People
The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers (the Big “I”) has awarded Alex Soto with the Woodworth Memorial Award, the highest honor the association bestows on one of its members.
Soto is president and CEO of InSource, Inc. in Miami and served as chairman of the Big “I” from 2006 to 2007. Soto also served on the national association’s executive committee and was chairman of IIABA’s Communications Committee, Natural Disaster Committee and Branding Task Force, which developed the Trusted Choice consumer brand.
Soto formerly served as chairman and state national director of the Florida Association of Insurance Agents and as vice chairman of the Florida Property Casualty Joint Underwriting Association. He also was a member of the governor’s Commission on the Florida Insurance Crisis and served on the Florida Insurance Fraud Task Force.
Insurance broker and risk management firm Rutherfoord has added David T. Peterson to its Raleigh, North Carolina office. Peterson will serve as division manager of the Raleigh office.
Peterson is a former executive vice president with the Hylant Group, and has 20 years of experience in the commercial insurance brokerage industry.
Rutherfoord is a Virginia-based risk management and insurance brokerage firm of over 300 employees in nine offices. Rutherfoord ranks 11th in the Insurance Journal Top 100 listing of the nation’s largest privately-held property/casualty agencies.
MacNeill Group Inc., a managing general agency based in Sunrise, Fla., promoted Kevin M. Tromer to president. In January 2009, Tromer succeeded Douglas W. Bullington who continues on in his current position of CEO of Focus Holdings LLC, MacNeill Group’s parent company.
Tromer is just the fifth person to serve as president in the 63-year history of MacNeill and assumes this role in addition to his position as chief operating officer of Focus Holdings.
Tromer joined MacNeill in 1996 and most recently served as executive vice president responsible for the management of daily operations. Prior to that, he served as senior vice president from 2003 to 2006 and as vice president from 2000 to 2003 responsible for new programs and management of the company’s information technology. He entered the insurance industry several years before, joining MacNeill following stints in the automobile finance industry.
Insurance broker Willis HRH has appointed Douglas W. Pera as national partner of its Atlantic region. Pera will be responsible for the company’s retail insurance offices in Maryland, Tennessee and Virginia, and will report to Don Bailey, chairman and chief executive officer of Willis HRH. Pera, who will be based in Nashville, succeeds Steve Deal.
Pera brings 28 years of industry experience to his new position with Willis HRH. Most recently, he was resident managing director for the Carolinas for Aon Risk Services, overseeing offices in North and South Carolina. From 1998 to 2006, he served in a variety of roles with Marsh USA in Memphis, including having responsibility for the middle market in the South region. Earlier in his career, Pera worked for Sedgwick and E.H. Crump & Co. (now Crump Group Inc.), both in Memphis.
With the addition of Saul Landesberg as regional vice president, BWD Group LLC has opened a Florida office of its insurance and risk management brokerage operation. Landesberg, a long time resident of the Tampa area, will build a team to work with BWD’s existing teams in New York and Pennsylvania to serve mid-size and large businesses, not-for-profit organizations, and high-end personal lines clients throughout the Southeast.
Landesberg has 36 years of insurance experience in the large broker arena. He formerly held positions with USI, Willis North America and Marsh/Johnson & Higgins.
W. R. Berkley Corp. has appointed Richard M. Baio to the newly created office of vice president – treasurer. He will manage the investment accounting and tax departments, global currency, banking relationships and treasury functions.
Baio has 19 years of experience in the financial services industry, having served most recently as a director in Merrill Lynch & Co.’s financial institutions investment banking group. Baio previously spent a part of his career advising the insurance industry with Ernst & Young’s insurance practice. Baio assumes the position of treasurer from Eugene G. Ballard, who remains senior vice president – chief financial officer.
Jack M. Rader, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Farmers Alliance Cos. in McPherson, Kan., has been elected chairman of the American Association of Insurance Services (AAIS). Rader succeeds James W. Sullivan, president and CEO of Co-operative Insurance Cos., Middlebury, Vt., who remains on the AAIS board.
Christopher P. Taft, president and CEO of Preferred Mutual Insurance Co., New Berlin, N.Y., was elected vice chairman to succeed Rader. In addition, R. Douglas Haines, president and CEO of Buckeye Insurance Group, Piqua, Ohio, was elected a member of the AAIS board.
The other AAIS board members are: Edward T, Berg, president and CEO of Pharmacists Mutual Insurance Co., Algona, Iowa; Roy Bubeck, president and CEO of Badger Mutual Insurance Co., Milwaukee, Wis.; Stuart C. Henderson, president and CEO of Western National Insurance Group, Edina, Minn.; Judy S. Jackson, president and CEO of NLC Insurance Cos., Norwich, Conn.; Jeffrey B. Kusch, president and CEO of Austin Mutual Insurance Co., Maple Grove, Minn.; and Paul Baiocchi, president and CEO of AAIS.