People – South Central

Craig Sparks, non-executive chairman of Union Standard, has been presented with the Raymond Mauk Leadership Award by the Insurance Council of Texas (ICT). Sparks is the 18th recipient of the award.

The ICT presents the Raymond Mauk Leadership Award annually at its Mid-Year Property and Casualty Insurance Symposium. It is the Council’s highest honor and recognizes individuals who have made a significant difference in the business of insurance. The award is named in honor of former Texas Fire Commissioner Raymond Mauk.

Sparks began his insurance career with Floyd West & Co., and later moved to Crum and Forster. He also worked for Wausau as a commercial accounts agent. In 1993, Sparks joined Union Standard as branch manager. Within seven years, he became president. In 2014, Sparks resigned as president but remained as non-executive chairman.

Sparks is a past chairman of the Insurance Council of Texas and former president of the Association of Fire and Casualty Companies in Texas (AFACT). He has also served on the National Alliance’s CIC Board of Governors and was founding chairman of the Texas Committee on Insurance Fraud. He currently serves on ICT’s Education Foundation.

Richard “Gordy” Bunch, founder, president and chief executive officer of The Woodlands Financial Group (TWFG) in The Woodlands, Texas, has been named an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2015 for the Gulf Coast area.

Bunch was announced as winner in the products and services category. The Gulf Coast awards recognize the Entrepreneur of the Year for the geographic area covered by all of Houston, South Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi.

As the product and services Entrepreneur of the Year, Bunch and nine other category winners from the Gulf Coast region are eligible to be named National Entrepreneur of the Year at the EY “Strategic Growth Forum” in Palm Desert, Calif., in November.

Gulf Coast area entrepreneurs were also recognized in the fields of Industrial & Construction Services, Energy Related Products, Transformation CEO, Health Care, Energy Services, Family Business Award, Energy, Business Services, and Technology.

TWFG writes policies in 49 states.

The Independent Insurance Agents of Texas (IIAT) named Sonya Edwards, commercial lines account manager and team leader of the personal lines department at Bryan Insurance Agency in Graham, as Customer Service Representative (CSR) of the Year.

This award is given annually to a CSR in Texas who exemplifies outstanding leadership and service to the independent agency system and to the public.

Edwards started working in personal lines in the mid-1980s. She later decided to learn more about the commercial insurance side of business, and now handles a number of large commercial insurance clients, while continuing to be the personal lines team leader.

Edwards recently celebrated her 30-year anniversary at the agency.

In addition to receiving the award, Edwards received $1,500 from Myron Steves and the chance to win the national competition later this year.

The IIAT also named Wes Becknell, business development officer at AFCO in La Vernia, as its Young Associate of the Year.

The award recognizes a young associate member of IIAT who demonstrates exceptional service to the industry, the association and community. Associate members include insurance companies, general agencies, automation vendors and other businesses serving the independent agency community.

Becknell began his career in the insurance industry as a producer in Seguin. He holds his CIC and CSRM designations.

IBTX Risk Services, an independent insurance agency based in Dallas, hired Michael Bell as director of its personal insurance division.

Bell brings nearly 25 years of experience in the retail insurance agency system including roles in client development and personal lines management, as well as serving as an executive officer, principal and agency owner.

Prior to joining IBTX, Bell co-founded AbleCo Insurance Agency LLC, which he grew from a scratch property and casualty insurance agency to a firm focused primarily on personal lines insurance. Bell and his co-founder sold the property and casualty division of AbleCo in March 2015.

Bell also previously worked at Bell Insurance Group, where he served as executive vice president.

Risk Settlements has added Steven Schienvar as a managing director in Dallas.

Schienvar previously spent 13 years at AIG in various positions including president of AIG’s assumed reinsurance division (AIG Re), and executive vice president, chief operating officer and chief risk officer at AIG Risk Finance, an alternative solutions insurance group.

Risk Settlements specializes in class action settlements and offers a post-loss class action settlement insurance product (CASI). As of July 1, 2015, Risk Settlements has provided risk transfer for over $70M in class action settlement liability.