Robin Stough announced the formation of R.A. Stough LLC, Pacific Wholesale Insurance of Texas. The new venture is a partnership between Stough and Pacific Wholesale, a national brokerage firm and managing general agency for property and casualty insurance.
Stough, who will serve as president and chief executive officer, formerly held positions with other leading wholesalers in Dallas, Atlanta, Houston and El Paso. He has more than 25 years in the wholesale insurance industry.
Joining the firm as senior vice president is Robert “Chip” Shattuck. He will lead the underwriting division, which provides in-house binding authority for the placement of P/C lines. Shattuck formerly served as vice president and senior property underwriter with a major wholesaler in Dallas and has 24 years of experience in this field.
The organization is part of Insurance Specialty Group (ISG), based in Atlanta, Ga. ISG is a diversified insurance brokerage, agency and reinsurance organization. It currently has operations in Atlanta, Dallas, Los Angeles, New Jersey and New York.
Houston, Texas-based Myron F. Steves & Company appointed Rob Arnold as director, COO, business development. Arnold joined Myron Steves in 1994 and served as marketing director until 2001 when he assumed the position of chief operating officer for the property and casualty division. Arnold is responsible for all areas of business development including underwriting, marketing and customer care in the Houston, San Antonio, Austin and Dallas offices.
Anna Kizer was appointed associate director of business development. Kizer joined as associate director of personal lines in June 2002. Her new responsibilities include management of Myron Steves’ business development representative team and customer care team.
Phil Dikes was promoted to associate director of multi lines. In addition to his management of the transportation department, Dikes will manage the multi lines division. He has over 20 years of multi lines and transportation experience.
Catharine Eshleman was named associate director of standard lines. She joined Myron Steves in 1997 as a standard lines underwriter.
Veronica Smith was appointed associate director, large accounts. Smith began her insurance career in 1973 with an independent retail agency. She joined Myron Steves in July 1988 working in the brokerage department. Smith later became manager of the general liability department, which became multi lines, before being named to her current position.
Frost Insurance Agency in Fort Worth announced that Hal Dennis recently joined the company as vice president and Jim Dickenson joined as a senior commercial lines manager.
Dennis will recommend insurance plans for corporate clients throughout Texas, varying in sizes from middle market privately owned companies to large publicly traded companies. He has 29 years of insurance sales and management experience.
Dickenson will lead the commercial accounts division of the agency’s Fort Worth office and will coordinate marketing initiatives for the commercial line of products. He has a diverse insurance background that includes 16 years of experience in claims management, marketing and commercial lines underwriting.
The Applied Systems Client Network (ASCnet), the user group for Applied Systems agency management technology, announced that Robert “Robby” E. Dunn III, vice president and agency manager of Hotchkiss Insurance Agency in Houston, has been elected as the ASCnet’s president.
Other newly elected Executive Committee members include: Immediate Past President Stuart Durland, vice president and co-owner of Seely & Durland Inc., Warwick, N.Y.; Vice President Donna Abramson, IT manager, Western Financial Group Inc., High River, Alberta, Canada; and Secretary-Treasurer Vicky Tuten, CPA, CFO, Kinker-Eveleigh Insurance Agency, Cincinnati, Ohio.
Dunn began his insurance career in 1980 at The R.E. Dunn Agency in Topeka, Kan. Prior to joining Hotchkiss Insurance he was president of Automated Agency Management.
The Arkansas Workers’ Compensation Commission (AWCC) appointed Dale Douthit, a Russellville attorney, as Administrative Law Judge (ALJ). The AWCC, administrator of the state’s workers’ comp laws, serves as the referee if a dispute arises between employees and their employers’ insurance representatives over a job-related injury claim. Douthit will preside over workers’ comp hearings in Calhoun, Columbia, Dallas, Hempstead, Howard, Lafayette, Little River, Miller, Nevada, Ouachita, Pike, Sevier and Union counties.
Dennis Newsome of Barnard-Donegan Insurance Agency Inc. was recently installed as president of the Independent Insurance Agents of San Antonio (IIASA). Newsome began his career in 1982 with Business Men’s Assurance and joined the insurance firm of Len Boyd & Associates in 1985 as a principal. He was president of Len Boyd & Associates until 1999. He is the second IIASA president to come from the Barnard-Donegan offices.
In addition, Greg Stevens of Texas Insurance Agency, Donna G. Biles of Coleman Company and Brown & Brown Insurance Services of San Antonio Inc., and Todd Sund of Insurance Concepts of San Antonio took oaths of office as president-elect, vice president and treasurer, respectively.
Board members include Mike Cook of Wallace Cook Agency, Kristine Eilers of Comaltex Insurance Agency, Lori Flores of Frost Insurance Agency, Pito Flores of Alamo Insurance Group, Win Johnston of Barnard Donegan Ins., Brett Morgan of SWBC Insurance Services, Rick Paludi of Luhn-McCain Ins., Kevin Semtner of Walthall Sachse & Pipes, and Liz Wagner of Catto & Catto. Presiding as the installing officer was president-elect of Independent Insurance Agents of Texas, Randy Reynolds of Texas Associates Insurors, Austin.
Topics Texas
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