Headquarters:

901 Main Street, Suite 3650, Dallas, TX 75202

Year founded:

1980

Number of employees:

400+

Phone:

972 402 6669

Email:

info@brcins.com

Website:

brownandriding.com

LinkedIn:

linkedin.com/company/brown-&-riding

“It’s our willingness to consider unique circumstances and offer innovative solutions where other carriers may not”

Christine Schneider, Arch Insurance

Chris Brown

Chairman

Jeffrey Rodriguez

President and Chief Executive Officer

Mike Boseman

Chief Operating Officer

Leadership

Chris Brown joined B&R in 1985 as the company’s first marketing representative in southern California. He was elected president in 1990 and named chairman in 2007. As chairman, Brown remains dedicated to driving product specialties in the firm’s national property, casualty, and management and professional liability departments as well as continuing to develop the current and future leaders of B&R’s growing number of industry specialty practice areas. Brown is also the leader of B&R’s national Construction Practice Group, a team of dedicated construction experts across the country, specializing in casualty, property, environmental, and professional liability.

Chairman

Chris Brown

Jeff Rodriguez joined B&R as chief operating officer in 2005, was named president in 2007, and became CEO in 2010. He has overseen strategic acquisitions and significant organic growth and has helped the company grow to become one of the foremost wholesale insurance brokerage firms in the US with offices nationwide. During his tenure as CEO, the company has consistently ranked as one of the largest E&S brokers in the nation. Rodriguez holds a bachelor’s degree in economics, a master’s degree in business administration, and has earned numerous insurance certifications. He is frequently called upon to speak at regional and national industry events.

President and Chief Executive Officer

Jeffrey Rodriguez

Mike Boseman joined Brown & Riding’s brokerage division in 2007, where he grew a highly profitable book of property business before transitioning to operations in 2015. He has been instrumental in developing B&R’s key client relationships and facilitating the growth of the organization, including expanding the company’s national footprint. He became chief operating officer in 2017 and is currently responsible for strategic operations, including client and carrier development, enhancing the company’s information technology service offerings, and enforcing the company’s service standards and regulatory compliance. Boseman holds a BBA in Finance from the University of Texas at Austin and an MBA from Pepperdine University.

Chief Operating Officer

Mike Boseman

“It’s our willingness to consider unique circumstances and offer innovative solutions where other carriers may not”

Christine Schneider, Arch Insurance

Leadership

“It’s our willingness to consider unique circumstances and offer innovative solutions where other carriers may not”

Christine Schneider, Arch Insurance

Leadership

Harold Nam

Chief Financial Officer

Harold Nam joined Brown & Riding as a staff accountant in 2008. Since joining the firm, he has continued to ascend to positions of increased responsibility, and in 2021, he was named chief financial officer. He has seen the firm through many pivotal accounting transitions, including two significant M&A transactions, improvement of department alignment with the day-to-day needs of production staff, and has helped lead the finance and accounting department through unprecedented growth. Nam has been instrumental in helping B&R grow from a regional specialty broker to the largest fully independent, owner-operated, national wholesale brokerage firm in the US.

Chief Financial Officer

Harold Nam

Cristi Carrington

Chief Distribution Officer

Cristi Carrington has worked in the insurance industry for over 25 years and is the point person for Brown & Riding’s carrier relationships. She manages the underwriting division and has developed many specialized programs for the company during her tenure, including a Habitational program, DIC, MPL, All Risk, including Wind & Earthquake, and a nationwide risk purchasing group for a top 40 nationally ranked retailer. Carrington works on several committees and industry associations. She currently serves on WSIA’s Board of Directors as the PAC committee co-chair and is vice president of the Surplus Line Association of Washington Board of Directors.

Chief Distribution Officer

Cristi Carrington

Brown & Riding (B&R) is a leading national wholesale insurance brokerage firm. B&R specialists write over $2.2 billion in annual premium and have been helping retailers find the best options for their insured clients for over 40 years. The company provides a fully diversified array of property, casualty, and management and professional liability products and services in the excess and surplus lines marketplace. It is organized by expertise, giving retailers the best collective efforts, knowledge, and relationships of the entire firm. B&R has also developed key specialty practice areas, including construction, energy and environmental, transportation, healthcare, technology, and more, to further address the unique needs and requirements retailers face with their insureds. The firm is owned internally by over 50 shareholders with high-performing brokers owning approximately 60 percent of the company and growing. B&R is also the first ever wholesale insurance brokerage in the US with a Quality Management System certified to ISO 9001, an internationally recognized quality certification that the firm has held for over 20 years. In addition, B&R continues to receive numerous industry and employment awards, including Top 10 Largest P/C Wholesalers in the US, 5-Star Wholesale Brokers, Best Places to Work in Insurance, Top Insurance Employers, and America’s 100 Most Loved Workplaces.

Christopher Welty

Chief Human Resources Officer

Andrew Grim

Executive Director of Specialty, National Casualty Practice Leader

Nealy Farshadi

Principal, Strategic Client Relations

Simon Williams

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

Christopher Welty joined Brown & Riding in 2007 as an HR assistant. His dedication and talent earned swift advancement, culminating in his appointment as the firm’s CHRO in 2019. He is dedicated to aligning employees with B&R’s vision and values, fostering mutual growth for all. During his tenure, B&R has more than quadrupled in size. Welty has helped successfully integrate the company through two mergers and has been a strong advocate for many of the company’s important benefit plan enhancements and development programs. He excels at collaboration and has been a key contributor in establishing and promoting the company’s culture and offering programs and opportunities to help employees build a rewarding career.

Chief Human Resources Officer

Christopher Welty

Andrew Grim is Brown & Riding’s executive director of specialty and works with the Executive Leadership Team and Practice Group Leaders to promote marketing uniformity, streamline recruiting efforts, and manage specialty formation and development. He is also tasked with spearheading innovative strategies for the firm’s industry and specialty practice areas. Grim also serves as B&R’s National Casualty Practice Leader, a position he has held since 2021, overseeing the practice group’s continued growth and marketplace reputation. He has been a member of WSIA’s Membership & Ethics Committee since 2018 and is also an IICF Southeast Division Board Member.

Executive Director of Specialty, National Casualty Practice Leader

Andrew Grim

Nealy Farshadi is instrumental in helping strengthen and grow Brown & Riding’s client relationships. She maintains and improves quality procedures, oversees B&R’s ISO certification, and manages the firm’s client feedback program. Her contributions enable the executive management team to act on client input effectively. As a result, B&R’s client feedback scores greatly exceed the average and continue to improve each year. Farshadi also supports and furthers the growth of B&R and its employees by contributing to professional development within the organization and being a resource to staff.

Principal, Strategic Client Relations

Nealy Farshadi

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

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Medal

Small business

Brokers’ Pick – Professional liability

Broker's Pick – Personal Accident and Illness Insurance

Turnaround time – claims

BDM support

Broker communication, training and development

Overall service level

BDM support

Medal

Overall service level

Broker communication, training and development

BDM support

Turnaround time – claims

Broker's Pick – Personal Accident and Illness Insurance

Brokers’ Pick – Professional liability

Small business

Medal

Overall service level

Broker communication, training and development

BDM support

Turnaround time – claims

Broker's Pick – Personal Accident and Illness Insurance

Brokers’ Pick – Professional liability

Small business

“We value technical expertise, fact-based and data-driven analysis, communication, and collaboration”

Francine Minervini, Arch Insurance

“We value technical expertise, fact-based and data-driven analysis, communication, and collaboration”

Francine Minervini, Arch Insurance

“We value technical expertise, fact-based and data-driven analysis, communication, and collaboration”

Francine Minervini, Arch Insurance

property and casualty employee benefits personal risk program and retirement

Headquartered in Valhalla, NY, USI connects over 10,000 industry-leading professionals from approximately 200 offices to serve clients’ local, national, and international needs. USI has become a premier insurance brokerage and consulting firm by leveraging the USI ONE Advantage, an interactive platform that integrates proprietary and innovative client solutions, networked local resources, and enterprise-wide collaboration to deliver customized results with positive, bottom-line impact. With a long history of deep and continuing investment in local communities, USI attracts best-in-class industry talent. To learn more about USI or to view available career opportunities, visit usi.com.

technical excellence portfolio management data analytics focusing on communication collaboration

These factors are actively and routinely reaffirmed by senior vice president and chief technical claims officer Francine Minervini. She says, “We value technical expertise, fact-based and data-driven analysis, communication, and collaboration. Our process incorporates communication throughout the life of the claim and encourages communication with insureds, brokers, claims management, and our underwriters and actuaries.” Eager to develop and become better, Arch has a raft of future plans to boost its offerings amid the rapid pace of technological change. “We are in the midst of a system transformation that will modernize our claims system; we are also working with Strategic Analytics to introduce AI into the claims mail process,” shares Shiva Altadonna, senior vice president, claims shared services. “As a starting point, it will allow us to identify and route First Notice of Loss even faster to our claims professionals for handling and give quicker peace of mind to our customers that we are fanatical about responsiveness.”

“It’s our willingness to consider unique circumstances and offer innovative solutions where other carriers may not,” says Christine Schneider, senior vice president, casualty claims. “Also, strategically executing on opportunities based on market conditions has continuously supported Arch’s growth.” Leadership encourages all segments of the business to be bold, take calculated risks, celebrate accomplishments, and learn from mistakes. The focus is placed on the goals of each initiative, along with the necessary specific strategies. A key factor in Arch’s success has been the implementation of a new claims system that interlinks with the firm’s ‘North Star’ of placing employees in a position where they can add value on a daily basis. Senior vice president, financial and specialty claims Brian Kristiansen says, “We segment claims by line of business and hire employees with experience in those lines. We provide them with additional training and mentoring to ensure the continued development of expertise in those lines.” Another driver of Arch’s market-leading performance is its investment in data analytics and data transformation, increasing its ability to utilize business intelligence to improve product offerings and the abilities of its claims department, with a strong emphasis on claims handling and claims excellence. In addition, the firm continuously seeks feedback from the broker community on any areas where they would like to see potential improvement, particularly in claims service. Arch Claims specifically has done considerable work around communication with brokers over the past year, including an extensive survey to solicit feedback on the claims experience. Schneider says, “Through their commentary, we strive to be able to build even more trusting, respectful, and responsive relationships with all of our partners.” The claims department underscores the importance of: