People and Places

Schaumburg, Ill.-based Zurich Insurance recently promoted John LaGrassa to senior vice president and director of ceded reinsurance. In his new position, LaGrassa will be responsible for all of Zurich’s ceded reinsurance functions in North America. LaGrassa also will have governance responsibility for treaty, captive and facultative reinsurance. LaGrassa joined Zurich in 2003. Prior to that, he was the underwriting director at Gerling Global Financial Products in New York. His career also includes positions at Aon Re, Continental Insurance and Marine Office America Corp.

Rob Umstead of the Steenland Insurance Agency in Grand Rapids has been named president of the Michigan Association of Insurance Agents (MAIA). As president, Umstead will work with the MAIA Board of Directors and staff to implement policies in the areas of legislation, public relations, technology, marketing and education.

The Michigan Association of Insurance Agents is a statewide trade group that represents approximately 10,000 independent agents and industry employees.

Mark C. Russell, Grange Insurance vice president and chief administrative officer, has been named chairman of the Board of Governors for the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), a not-for-profit organization dedicated to preventing, detecting, and defeating insurance fraud and vehicle theft. Russell served as NICB’s vice chairman of the Board of Governors prior to being named chairman, and has been with Grange Insurance since 1999. Russel’s accreditations include Charter Property Underwriter (CPCU), Associate in Risk Management (ARM), and Casualty Claim Law Associate (CCLA). He also serves on the boards of the Community Shelter Board and the Ronald McDonald House. The National Insurance Crime Bureau is a not-for-profit organization that receives support from approximately 1,000 property/casualty insurance companies. Grange Mutual Casualty Group, based in Columbus, Ohio, is a $1 billion insurance and financial services provider.

Miami insurance agent Alex Soto has been inaugurated as the new president of the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (the Big “I”), with Robert E. Fulwider and C. Brett Nilsson assuming the offices of president-elect and vice president, respectively. The new officers were sworn in at the Big “I” Leadership Conference in New Orleans.

Soto is president of Miami-Fla.-based InSource, Inc. Soto has been active in the Big “I” nationally and in the Florida Association of Independent Agents during his 34-year career as an independent insurance agent. He is a past chairman of the FAIA and also a past director on IIABA’s national board. He has served as chairman of the Big “I” Communications Committee, Branding Task Force and other committees. He was a founder of the Trusted Choice brand for independent agents and brokers.

Fulwider is principal and president of the Ray Wuestenberg Agency Inc. in West Liberty, Iowa, and of the Fulwider Agency Inc. in West Branch, Iowa. He also is president of Bob Fulwider and Associates, a life-and-health financial-planning agency in eastern Iowa. Fulwider started his career as an independent agent in 1973. He is a past president of the Independent Insurance Agents of Iowa and currently sits on its Education Committee. He also is the only two-time Agent of the Year in IIAI history (1983, 1990) and was inducted into the Iowa Insurance Hall of Fame in 2003. Nationally, he is a past chairman of the Big “I” Government Affairs Committee and the association’s Crop Insurance Task Force.

Nilsson is senior vice president for The Buckner Company, based in Salt Lake City. Nilsson served as president of the Independent Insurance Agents of Utah from 1992-93. Nilsson was chairman of IIABA’s Finance Committee, which he chaired from 1999-2003, and served on IIABA’s Communications Committee. He has been intimately involved in the Big “I” Trusted Choice Junior Classic golf tournament. Nilsson is a past recipient of Utah’s Agent of the Year and Young Agent of the Year awards, and he received an IIABA Presidential Citation in 2001. In 2003, Nilsson received his state association’s highest individual honor, the Burgener Award.

RLI Corp. has hired Andrew McCray as the company’s new vice president, home office underwriting. McCray will report to RLI Insurance Co. President & COO Michael J. Stone. McCray’s responsibilities include directing all home office underwriting activities, such as creating underwriting guidelines and policies and enhancing operations to support continued profitable growth. McCray comes to RLI from Ohio Farmers Insurance Company (a Westfield Company), where he served for 20 years, most recently as staff operations executive-underwriting practices group. RLI, a specialty insurance company, offers a diversified portfolio of property and casualty coverages and surety bonds serving “niche” or underserved markets. RLI operates in all 50 states from 26 office locations.

Argonaut Group, Inc. a national underwriter of specialty insurance products in niche areas of the property and casualty market, announced today that Robert J. Broomall has joined the organization as senior vice president, Business Development for its Select Markets segment. Broomall will report to B. Thomas Johns, president of the Select Markets Segment and will be based in Chicago, Ill.

Prior to joining Argonaut, Mr. Broomall served as senior vice president with Arch Insurance Company where he headed the marketing and program development for the Specialty Programs Division. Previously he served as executive vice president with John Deere Insurance Services where he co-founded John Deere Specialty Managers, a start-up division writing specialty programs and excess and surplus lines business.

State Auto Insurance Companies recently announced that Kevin Kelly has been promoted to vice president and branch manager of its Indianapolis regional office. Kelly was formerly branch manager of the La Crosse, Wis. branch office.

Kelly joined State Auto in April 1993 as a senior commercial specialist. He became manager, Commercial Staff Underwriting and Pricing in 1995. He was employed by Indiana Insurance from 1985 to 1993.

Topics Iowa