Headquarters:
2850 Golf Road, Rolling Meadows, IL 60008
Year founded:
1997
Number of employees:
3,000
Phone:
866 595 8413
Email:
ContactRPS@rpsins.com
Website:
rpsins.com
LinkedIn:
linkedin.com/company/risk-placement-services-inc
“We approach risk placement challenges head on and take a ‘say no to no’ approach, leveraging the coverage line expertise that resides across our divisions, whether brokerage, programs, or standard lines”
Joel Cavaness,
RPS
RISK PLACEMENT SERVICES
Kevin Doyle
Chief Executive Officer
Adam Mazan
President
Katie Rossbach
Chief Financial Officer
Leadership
Kevin Doyle brings 15+ years of strategic planning, consistent delivery of business results, and employee engagement to his role as chief executive of RPS. He joined RPS in 2018 as VP of the Western Region and Chicago. In 2021, he took over responsibility for the Chicago team, resulting in strong organic growth and successful execution of dominant priorities.
Doyle has deep expertise across a broad range of specialty businesses in the E&S sector, alternative risk, and programs space. He has championed several sales initiatives to drive growth and efficiencies through digital and data strategies, early talent development, and proprietary products.
Chief Executive Officer
Kevin Doyle
Adam Mazan serves as president of Risk Placement Services (RPS) with responsibility over the strategic direction of the revenue-generating operations of the firm across its binding, brokerage, and program administration divisions. Prior to this role, he served as vice president for RPS’s Pacific-West Region, where he was responsible for leading and growing the company’s brokerage and binding business in California and Hawaii. Under his leadership, the region achieved significant growth, recruited and developed top performers, and increased client engagement. Mazan joined RPS as a summer college intern and was hired as a full-time broker following his graduation from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
President
Adam Mazan
Since 2018, Katie Rossbach has served as divisional chief financial officer at Risk Placement Services, where she partners with executive and field leadership to drive and influence strategy and results. For over 12 years, Rossbach has been an active supporter and wish grantor for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, a non-profit organization that creates life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. She holds an MBA with a Finance concentration from DePaul University, a BS in Finance and Insurance from Illinois State University, a private pilot’s license, and her CPCU designation.
Chief Financial Officer
Katie Rossbach
“We approach risk placement challenges head on and take a ‘say no to no’ approach, leveraging the coverage line expertise that resides across our divisions, whether brokerage, programs, or standard lines”
Joel Cavaness,
RPS
“It’s from the point an agency thinks about contacting J&J to how they contact J&J, to the experience they have after that contact. We measure all of that and we’re building an extensive internal report card that is monitored consistently”
Peter Burrous
Johnson & Johnson Insurance
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“Our clients want expertise and access to the right products, and at RPS they have a true partner to make the impossible possible”
Joel Cavaness,
RPS
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Lauren Melzer
Vice President, Market Relations
Lauren Melzer serves as vice president of market relations for RPS, where she is the primary liaison to all market partners domestically and internationally. In this role, she works with carriers to strategically grow relationships and ensure RPS has access to top markets to come through for its clients. Melzer earned her BS in Insurance from Illinois State University.
Vice President, Market Relations
Lauren Melzer
Peter Burrous
Chief Marketing Officer
Peter Burrous, chief marketing officer at Johnson & Johnson, has been with the company for 19 years. After graduating from the University of Virginia in 1981, he spent 20 years in various sales and marketing positions at The Coca-Cola Company. He joined J&J in 2003 to build an industry-leading sales and marketing team. He and his team are responsible for agency partnerships and the overall sales and marketing plan.
Peter is a member of the Trident United Way Tocqueville Society. He lives in Mt Pleasant, SC with his wife, Catherine. They have four children – Peter, Bradford, Leslie, and Web – and now have their first grandson, with a second grandson on the way. Peter is an avid pilot and enjoys traveling, boating, and skiing in his off time.
Chief Marketing Officer
Peter Burrous
“It’s from the point an agency thinks about contacting J&J to how they contact J&J, to the experience they have after that contact. We measure all of that and we’re building an extensive internal report card that is monitored consistently”
Peter Burrous
Johnson & Johnson Insurance
Steven E. Craig
Chief Financial Officer
Mark Bernacki
Chief Underwriting Officer
Julie Prewitt
Senior Vice President, Marketing
Simon Williams
Chief Strategy & Distribution Officer, Arch Insurance International
and Active Underwriter, Syndicate 1955
Steven E. Craig is the chief financial officer at Johnson & Johnson. He graduated from Clemson University (BS Finance) in 1988, the University of South Carolina School of Law (JD) in 1993, and New York University School of Law (LLM, Taxation) in 1995. After practicing tax law for 15 years, he joined J&J as CFO in 2010. He lives in Charleston with his wife, Molly. They have three children: Steven, Macy, and Michael. He enjoys playing golf, traveling, hunting, boating, and generally being outdoors.
Chief Financial Officer
Steven E. Craig
Mark Bernacki is the chief underwriting officer of Amwins, the first to serve in the role. Prior to that, he served as president of Amwins Special Risk Underwriters. In addition to his leadership in underwriting, Bernacki runs the Amwins Alternative Risk Transfer Team for Amwins.
Chief Underwriting Officer
Mark Bernacki
Julie Prewitt has worked on nearly every aspect of marketing and advertising in her nearly 20 years in the industry. Her team at REInsurePro manages branding, advertising, events, content, digital campaigns, and agent engagement and plays a key role in product development.
Senior Vice President, Marketing
Julie Prewitt
Kimi leads the Estate Planning and Wealth Protection team and is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners. She understands the complex and delicate nature of family estate planning, the technical requirements around probate and estate administration, and the importance of preserving wealth for future generations. Her advice is accurate, commercial, strategic and tailored to each situation.
Partner
Kimi Shah
Kimi leads the Estate Planning and Wealth Protection team and is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners. She understands the complex and delicate nature of family estate planning, the technical requirements around probate and estate administration, and the importance of preserving wealth for future generations. Her advice is accurate, commercial, strategic and tailored to each situation.
Partner
Kimi Shah
Kimi leads the Estate Planning and Wealth Protection team and is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners. She understands the complex and delicate nature of family estate planning, the technical requirements around probate and estate administration, and the importance of preserving wealth for future generations. Her advice is accurate, commercial, strategic and tailored to each situation.
Partner
Kimi Shah
maintaining an in-house team of more than 20 programmers to facilitate fast improvements
providing IVANS policy downloads that enable up to 30 percent labor savings to independent agencies
delivering online capabilities including rating, policy documents, payments, and claims reporting
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“We will continue to strengthen our service proposition and customer experience as a key differentiator, as we build on the momentum we have achieved to date across multiple business lines and territories,” says McLean. “Our im is to continue to grow our market relevance and strengthen our partnerships with our strategic brokers as we expand our leadership position in key sectors.
“We will also continue to invest in talent. We are committed to drawing from the broadest pools of talent, and to creating an environment that attracts and retains stellar employees. We recognise the importance of building teams that are diverse, collaborative, and innovative and are dedicated to cultivating a supportive and inclusive workplace culture in which all our employees can thrive.”
Recognizing that people are its greatest asset, J&J remains committed to providing every employee with a team-oriented work environment.
The company’s core values include:
relationships and teamwork
embracing and driving change
holding teammates accountable
pursuing excellence with humility
giving back to the community
To remain competitive, J&J strategically markets its expertise to bolster brand awareness. Licensed in every state and with over 600 employees, the firm has plans to continue expanding.
Reflecting on J&J’s status as a long-term regional player, Burrous shares, “In the last four to five years, we decided that it was important for J&J to become a national player. We have offices in Dallas and Phoenix, and we just did an acquisition in Oregon.”
Despite expansion plans, upholding quality customer experience remains a key priority for J&J.
“It’s from the point an agency thinks about contacting J&J to how they contact J&J, to the experience they have after that contact. We measure all of that and we’re building an extensive internal report card that is monitored consistently,” shares Burrous.
Aside from providing clients with best-in-class services, J&J also strives to create meaningful impact within the communities it operates in.
Whether it’s participating in Trident United Way’s Day of Caring, joining a project with Habitat for Humanity, organizing food and clothing drives, or volunteering for local community organizations, J&J drives positive change.
To sum up the most important asset of the J&J Team, the core value “relationships and teamwork” exemplifies the root of the company’s success.
“Our family culture is what sets us apart. If you need something as a teammate, I’m going to help you even if it’s not my department. I think that’s really the glue of what keeps us together,” says Burrous.
Founded in 1997 with headquarters in Rolling Meadows, IL, Risk Placement Services (RPS) is one of the nation’s largest specialty insurance products distributors, offering solutions to independent agents and brokers in wholesale brokerage, binding authority, programs, standard lines, and nonstandard auto.
Today, RPS places over $7 billion in the US specialty marketplace, serving 25,000 retail clients and is a top insurance employer to nearly 3,000 associates.
The firm’s culture of teamwork and collaboration across divisions makes the RPS team industry-leading.
“We approach risk placement challenges head on and take a ‘say no to no’ approach, leveraging the coverage line expertise that resides across our divisions, whether brokerage, programs, or standard lines,” says Joel Cavaness, RPS chairman.
The firm ushered in new leadership in 2024, with Kevin Doyle (CEO) and Adam Mazan (president) leading the charge.
Doyle brings 15+ years of strategic planning, consistent delivery of business results, and employee engagement to his role as CEO. Has deep expertise across a broad range of specialty businesses in the E&S sector, alternative risk, and programs space. Drives growth and efficiency via digital and data strategies, early talent development, and proprietary products.
Mazan handles the strategic direction of the revenue-generating operations of the firm across its binding, brokerage, and program administration divisions. Served as the vice president for RPS’s Pacific-West Region prior to his promotion. Under his leadership, the region achieved significant growth, recruited, and developed top performers, and increased client engagement.
With more than 80 branch offices nationwide, RPS continues to add top-tier talent to its roster of insurance specialists and grow through new merger partners, all with one central focus – providing insurance expertise and speed of service.
“Our clients want expertise and access to the right products, and at RPS they have a true partner to make the impossible possible. When clients engage with the RPS team, they can expect responsiveness and a direct line to a wealth of knowledge,” says Cavaness.
Recently, the firm has undertaken two important initiatives to promote client satisfaction, digital strategy, and emphasis on talent.
RPS is deploying significant digital enhancements to its online quoting and account management features, enabling clients to quote-bind-issue and pay for numerous lines of coverage completely online in minutes. The firm’s small business online platform recently crossed $500 million in written premiums.
Moreover, in an industry where relationships and expertise are key, RPS understands that recruiting, retaining, and developing talent is pivotal. Accordingly, the organization encourages continued education among team members.
“We encourage all our client-facing colleagues to develop an area of specialty, as this allows them to dig deep and increase their own knowledge about risks, markets, jurisdictional issues, and more. You name it, our people know it,” says Cavaness.
“As a wholesaler and MGA, we see more accounts and work with more risks than any independent agent possibly could, and we’re here to share what we’ve learned,” he says.
“Our clients want expertise and access to the right products, and at RPS they have a true partner to make the impossible possible”
Joel Cavaness,
RPS
Founded in 1997 with headquarters in Rolling Meadows, IL, Risk Placement Services (RPS) is one of the nation’s largest specialty insurance products distributors, offering solutions to independent agents and brokers in wholesale brokerage, binding authority, programs, standard lines, and nonstandard auto.
Today, RPS places over $7 billion in the US specialty marketplace, serving 25,000 retail clients and is a top insurance employer to nearly 3,000 associates.
The firm’s culture of teamwork and collaboration across divisions makes the RPS team industry-leading.
“We approach risk placement challenges head on and take a ‘say no to no’ approach, leveraging the coverage line expertise that resides across our divisions, whether brokerage, programs, or standard lines,” says Joel Cavaness, RPS chairman.
The firm ushered in new leadership in 2024, with Kevin Doyle (CEO) and Adam Mazan (president) leading the charge.
Doyle brings 15+ years of strategic planning, consistent delivery of business results, and employee engagement to his role as CEO. Has deep expertise across a broad range of specialty businesses in the E&S sector, alternative risk, and programs space. Drives growth and efficiency via digital and data strategies, early talent development, and proprietary products.
Mazan handles the strategic direction of the revenue-generating operations of the firm across its binding, brokerage, and program administration divisions. Served as the vice president for RPS’s Pacific-West Region prior to his promotion. Under his leadership, the region achieved significant growth, recruited, and developed top performers, and increased client engagement.
With more than 80 branch offices nationwide, RPS continues to add top-tier talent to its roster of insurance specialists and grow through new merger partners, all with one central focus – providing insurance expertise and speed of service.
“Our clients want expertise and access to the right products, and at RPS they have a true partner to make the impossible possible. When clients engage with the RPS team, they can expect responsiveness and a direct line to a wealth of knowledge,” says Cavaness.
Recently, the firm has undertaken two important initiatives to promote client satisfaction, digital strategy, and emphasis on talent.
RPS is deploying significant digital enhancements to its online quoting and account management features, enabling clients to quote-bind-issue and pay for numerous lines of coverage completely online in minutes. The firm’s small business online platform recently crossed $500 million in written premiums.
Moreover, in an industry where relationships and expertise are key, RPS understands that recruiting, retaining, and developing talent is pivotal. Accordingly, the organization encourages continued education among team members.
“We encourage all our client-facing colleagues to develop an area of specialty, as this allows them to dig deep and increase their own knowledge about risks, markets, jurisdictional issues, and more. You name it, our people know it,” says Cavaness.
“As a wholesaler and MGA, we see more accounts and work with more risks than any independent agent possibly could, and we’re here to share what we’ve learned,” he says.
“Our clients want expertise and access to the right products, and at RPS they have a true partner to make the impossible possible”
Joel Cavaness,
RPS
Founded in 1997 with headquarters in Rolling Meadows, IL, Risk Placement Services (RPS) is one of the nation’s largest specialty insurance products distributors, offering solutions to independent agents and brokers in wholesale brokerage, binding authority, programs, standard lines, and nonstandard auto.
Today, RPS places over $7 billion in the US specialty marketplace, serving 25,000 retail clients and is a top insurance employer to nearly 3,000 associates.
The firm’s culture of teamwork and collaboration across divisions makes the RPS team industry-leading.
“We approach risk placement challenges head on and take a ‘say no to no’ approach, leveraging the coverage line expertise that resides across our divisions, whether brokerage, programs, or standard lines,” says Cavaness.
The firm ushered in new leadership in 2024, with Kevin Doyle (CEO) and Adam Mazan (president) leading the charge.
Doyle brings 15+ years of strategic planning, consistent delivery of business results, and employee engagement to his role as CEO. Has deep expertise across a broad range of specialty businesses in the E&S sector, alternative risk, and programs space. Drives growth and efficiency via digital and data strategies, early talent development, and proprietary products.
Mazan handles the strategic direction of the revenue-generating operations of the firm across its binding, brokerage, and program administration divisions. Served as the vice president for RPS’s Pacific-West Region prior to his promotion. Under his leadership, the region achieved significant growth, recruited, and developed top performers, and increased client engagement.
With more than 80 branch offices nationwide, RPS continues to add top-tier talent to its roster of insurance specialists and grow through new merger partners, all with one central focus – providing insurance expertise and speed of service.
“Our clients want expertise and access to the right products, and at RPS they have a true partner to make the impossible possible. When clients engage with the RPS team, they can expect responsiveness and a direct line to a wealth of knowledge,” says Cavaness.
Recently, the firm has undertaken two important initiatives to promote client satisfaction, digital strategy, and emphasis on talent.
RPS is deploying significant digital enhancements to its online quoting and account management features, enabling clients to quote-bind-issue and pay for numerous lines of coverage completely online in minutes. The firm’s small business online platform recently crossed $500 million in written premiums.
Moreover, in an industry where relationships and expertise are key, RPS understands that recruiting, retaining, and developing talent is pivotal. Accordingly, the organization encourages continued education among team members.
“We encourage all our client-facing colleagues to develop an area of specialty, as this allows them to dig deep and increase their own knowledge about risks, markets, jurisdictional issues, and more. You name it, our people know it,” says Cavaness.
“As a wholesaler and MGA, we see more accounts and work with more risks than any independent agent possibly could, and we’re here to share what we’ve learned,” he says.
“We approach risk placement challenges head on and take a ‘say no to no’ approach, leveraging the coverage line expertise that resides across our divisions, whether brokerage, programs, or standard lines”
Joel Cavaness,
RPS