GILLIS, ELLIS & BAKER

Gillis, Ellis & Baker was founded in 1933 by Gary Gillis, who was joined in the 1950s by his sons-in-law Bill Baker and Dick Ellis. Now under third generation management, the company has 38 employees, nearly $6 million in revenue and around $60 million in annual premium. It is one of the top six or seven agencies in the New Orleans metropolitan area, according to Parke Ellis, a GEB principal and grandson of Gary Gillis. The business mix is around 80 percent commercial/20 percent personal lines. The company also handles some benefits business. GEB is a partner in the privately held risk management and commercial insurance brokerage group Assurex Global and an affiliate of Associated Risk Managers International. GEB was helped in its own recovery from Katrina by Agility Recovery Solutions, which provided facilities support, among other things, and Artizan Internet Services, which served as the agency’s call center.