Passion
Insuring the most exotic cars in the world is not for the faint of heart.

January/February 2008
Home Aweigh from Home
New super yachts make a great second home as well as a great home office.

December 2007
Getting Up to Speed: The 150 mph Question
Insurers hestitate to cover property along the Gulf Coast despite coastal building codes requiring construction techniques that withstand most hurricanes. Are insurers up to speed on the latest technology?

November 2007
The Town Without Insurance
San Miguel de Allende: A town without pity for Type A’s—and mostly without insurance.

October 2007
The Elephant Challenges the Dinosaur
Federal regulation could force the listless NAIC into action—or extinction.

September 2007
The Strip Stakes
Las Vegas grows more sophisticated as does its high stakes risk.

July/August 2007
Body of Work
They’re dead serious about insuring body parts in Hollywood.

June 2007
Seconds Away

April 2007
The Super Bowl of Horse Racing

January/February 2007
Compensation Calculus

Group Benefits

November 2009
The Duck that Laid the Golden Egg
Aflac’s cranky duck—a golden company brand—attempts to expand the carrier’s voluntary benefits by becoming a fine-feathered friend to brokers.

October 2009
Tech-Side Manner
Kaiser Permanente’s technology prescription: Could it be a cure for what ails U.S. healthcare? Could its business model hold the line on rising costs?

September 2009
Obama, O'Canada, Oh No!
Obama’s hastily crafted government healthcare program could create Canadian-style health care in America.

July/August 2009
Blow Hard
Florida’s combative insurance commissioner, Kevin McCarty, sees no knockout punch from a major storm in his state’s future.

June 2009
Reigning in Returns
Make yourself royalty to your client. Cut benefits costs and raise productivity. Here’s how.

May 2009
From a Position of Power
New York’s insurance superintendent, Eric Dinallo, on contingent commissions, anti-rebating rules, compensation disclosure and more.

April 2009
Smashing Houses
The Institute of Building and Home Safety plans new test facility that aims to fortify construction and could cut property-casualty claims costs.

June 2008
Stable Relations
Compelling reseach finds it's the healthy who distort the insurance market, and employer-sponsored health insurance plans are the best cure.

January/February 2008
Lacking Talent
In five years there won’t be enough qualified people to meet your firm’s personnel needs. Try to become the employer of choice, or you face potential financial disaster.

November 2007
The Power of One
When group coverage gets too expensive for small employers, brokers turn to individual policy options.

October 2007
Anecdotes as Antidote for Health Care
Michael Moore’s “SiCKO” movie attacks the small symptoms and not the big picture. Does he really think Cuba has the answers?

September 2007
Chaos Theory
Information technology is set to transform the chaotic health records world by enabling the healthcare industry to discard paper files for more accurate and mobile electronic files.

July/August 2007
Voluntary Vista
Brokers miss the chance to move into voluntary benefits because they view them as an afterthought instead of an opportunity.

June 2007
Online House Call

May 2007
Carve-Out Culture

April 2007
Rough Writers

January/February 2007
Hear No Evil, See No Evil, Speak No Evil

International

December 2009
Wholesaler brokers can often cover what retail brokers can’t.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Wholesale-Nomics, a White Paper on insurnace wholesalers, appears at the end of this article.

October 2009
Back-Office Loss, Front-Office Gain
Brokerages that outsource repetitive tasks create opportunities to grow for their office staff.

April 2009
Exquisite Lines of Risk
Lux Italian horsepower is steeped in tradition and risk.

March 2009
Silent Partners
Insurance brokers, carriers, pour millions into charitable works each year, yet few know of their generosity.

January/February 2009
The New Normal
We live in extraordinary times.

October 2008
Buy, Hold or Cellar
Insuring vintage investments may be hard to swallow for some, but it’s absolutely essential if you don’t want to become the next ‘Big Wine Caper.’

May 2008
Odd Ball
Hole-in-one insurance and gaming coverage play well with wholesalers as new tools help calculate risk and open a new world of contest underwriting.

March 2008
It Could Never Happen to Me
Crisis experts know there’s no such thing as the unthinkable. Even insurers are vulnerable to risks that are easy to predict but hard to quantify.

December 2007
Power Rangers
We decided long ago to make a mark on our industry. >> We had no idea what to expect, but we wanted to make a difference. >> So we navigated through tragedy, a political split and bad markets. >> And then we handed the reins to a liberal Democrat who hired a conservative Republican! >> Together, we made history!

October 2007
Rock Stars on the Rock
Bermuda attracts some of the best underwriters (and their groupies) to the Mecca of reinsurance. The atmosphere and market are changing.

January/February 2007
A Matter of Principles

Financial Aficionado

March 2010
Abandon Old School Ways
The new benefits model: Healthier workers cut costs by reducing demand.

January/February 2010
Winners Need Not Apply
You needn’t jump through hoops for a Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award to improve your performance. Just follow the criteria.

December 2009
My Greatest Hits
Based on your response, these six issues topped the charts in the past six years.

November 2009
Nothing for Something
Mentoring means investing in staff and getting nothing back—at least initially. Long term? It could increase your firm’s value and make your work life a breeze.

October 2009
Run-Run, Meet-Meet, Talk-Talk, Defend-Defend
Exhausted yet? Replace staff complacency with a sense of urgency. This is not an emergency, but immediacy. Do it now!

September 2009
Take Control or Take a Chance
Take control of your destiny or the market will. Organic growth is all about taking charge, not relinquishing your future to chance.

July/August 2009
Hog Heaven
Burn up the road less traveled by revving up your organic growth. Catch an enlightening ride with your client instead of steering straight down your lane to the sale.

June 2009
Where the Elite Meet
Turn growth inside out with an appetite for organic.

May 2009
Silo Busters
Here are four steps to breaking down silos piece by piece while building a great team.

April 2009
Make Sure Your Acquisition Does Not Fail
10 tips for buyers and sellers to make the deal go through.

March 2009
Who’ll Start The Rain?
Rainmakers outperform everyone else in the sales jungle. Here’s how to grow your own superstars.

January/February 2009
Looking Private Equity Groups in the Mirror
In tough times, adopt the PEG philosophy. It’s more than buy low and sell high.

November 2008
Own the Room
Talk may be cheap, but lousy presentation skills can prove very expensive to your business.

October 2008
Dealer's Choice
Before negotiating a successful M&A deal, know what you want and what you will do when the other player shows his hand.

September 2008
Taking 14 Sales Steps to Catch Up
Average firms lose 10% to 15% of their clients annually--so you might begin your new year behind your last.

July/August 2008
But They Don’t Wear Cleats
Wanna field a winning team? Keep the new players coming

May 2008
Makes Yours A Talent Agency
The biggest issue facing our business is lack of talent. Put lip service aside. It's time to make talent your priority.

April 2008
Tao of Collaboration
We think our selves straight shooters, good listeners and people who appreciate and support each other. but saying so doesn't make it true.

March 2008
30 Core Values to Creating the Perfect Firm
After a quarter century, we discovered the perfect gem: a firm that lives and breathes a culture of success, surpassing every measurable benchmark.

January/February 2008
10 Steps to Becoming a Great Boss
Being a great boss is not about you; it’s about your employees. Reinventing yourself as a leader is the first step in building a better team.

December 2007
New Year's Revolution
The party's over. It's time to resolve to revolutionize your firm with a new strategic plan, renewed sales culture and new investments in staff.

November 2007
The Acquisition Autobahn
Why some banks crash and burn after buying brokerages while others pass them by in the fast lane.

October 2007
No-Fault Divorce
Employment pre-nups save a lot of heartache when your best workers bat their eyes at other suitors.

September 2007
A Yield Guide to Negotiating
Authority has its limits. That’s when negotiating skills kick in.

July/August 2007
Hunters or Farmers?
Does your agency compensation system create hunters of new business or farmers of old?

June 2007
Double Agent

May 2007
Aiming for the Upper Deck

January/February 2007
Devices and Desires

Other Features