Strategic Insurance Agency Alliance announced the formation of a new master agency in the Northern California region.
Strategic Independent Insurance Agency Solutions is headquartered in Santa Rosa, Calif., and will service member agencies across 19 northern counties in California.
The SIIAS office will be initially staffed by three insurance industry executives: Forest de Jong, Greg Moody and Lori Crissinger.
de Jong, SIIAS senior vice president, will be responsible for the overall operations.
He has held positions at Nationwide, Countrywide and Allied Insurance.
Moody was named regional vice president. He will work to attract new member agencies.
Moody was previously with National General Insurance (formerly GMAC Insurance).
Crissinger was named an agency development field specialist. Crissinger will consult with SIIAS member insurance agencies regarding start-up issues, increasing commercial lines, training opportunities and premium growth.
Crissinger has more than 20 years of experience in the insurance industry, including roles with both Nationwide Insurance and State Farm Insurance.
SIAA is a national insurance agency alliance with more than 5,900 member agencies through 48 master agencies across the country.
Appalachian Underwriters Inc. has named Jeanette Budde Western regional vice president in the firm’s Scottsdale, Airz., office.
Budde’s role will focus on profitably growing workers’ compensation business and other product lines in the Western U.S.
Budde has experience in workers’ comp, property, general liability, inland marine, umbrella, professional, crime and other specialty protection. She has been an insurance producer for in multiline commercial underwriting and marketing.
Oak Ridge, Tenn.-based Appalachian Underwriters is a managing general agent and wholesale insurance brokerage.
Worldwide Facilities LLC has added Aaron Perry to its team of brokers in Phoenix, Ariz.
He focuses on construction and manufacturing.
Perry has six years of wholesale insurance experience. He was previously with firms including Horizon Risk Insurance Services Inc., Veritas Recruiting Group and Peachtree Special Risk Brokers.
Worldwide Facilities is a national wholesale insurance broker and managing general agent.
San Diego, Calif.-based Cavignac & Associates has named Mike Riis a junior account executive.
Riis initially will be trained to service existing clients, educate them on risk preventative measures, and recommend appropriate insurance coverage.
Riis previously was a marketing assistant for Palomar Specialty Insurance in La Jolla. He served an internship with The Mohr Group Financial & Insurance Services prior to Palomar.
Cavignac & Associates is a risk management and commercial insurance brokerage firm.
Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty has named Dennis Mah winery team lead for North America.
Mah is based in Sacramento, Calif., and he will report to Karen Walter, West zone farm and ranch lead. Mah will be responsible for developing and implementing growth strategies and product development.
He joins AGCS from Travelers Insurance, where he was an account executive and regional underwriting officer for their agribusiness division before being promoted to managing director. Mah was at Fireman’s Fund in their midmarket division prior to joining Travelers.
AGCS insures the winemaking process from “grapes-to-glass,” with an appetite that includes commercial businesses engaged in winery operations. AGCS is the Allianz Group’s dedicated carrier for corporate and specialty insurance business.
Willis Towers Watson has named Charles Shay leader in financial and executive risk in North America’s West region.
The financial and executive risk practice delivers tailored risk management and risk transfer solutions to help companies protect executives and key assets.
Shay will be responsible for driving growth across the practice in the Western the U.S. He will report to Alexis Faber, the company’s co-head of global financial lines and North America financial and executive risk practice lead.
Shay has 23 years of experience in the insurance and risk management industry. He was a managing principal at Integro prior to joining Willis. He was previously a senior vice president at Marsh.
Willis is a global advisory, broking and solutions company.
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