Atlanta-based Beecher Carlson Holdings Inc. announced Barry Kirkland, Eric Silverstein and Robert C. “Robbie” Smith have been appointed managing directors.
Kirkland will be a team leader in the Atlanta office assisting in the expansion of the risk management practice. He has 26 years of insurance industry experience, starting as a property and casualty underwriter. In 1986 Kirkland joined the Atlanta office of Johnson & Higgins as a property broker. In 1991, he directed the corporate risk management program for a major J&H client. In 1994, Kirkland rejoined Johnson & Higgins, now Marsh, where his responsibilities included insurance placement, department management and account management. He served as the client executive practice leader for the risk management operations focused on client satisfaction and retention, revenue growth and client executive development. Most recently he managed a client service unit serving more than 70 clients. Kirkland also maintained a book of business as a client executive. Elected a managing director of Marsh in November 2001, Kirkland was named as one of the top 50 performing client executives of 2003.
Silverstein will be managing director, Casualty Marketing. He will focus on strategic design, marketing and implementation of casualty risk financing programs. He will also be responsible for the management and expansion of casualty market relationships. Early in his career, Silverstein was risk manager of a Fortune 500 pulp and paper company. Before joining Beecher Carlson, Silverstein was regional managing director of Aon’s marketing operations in the southeast. He has experience with mergers and acquisitions, specializing in due diligence, pro-forma budgeting and placement of insurance for Fortune 1,000 companies.
Smith will assist in Beecher Carlson’s expansion by pursuing acquisition opportunities and talent recruitment. He spent the most of his career working with insurance agencies and brokerages in acquisitions, mergers, perpetuation planning, producer recruitment, financial benchmarking and development of organizational best practices. For 14 years Smith was senior vice president and principal of Reagan Consulting. He also served as chief operating officer and chief financial officer of Atlanta’s largest privately owned insurance broker, Hamilton Dorsey Alston Co., and served as the chief operating officer of one of the largest insurance brokerages in the country, Synaxis Group. Smith helped write and edit The Best Practices of Leading Agencies in the United States, an annual study conducted by the Independent Insurance Agents of America and Reagan Consulting.
The Society of Insurance Research appointed 2005 officers during its annual conference in Atlanta. Immediate past president Diana Lee turned over the presidential reins to Jenny Hodge. Candace Curls was named president-elect; Kenneth R. Marshall, vice president of the annual conference; Jeff Nagel, vice president of workshops; F. Reilly Cobb, vice president of membership; Michael R. Murray, vice president of marketing; Meredith Chancey, secretary; and Gary L. Ford, treasurer. Howard Goldstein, Sandy Theile, Philip W. Stichter and Marcy Updike were named directors.
The Professional Insurance Agents of Florida (PIA) honored Dave Cobb, Ron Silverman and Bob Fowinkle during a board meeting in Hutchinson Island, Fla. Mark O’Connell, PIA executive vice president gave a “President’s Award” to Cobb, a “Leadership Award” to Silverman and an “Agent of the Year Award” to Fowinkle.
Cobb has been an agent for almost 43 years. Twenty-two years ago he founded Freedom Insurors Inc. The President’s Award honors and recognizes the achievements of a PIA member who has made tremendous contributions to the group in a variety of ways. Cobb served on Florida PIA’s board, the Legislative Committee and has been instrumental in the state’s legislative arena.
Fowinkle owns the Moore Fowinkle & Schroer Agency in Bradenton. The highest honor an agent can receive, the Agent of the Year Award, is based on an agent’s professional competence, high ethical standards, and overall contributions to the industry. Fowinkle is honored at the Florida level and also becomes a nominee for PIA’s National Agent of the Year Award. Fowinkle has volunteered time to promote and further Florida PIA and independent agents around the state. He chaired the Florida PIA’s Legislative Committee and emceed its Legislative Days. He values education for agents and he supports and promotes it with his staff. He’s a certified instructor for the Certified Insurance Counselor program.
Silverman owns Silverman Insurance Agency in Deltona. Florida PIA recognized his efforts as chair of its Educational Committee and for furthering the successes of its Certified Insurance Counselors and Certified Insurance Representatives programs. Silverman is a popular instructor at insurance education classes he leads across Florida.
U.S.I. Holdings Corporation of Briarcliff Manor, N.Y., has acquired Nashville, Tenn.-based Benefit Partners of America (Benefit Partners) and named Brad Wier chief marketing officer for the Specialized Benefits Division. Greg Voges president and managing director of Benefit Partners and Harold Chandler will be responsible for the division’s strategic development.
Louisville-based Citizens Financial Corp. hired Florida insurance executive Joseph M. Bost as president and chief operating officer of subsidiaries Citizens Security Life Insurance Co., United Liberty Life Insurance Co. and Citizens Insurance Co. Bost replaces an interim president who will retire, and will report to Darrell Wells, chief executive. Bost also was named executive vice president and chief operating officer for the holding company. Bost, who will relocate from Jacksonville, Fla., has been an agency executive with American International Group and was a founding principal in Bost Consulting, a firm providing financial and information technology consulting services to insurance companies. He also has served as chief operating officer of PennCorp Financial.
Topics Florida
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