Headquarters:

9029 271st NW, Stanwood, WA 98292

Year founded:

1901

Number of employees:

100

Phone:

360 424 4559

Email:

wafdinfo@wafdinsurance.com

Website:

wafdinsurance.com

LinkedIn:

linkedin.com/company/wafdinsurance

“We maintain several cross-company employee networks allowing staff to connect and learn from each other, fostering our inclusive culture and celebrating the diversity within our business”

Marcella McLean, Arch Insurance International

WAFD INSURANCE GROUP

Duane Henson

President

Jude Griego

Vice President

Hans Eskelsen

Regional Manager

Leadership

For the last 20 years, Duane Henson has led WAFD Insurance Group to become a multistate agency and continues to help the company grow, never missing an opportunity to support his team with decades of experience.

President

Duane Henson

Jude Griego is the vice president and SW regional manager of WAFD Insurance Group. He assists with acquisitions and oversees the company’s commercial insurance operations. He brings more than 20 years of insurance experience to the WAFD team.

Vice President

Jude Griego

Hans Eskelsen is the regional manager for the states of Washington, Idaho and Montana. He uses his more than 20 years of experience to exclusively operate the commercial and personal insurance departments in his region.

Regional Manager

Hans Eskelsen

“We maintain several cross-company employee networks allowing staff to connect and learn from each other, fostering our inclusive culture and celebrating the diversity within our business”

Marcella McLean, Arch Insurance International

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Marcella McLean, Arch Insurance International

“We maintain several cross-company employee networks allowing staff to connect and learn from each other, fostering our inclusive culture and celebrating the diversity within our business”

Marcella McLean, Arch Insurance International

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James Sabin

Regional Manager

James Sabin oversees WAFD Insurance Group’s Oregon operations and brings over 15 years of experience. He works closely with commercial customers, where he finds solutions and educates clients along the way.

Regional Manager

James Sabin

Angie Skeen

Accounting Manager

Angie Skeen manages WAFD Insurance Group’s accounting department, ensuring that all of its 17 offices’ books stay accurate. She has used her extensive knowledge to support the company for the last eight years.

Accounting Manager

Angie Skeen

WAFD Insurance Group is a customer-centric insurance provider that excels in technological innovation and has a willingness to adapt quickly to evolving customer expectations. The group continuously seeks ways to improve its services and deliver a distinct value proposition in a competitive market. “We pride ourselves on offering knowledgeable and helpful staff, a friendly and approachable attitude, quick response times, efficient problem resolution, transparency in policies and pricing, personalized recommendations, and follow-up and after-sales support,” says president Duane Henson. WAFD’s culture is based on the following values:

Marcella McLean, Arch Insurance International

Jaime Almazan, ChFC, CLU, CPCU

Senior Agent

Cheryl Forman

Senior Agent

Scott Crozier

Vice President, Product

Simon Williams

Chief Strategy & Distribution Officer, Arch Insurance International and Active Underwriter, Syndicate 1955

Jaime Almazan, ChFC, CLU, CPCU, senior agent at RIGHTSURE, has been in the insurance industry for 32 years. He has worked in many facets of the insurance industry. He retired from a “large name brand” insurance company. Knowing that he wanted to continue to work, he joined RIGHTSURE in 2017 as an independent agent. Almazan’s area of expertise is in the commercial arena, but she has created a good business catering to a niche market of hard-to-place personal and commercial line clients.

Senior Agent

Jaime Almazan, ChFC, CLU, CPCU

Cheryl Forman has 20 years of insurance industry experience. She began her career at a captive agency as an agency assistant for the first five years but has been on the independent side for the last 15 years, with the last 13 years being at RIGHTSURE as a senior agent. She is licensed in all lines, from personal and commercial to life and health. Forman attended Pima College and Northern Arizona University, where she earned a degree in business management.

Senior Agent

Cheryl Forman

Scott Crozier, who joined Orion180 in January 2023, brings a strong passion for leadership and service to his role. With more than 25 years of experience in property and casualty insurance operations, he has expertise with national, regional, and Florida-specific insurers. Crozier held leadership positions in underwriting, customer experience, product development, and sales. He holds a BA in History from Rhode Island College and esteemed designations such as CPCU, AIC, and API. Crozier’s dedication to service extends beyond insurance; he’s a former U.S. Army Infantryman and officer. As the operations officer for a 3,500-Soldier Infantry Brigade Combat Team, he served in the Florida Army National Guard. With extensive experience, leadership capabilities, and a commitment to service, Crozier contributes to Orion180’s growth and success.

Vice President, Product

Scott Crozier

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

Partner

Kimi Shah

Partner

Kimi Shah

Sarah M Stewart

Associate Vice President, Leasing and Call Centre Operations

Karen Bannister, CM

Vice President, Marketing

Dave Longbottom

Chief Technology Officer

Alex Ventura

Head of Marketing

Damian Palovick

Senior Vice President of Underwriting AXA XL – Delegated Authority Programs, North America

Dr. Mary Lavoie

Head of Risk Management and Senior Vice President AXA XL – Delegated Authority Programs, North America

Mark Bernacki

Chief Underwriting Officer

Ryan Armijo

Chief Operating Officer, Underwriting Division

Bob Petrilli

President, Underwriting Division

Arch provides underwriting solutions across a diverse and growing portfolio of more than 20 business classes, spanning multiple platforms in the London company market, the Lloyd’s market, the UK regional market as well as markets in Australia, Bermuda, and the EU. Through their Lloyd’s and London company market platforms, Arch provides customised solutions and high levels of capacity across multiple (re)insurance classes. Arch’s UK Regional division, launched in 2018, offers specialised insurance solutions for a wide range of businesses, from 11 locations across the country. The past few years have been transformational for Arch Insurance International. Since 2019 the company has more than trebled in size in terms of GWP, and this growth has been seen across all territorial platforms. In 2021 Arch launched its new brand promise, Pursuing Better Together, encapsulating an approach to doing business based on collaboration, responsiveness, and a genuine commitment to continually raising the bar. Arch has a clearly defined three-year plan that is underpinned by more than 100 objectives.

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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.”

Innovation: encouraging employees to think creatively and explore new ideas Customer centricity: placing the customer first and meeting needs effectively Collaboration: employees work across teams to solve common problems and goals Integrity: upholding the highest ethical standards and values honesty and transparency Growth and learning: valuing continuous learning and offering opportunities for employee development

Regarding the last bullet, employee development, by investing in the growth and skills of its workforce, WAFD has seen numerous benefits that positively impact overall performance. Examples include executing training needs assessments, customized training, external training partnerships and growth programs. WAFD considers itself to have a continuous learning culture and encourages all employees to take advantage of various learning resources, including online courses, workshops and conferences. The group offers mentoring and coaching to all its employees to ensure they are always supported. Performance-based incentives have also proven to encourage employee development and success. “Meanwhile, WAFD’s leaders are successful at empowering our team and fostering a culture of trust and communication,” says Henson. “They encourage innovation by supporting their employees to experiment with new ideas, processes and strategies. Leading by example, addressing challenges and building a strong team are all ways our leadership team has fostered a productive environment.” The company leaders include:

Duane Henson, president Jude Griego, vice president Hans Eskelsen, regional manager James Sabin, regional manager Angie Skeen, accounting manager

“Because of our leadership team, WAFD Insurance has become more competitive, continually attracting new customers and retaining talented employees who are driven by the company's purpose and direction,” says Henson.