People
Tim Brady, chairman and former CEO of Brady, Chapman, Holland and Associates in Houston, was named the 2011 Drex Foreman Award winner at the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas 114th Annual Conference & Trade Show in Houston.
Brady began his career with Liberty Mutual. He opened his current agency in 1983 with two partners and a couple of service employees. Brady, Chapman, Holland and Associates now has more than 80 employees. Brady’s “git er done” attitude and his positive, forward-looking management style have helped him build one of the largest agencies in the Southwest.
Over the years, Brady has served on numerous company advisory councils, often as chair. He was president of his local association and in 1996 he was named president of IIAT. In addition to running a large agency, Brady helped establish two companies that provide support and services to independent agents: RiskProNet International and Sitkins International.
The Drex Foreman Award is the highest honor awarded by IIAT and is named after Drex G. Foreman, who served as IIAT chief executive for more than 30 years.
Scott West, owner of Pathfinder Insurance Agency in Houston, was honored as the Paige Eiland Political Action Award winner. West has chaired his local association’s political action committee, helped drive both the agenda and the collection of IMPACT dollars for the state and is a regular participant at the national Legislative Conference in Washington each year.
The Paige Eiland Award is awarded to the person whose political involvement has most benefited independent insurance agents.
Matt Frierson, a partner at Pierson and Fendley Insurance Agency in Paris, was named the André P. Juneau Young Agent of the Year. Frierson has served on both the young agents and small agency advisory councils at the state level, and was also president of his local association.
Frierson volunteers for the United Way, Boy Scouts of America and the Paris Traffic Commission. He also serves on the City Council of Paris, Texas and as a director of the Lamar County Chamber of Commerce.
The Young Agent of the Year Award is named in honor of an IIAT past president whose life epitomized the qualities that mark the young agent of the year.
Carol Tower of the Malakoff Insurance Agency was named IIAT’s ACSR of the Year. Tower specializes in personal lines, has been licensed for 19 years, and is a past president of the Federation of Insurance Women in Texas.
Homeowners of America Insurance Co., based in Irving, Texas, added Heidi Kuchta as sales representative for the Fort Worth area.
Kuchta has more than 20 years of experience in the insurance industry, including agency operations and sales, marketing, underwriting and claims. Her career includes time spent with Nationwide, Farmers, Unitrin and most recently Universal North America.
Homeowners of America Insurance Co. specializes in residential property in Texas and Oklahoma, as well as private passenger auto coverage for homeowners in Texas.
Third Coast Underwriters, a specialty markets operation offering workers’ compensation insurance for underserved markets with complex risks, appointed Gordon Greig as senior claims examiner for the Gulf Region.
Greig is a licensed attorney. His practice over the past six years has included the Louisiana State Workers’ Compensation Act, the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (LHWCA), the Jones Act, subrogation, general tort and premises liability.
Third Coast recently announced it is expanding its workers’ compensation offerings to include oil and gas and United States Longshore and Harbor Workers (USL&H) operations.