People – Southeast
The Main Street America Group has appointed Nancy Giordano-Ramos as its vice president/head of bonds.
Giordano-Ramos had been the super-regional property/casualty insurance company’s interim head of bonds since last fall, following the departure of former bonds vice president Brian Beggs. Giordano-Ramos will report to Main Street America Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Tom Van Berkel and remain based at the company’s corporate headquarters in Jacksonville, Fla.
“Nancy will be responsible for the strategic direction, management and performance of Main Street America’s bonds organization,” Van Berkel said. “She will focus on driving profitable growth in our surety and fidelity product lines via our bonds-only and all-lines independent agent-customers.”
Giordano-Ramos joined Main Street America in 2010 as director of bonds account management. Her insurance industry experience also includes a 10-year tenure at Selective Insurance, where she was an assistant vice president of the carrier’s bonds unit.
Main Street America provides surety and fidelity products to “Main Street” businesses and individuals through its network of independent insurance agents and is licensed to issue surety and fidelity products in 47 states and the District of Columbia. This includes the recent expansion of its surety business into Louisiana and Mississippi.
BB&T- Oswald Trippe and Company has expanded with new associates hires to its Florida offices.
Lisa Feanny has been named a personal lines sales associate for Miami. Feanny has 25 years of experience in the insurance industry. She previously worked for State Farm, Royal Marine Yacht Underwriters, InSource and MDW Insurance group. Feanny is currently working toward her accredited advisor in insurance professional designation.
Tina Solero will serve as a commercial lines customer service advisor in Ocala. She previously worked in financial services and also has 21 years of experience in commercial insurance including positions with Great American, Justin Insurance and Great American as an underwriting specialist.
Jennifer Kauffman joined the company in November as a CSR II in Fort Myers. For the last 19 years, Kauffman worked as an insurance agent CSR, a client service specialist with a financial planning firm and a service representative at a credit union.
Margenia Knopf will serve as a mail services associate in the Fort Myers office. Knopf recently relocated to Southwest Florida from Indiana and has more than 19 years of experience with postal regulations, mail distribution, supply services and switchboard operations. Knopf will also undergo insurance training under BB&T- Oswald Trippe and Company.
BB&T-Oswald Trippe and Company provides insurance and risk-management services to families and businesses throughout Florida. The agency has offices in Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Holmes Beach, Miami, Naples, Ocala and Weston, Fla.
Dan DeLamater was elected president of Southern Mutual Insurance Co. effective Jan. 1, 2016 at the company’s recent Board of Directors meeting. The Board of Directors also elected Kim McClain as vice president and secretary, Mitch Parham as assistant vice president, and Mike Sorrells as treasurer.
DeLamater becomes the 10th president of the 168-year-old insurance company which is headquartered in Athens, Ga. DeLamater joined the company in 2000 and was promoted to vice president in 2002.
DeLamater succeeds Allen Green, who is retiring after 29 years as president. Green will continue to serve on Southern Mutual Insurance Co.’s Board of Directors.
McClain joined Southern Mutual in 1980 and soon after became assistant vice president. Her roles in the operations of Southern Mutual include the Information Technology department, the client billing department, and the company’s accounting functions.
Parham joined the company as Claims manager in 2012 after more than 27 years of claims experience with a number of different insurance carriers.
Sorrells has been an accountant with Southern Mutual for over 15 years. Prior to his employment with Southern Mutual he served as a staff accountant with St. Mary’s Hospital in Athens.
Marsh has hired Greg Benefield to lead its US Food & Beverage Practice. In this role, Benefield is responsible for ensuring that Marsh delivers its advisory and transactional services to the firm’s growing roster of food and beverage clients across the U.S.
Benefield joins Marsh from Willis where he has spent the last 22 years, most recently serving as executive vice president and national Food & Beverage Practice leader. He specializes in providing and coordinating risk management consulting services for large national foodservice clients.
Benefield is based in Marsh’s Nashville, Tenn., office and reports to Mac Nadel, Marsh’s national Retail/Wholesale Food & Beverage Practice leader.