People

National managing general agent Burns & Wilcox has promoted Anthony Cugini to manager of the company’s Houston office. He is responsible for increasing sales across all product lines, including professional liability, commercial, umbrella, vacant buildings, contractors and personal lines.

Cugini joined Burns & Wilcox in 2006 as assistant manager. He has held positions in marketing and claims at various insurance companies.

McQueary Henry Bowles Troy LLP (MHBT) appointed Jim Zimmermann as a vice president in the firm’s marketing group. Zimmermann will work closely with MHBT’s construction division to develop and market construction business.

Prior to joining MHBT, Zimmermann worked as a vice president at Cory, Tucker & Larrowe, an insurance and bonding agency based in New Orleans. He was responsible for all aspects of the agency’s insurance operation, which included production, marketing, account management and insurance company relations.

MHBT is based in Dallas and also has offices in Fort Worth and Austin, Texas.

Lisa Foster joined the Austin office of Frost Insurance as a client advisor and will have certain management responsibilities as well.

Foster has 12 years of industry experience and formerly was Middle Market Services manager with State Auto.

Andrew Lowe joined Frost Insurance to lead Frost’s Austin and Statewide Wellness Programs for Frost clients. Lowe’s responsibilities include consulting with FIA customers on wellness opportunities, vendor selection, carrier platforms, and value-based incentive programs.

Formerly the owner of Sororities in Shape LLC, Lowe has five years of industry experience and a Masters Degree in Sports Management.

Jay Grob has joined Texas Wasatch Insurance/TWG Insurance as president and chief operating officer.

A former senior partner of Bain & Company, Grob brings a wealth of experience to TWG’s auto and homeowners insurance business, the company said.

Texas Wasatch Insurance/TWG Insurance also promoted Cleveland Coleman to director. Additionally, he was named a limited partner of the firm.

Founded in 2003, Texas Wasatch Insurance/TWG Insurance provides homeowners, auto, life, watercraft, umbrella and commercial insurance in nearly 30 states.

Fort Worth, Texas-based Hallmark Financial Services Inc. (Hallmark) reported that Curtis Donnell, president and CEO of its general aviation division, Aerospace Insurance Managers, has retired effective Dec. 31, 2008.

Donnell, 70, founded Aerospace in 1999 and has more than 40 years’ experience in the underwriting, marketing and executive management of general aviation insurance products. Under his leadership, Aerospace grew from a start-up independent managing general agency into a leading distributor of general aviation insurance products throughout the United States. Aerospace was purchased by Hallmark in January 2006.

Chris Jones, currently Aerospace’s executive vice president and chief operating officer, succeeds Donnell as president.

Donnell will continue to work with Hallmark in a consulting role to develop strategic opportunities in the aviation market.

Commercial Alliance Insurance Company (CAIC Surety) named Richard Deal as the Bond manager of its Dallas office.

Deal joined CAIC Surety in July 2008 to expand the company in the North Texas region. From Dallas, CAIC will be better positioned to market and service independent insurance agents in that area more efficiently and effectively, the company said. Deal comes to CAIC from EMC in Dallas.

CAIC Surety underwrites small standard and specialty contract surety bonds and other surety products serving the independent insurance agents in Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Arizona.

National wholesale insurance broker Swett & Crawford appointed Jim C. Bishop as sales leader/branch manager of the firm’s Dallas office.

Bishop has 25 years’ experience in the insurance industry in both the retail and wholesale segments, and extensive familiarity with the Dallas market. He most recently served as president of Dallas-based Heartland Marketing Group and Heartland Specialty Insurance.

Bishop began his career in 1983 with Aetna Casualty in Oklahoma.

Austin, Texas-based physician liability insurer Medicus Insurance Company added Harry Reissman as regional market manager, effective Dec. 1, 2008. Reissman is responsible for business development and market analysis, with a focus in Texas.

Reissman joins Medicus after having served as senior marketing representative at Texas Medical Liability Trust (TMLT) for nine years, where he was responsible for marketing to physician groups throughout Texas. He has been in insurance marketing and sales for more than 30 years.

Crump Insurance Services added Babs Driscoll as broker in its Houston, Texas, office and Camille Wilkerson as associate broker in Austin.

Driscoll works in the property and inland marine brokerage and underwrites property/package accounts for MGA markets.

Most recently a property manager with London American Risk Specialists Inc., Driscoll has 30 years of experience in the insurance industry.

Wilkerson has 17 years of industry experience. She previously served as underwriter for Austin Surplus Lines Agency Inc.

Los Angeles-based Insurance Specialty Group’s Professional Liability Group named Catherine V.M. Butschek a broker in Dallas.

Butschek began her insurance career in the retail arena. For the past 15 years, she has worked in the wholesale sector, most recently as vice president of financial services/insurance brokers services for Swett & Crawford of Texas.

She has more than 14 years’ experience in the insurance industry with companies such as American Mutual Insurance Co., Alexander & Alexander, Burns & Wilcox and Swett & Crawford.

Dallas-based MarketScout has added three new associates to its workers’ compensation and Texas specialty underwriting division.

Rachael Bryk joins MarketScout as underwriter after seven years of specialty workers’ compensation experience at Guard Insurance Group of Wilkes-Barre, Pa. At Guard, Bryk held various underwriting positions including classification analyst and technical analyst, and performed small business underwriting duties.

Kathryn McGee joins MarketScout as underwriter after four years with AIG’s Specialty Workers’ Compensation Division in Dallas.

McGee’s experience at AIG includes claims and underwriting, most recently as underwriter for the Specialty Workers’ Compensation Division, Middle Market Accounts, where her territory included Texas and surrounding states. She has worked with major national accounts such as JCPenney Company Inc. and CVS Caremark.

Abigail Hodges, a licensed Texas insurance agent, joins MarketScout as underwriting assistant after assignments with Honda Financial Services as cash management analyst, and personal loan consultant with Countrywide Home Loans.

The Central Oklahoma Chapter of CPCU has presented John F. Sullivan with its Insurance Industry Service Award.

Sullivan has been active in the insurance industry for 37 years and is the second generation owner of the Sullivan Insurance Agency of Ardmore, Okla.

In the past Sullivan has served as president of the Independent Insurance Agents of Ardmore and president of Associated Risk Managers of Oklahoma. He is current director of Associated Risk Managers of Mid-America and director of Professional Insurance Agents of Oklahoma. He has numerous insurance licenses and securities licenses.

He has been awarded the Agent of the Year twice by the Associated Risk Managers International. Sullivan has held many other offices and awards for his dedication to the insurance industry.

The award was presented to Sullivan at the annual All Industry Day meeting in Oklahoma City. This educational meeting is hosted by the Central Chapter of CPCU Society, The Central Chapter of RIMS and The Insurance Women of Oklahoma City.

Topics Texas Agencies Workers' Compensation Excess Surplus Underwriting Aviation Oklahoma Insurance Wholesale Market Aerospace