People

Higginbotham & Associates, an independent insurance brokerage firm based in Ft. Worth, Texas, added employee benefits brokers John Collins, Dana Jones and Rob Marsh to its managing director team for 2009, in recognition of their contributions to the firm.

With these additions, Higginbotham now has 33 managing directors who collectively guide the firm’s growth strategies, customer service standards, employee management procedures and carrier relations.

Collins joined Higginbotham at its Ft. Worth home office in 2000 after working in health plan management, finance and client services for several large North Texas medical centers and physician organizations.

Jones was recruited into Higginbotham’s Producer Mentor Program at its home office in 1997 after graduating from the University of Kentucky with a bachelor’s degree in political science.

Marsh recently moved to Higginbotham’s Dallas office from its Ft. Worth headquarters, where he began working in 2002. Before joining the firm, he was an independent health insurance contract broker and a sales/marketing representative for a home and health care company.

McQueary Henry Bowles Troy L.L.P. (MHBT), an insurance and risk management firm headquartered in Dallas, announced that Trey Halbert, a senior vice president with the employee benefits group in MHBT’s Austin office, was named winner of the 2009 Austin Under Forty (Au40) Awards in the financial services category.

This is the second consecutive year that Halbert has been nominated for this recognition.

Hosted by the Young Men’s Business League and the Young Women’s Alliance, the Au40 Awards recognize young men and women in Austin who excel in their professional fields and make considerable contributions to the community.

The 2009 finalists were pulled from more than 200 public nominations and were judged half on professional merit and half on community commitment. Based on this criteria, 50 finalists were selected representing one of 10 categories of professional fields, including arts/entertainment, business/entrepreneurship, community service, financial services, government/public affairs, legal, medical/health care, real estate, technology/sciences and youth/education. Of the 50 finalists, the 10 most outstanding, community-oriented men and women of Greater Austin were recognized.

Halbert also has been named as one of five finalists for the 2008 Young Leader of the Year Award, presented by the United Way Capital Area Young Leaders Society.

Elizabeth Demaret, managing director of Arthur J. Gallagher, was appointed chairwoman of the World Federation of Insurance Intermediaries (WFII), an international association representing intermediaries from around the world. Based in Chicago, Demaret is one of six WFII World Council members from North America and a member of The Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers. Demaret will serve a one-year term as chairwoman, and another year as outgoing chair. Demaret follows David Harari, director of IFEBO in France, as chair of the WFII.

Ohio-based Central Insurance Companies named Tim Rauch as regional vice president for its Southwest Regional Office in Dallas. He is responsible for all underwriting, marketing and claims functions serving independent agents in Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Colorado.

Rauch is a 21-year veteran of the insurance industry. He previously managed commercial underwriting, marketing and regional operations for The Hartford Insurance Co. More recently, Rauch worked on the independent agency side as a regional sales manager for USI, and as a producing vice president for Insurance Alliance.

Wholesale insurance broker Westrope, based in Kansas City, Mo., announced that Christopher Morris joined the Westrope Southwest Team in Dallas.

Morris, who joins Westrope as a vice president in casualty, produced and managed specialized risk management accounts with Aon Risk Services Inc. in Dallas for 10 years. He left Aon in 2007 for the wholesale side of the industry, and specializes in construction and real estate development accounts.

Arkansas-based independent insurance agency Steph-ens Insurance LLC added eight insurance professionals to its commercial insurance services team in Little Rock. All formerly were with Regions Insurance in Little Rock.

In the Risk Management Division, Senior Vice Presidents Bill Bussey and Stan Payne will lead a team providing insurance brokerage and risk management services to large public and private commercial clients. Resources will include risk assessment and audit, coverage design, actuarial analysis, loss control and claims management, as well as traditional brokerage services, to clients nationwide.

Also joining the Risk Management Division are Vice President James Goss, Account Managers Mary Whitten, Denise Thompson and Shirley Simmons; and Customer Service Representatives Stephanie Jones and Matt Jones.

Bussey and Payne served as senior vice presidents at Regions Insurance, where they led an insurance and risk management services team for large corporate clients. During their tenure at the firm, both received sales and client retention accolades.

Founded in 1987, Stephens Insurance LLC is an affiliate of Stephens Inc. A full-service agency, Stephens Insurance provides a range of insurance consultation, products and services to individuals, corporations and municipalities through offices in Little Rock, Austin, Dallas and Fayetteville, Ark.

Topics Texas Agencies Risk Management