People
U.S. Risk Insurance Group Inc. named Julie Sylim a vice president and branch manager for the company’s Oakland, Calif., office.
Julie has more than 20 years of insurance experience, most recently in the wholesale arena. She previously was the underwriting manager and vice president at Cambridge General Agency.
White Sutton & Co. Insurance Services, based in Santa Monica, Calif., named Trey Harding practice leader of its Main Street Business Division.
A Westside Los Angeles native, Harding held an underwriting position at Allied Insurance, a Nationwide Insurance Co., prior to joining White Sutton & Co.
White Sutton & Co.’s Main Street Business Division serves California’s retail, food service, hospitality, service, and residential and commercial income property clients with fewer than 75 employees.
The National Council on Compensation Insurance Inc. (NCCI) elected John Schapperle, president and chief operating officer of Island Insurance, to its board of directors. One of five new members, Schapperle is the first from Hawaii to join the group of insurance executives from across the country.
NCCI studies workplace injuries and other national and state factors impacting workers’ compensation. Island Insurance Co. Ltd. is Hawaii’s largest locally owned and managed insurance carrier, offering a range of property and casualty protection.
Brian Berend of Brian Berend Agency in Auburn, Wash., was named FloodSmart Agent of the Year for 2010.
The FloodSmart Award recognizes an agent who has made an outstanding effort to promote the National Flood Insurance Program and raise awareness of the dangers of flooding in his or her community.
Berend has been active in promoting flood insurance to his customers in the Green River Valley, given the recent increased flood risks surrounding the Howard Hanson Dam. In addition to using co-op advertising to place newspaper ads and sending his customers warning letters via the mail-on-demand program, he has attended town hall meetings in surrounding cities and has encouraged nearby mayors to get the word out about the importance of purchasing flood insurance. He helped organize a Disaster Preparedness Fair in Auburn, which more than 4,000 community businesses attended. He also met with many homeowners associations and school groups as well as his local Chamber of Commerce to educate homeowners and businesses about the risk of flooding.
Worldwide Facilities Inc. named Erik Kamiya vice president and financial services broker, and Steve Vallone financial services broker to work in the company’s San Francisco office. Additionally, the company added two new associate brokers in the San Francisco office – Phil Merrick and Rob Skaggs.
Kamiya will head the San Francisco Financial Services team. He spent the past six years with All Risks Ltd. as the professional lines manager for its San Francisco office. Prior to All Risks, he was a partner and chief operating officer for Dwyer & Associates, an Oakland-based surplus lines broker specializing in professional liability. He began his career as a professional lines underwriter with Chubb.
For the past two years, Vallone had been at All Risks Ltd. in San Francisco. He began his insurance career as a professional liability underwriter with Chartis (formerly AIG).
Both Merrick and Skaggs were previously with All Risks Ltd. in San Francisco.
Seattle-based SeaBright Insurance Holdings Inc. appointed Scott H. Maw senior vice president and chief financial officer. Maw has knowledge of finance, accounting and insurance. He also has experience with publicly traded companies and the investor community. He has spent nearly 20 years in the financial services industry. Most recently, he was senior vice president and chief financial officer of the Retail/Consumer Bank operations of JP Morgan Chase, having held a similar post at Washington Mutual Bank prior to its acquisition by Chase.