People

Thoits Insurance of San Jose, Calif., promoted Paul Saich to CEO. Saich replaces Don Way, who had been with Thoits for 44 years, and will remain as chairman of the board. Saich joined Thoits Insurance in 1996 and most recently served as executive vice president of sales. He has more than 17 years of experience.

Insurance Brokers and Agents of the West (IBA West) announced that Paul K. Furlong joined the association staff as president of the IBA West Service Corp. He will be responsible for the management of the association’s for-profit activities, including research, development, and management of Service Corp. insurance and business programs, and oversight management of Insurance Skills Center.

Furlong began his insurance career in London in 1972. He studied and attained the designation of associate of the Chartered Institute of Insurance and later obtained the designation of Fellowship of the Chartered Institute of Insurance, FCII. He worked for a major British insurance company in various sales and management roles, before becoming an insurance broker in 1979. In 1982, he came to the United States and joined the John W. Knight Insurance Agency in Glendale, Calif., as a producer and was promoted to president in January 1996. In 2003, Knight Insurance merged with Armstrong/Robitaille and Furlong subsequently became president and CEO in August 2005. That organization is now part of BB&T. He has served on numerous insurance company President Councils including Fireman’s Fund, Hartford, Safeco and Golden Eagle.

Phoenix-based Sterling Grant & Associates added Laurel Chamberlin as a producer. She will focus primarily on marketing insurance to the multi-family property industry, as well as retail, commercial, and office building management companies.

Chamberlin has more 25 years of experience in multi-family property management. Previous positions have included onsite manager, district manager of several apartment communities and HOAs, director of client services for a small real estate law firm, and business development officer for a bank focused on property management banking.

MetLife Auto & Home appointed Madera, Calif., resident Rene Swan to the position of regional sales manager, overseeing the company’s growth plans in California’s Central Valley territory.

Prior to joining MetLife Auto & Home, Swan worked for Safeco Insurance Co. as a sales professional for the Central California region. She also held positions at Arthur J. Gallagher and Barlocker Insurance Service, Allstate Insurance, UBS/PaineWebber, Talbot of California, and was president of Hemet Escrow Co. She has more than 18 years experience in insurance and financial services.

Tustin, Calif.-based Yates & Associates Insurance Services Inc. added Evon Rios to lead the professional liability underwriting team.

Rios began her insurance career more than 20 years ago as a clerk working at a large wholesale operation in Los Angeles. Most recently, she was at Partners Specialty Group, and prior to that she was with Burns & Wilcox. Rios is an active member of the Professional Liability Underwriting Society and is completing the requirements to earn her RPLU designation.

Denver-based IMA of Colorado Inc. promoted Russ Ulrich to account executive in claim services.

Ulrich, who holds an ARM (associate in risk management) designation, has been with IMA since 2001 and has more than 10 years experience in the insurance field.

Quirk & Co., an insurance wholesaler headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, with branch offices in Austin, Dallas and Atlanta, recently named Merry Palmer manager of the Pacific Northwest Lines Team and Cheri Bahmanyar underwriter for the Oregon office.

Palmer’s focus will be on sales and marketing of Quirk & Co., looking for expansion opportunities in Washington and Oregon. She has more than 25 years of experience, having held titles such as senior underwriter, assistant vice president and vice president. She is currently the chair on the Pacific Northwest Chapter of the Professional Liability Underwriting Society.

Joining Palmer on the Pacific Northwest Team is Bahmanyar, who will underwrite risks in Washington and Oregon. She has more than 25 years of insurance experience, having held positions with carriers, retail agents and general agencies. She has held underwriting, marketing, and branch management titles.

Saylor & Hill Co., a Barney & Barney company, added Shauna Thomas-Gilbert to the Employee Benefits Division. Formerly a vice president with Heffernan Insurance, Thomas-Gilbert brings nearly 20 years of industry experience specializing in insurance solutions for a range of mid- to large-size clients in technology, nonprofit, wineries and manufacturing, to name a few. She specializes in providing innovative insurance solutions to help organizations comply with San Francisco HealthCare Ordinance requirements. Thomas-Gilbert began her insurance career with Mercer in 1990. Prior to Heffernan, she spent several years working in account management and sales for national carriers Anthem Blue Cross and Cigna.

QualCorp Inc. promoted Susan Bobbins to assistant vice president. Bobbins began as assistant to the CEO and was promoted to senior project manager in 2004. She has more than 15 years of experience with major insurance companies.

Topics California Agencies Underwriting Oregon Professional Liability