People

Cincinnati, Ohio-based Great American Insurance Group’s Property and Inland Marine Division has promoted two insurance executives: Grace Thomas and Cecil Wilson.

Thomas was promoted to divisional senior vice president, with responsibility for the Northeast area of the United States with offices in Parsippany, N.J., Windsor, Conn. and Syracuse N.Y.

She has been with Great American’s Property and Inland Marine Division since July 2006 and is located in the company’s Parsippany, N.J. office. Thomas has 27 years of insurance industry experience and has served as a key resource on division-wide initiatives.

Wilson has been promoted to divisional senior vice president and has assumed responsibility for the Dallas, Houston, Denver, Tulsa, Cincinnati and Chicago offices. Wilson will also continue to oversee the national cargo unit.

Since joining the company in 1992, Wilson has had responsibility for the Property and Inland Marine Division’s Mid-Atlantic Territory, and was instrumental in launching its national cargo unit specializing in the motor truck cargo class of business. Wilson will relocate to Cincinnati, Ohio, in mid-2011.

Managing general agency J.M. Wilson has added Chuck Craycraft as branch manager in Westerville, Ohio. Craycraft will oversee the staff and day-to-day operations of the Ohio office. His territory includes Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia and Pennsylvania.

He is a 16-year veteran of the insurance industry. His most recent experience was with Benchmark Insurance Management, where he was the vice president of the Property and Casualty division. Craycraft also has previous experience as a retail agent.

Craycraft holds a Life/ Health license and a Property/Casualty license, as well as the Construction Risk & Insurance Specialist designation (CRIS).

CNA appointed Scott Grieco as vice president of underwriting for its small business unit. Grieco has more than 26 years of insurance industry experience, including leadership roles in agency, field, business unit, product development and underwriting. He joins CNA from Selective Insurance Co. where he served as vice president of commercial lines underwriting and product development. He has also held underwriting leadership roles at Kemper and Zurich.

Mark Baechle has been appointed senior vice president of Willis of Illinois Inc.’s Surety Practice. He will be responsible for managing the Surety operation in Willis’ Chicago office. Baechle will report to Greg Field, executive vice president and managing director, Construction and Surety Practice. Prior to joining Willis, Baechle served as the national surety leader at Integro Insurance Brokers.

Insurer XL has made eight new appointments to its North American Construction team.

Gregory P. McKiernan is senior vice president of Construction Primary Casualty, based in New York. He most recently served as underwriting manager of XL’s US Risk Management team.

Edward Totten is vice president of Construction Excess Casualty in XL’s Exton, Pa., and New York offices. He most recently served as vice president in the construction unit of Zurich Insurance Co. and previously as construction team leader at AIG.

Joseph M. Vierling is vice president of Construction Property in New York. Vierling joins XL from Ironshore where he served as vice president. He has held previous underwriting and management positions with Arch, SwissRe, Kemper and Industrial Risk Insurers.

Blane Farrell is executive underwriter for Primary Casualty in Chicago. Farrell joins XL from Zurich North America where he was casualty director for its Construction unit.

Markus Bachmann is senior underwriter for Construction Property in New York. Bachmann joined XL Energy group in June 2010 and now transfers to its Construction team to coordinate contractors’ builder’s risk insurance coverage.

Scott Merchant is construction risk engineer manager in Chicago. He joins XL with more than 30 years management experience in residential and commercial construction, inspection services and environmental issues.

Patrick Waldron is construction claims manager in Chicago. Waldron joins XL from Zurich where he was a claims customer account executive.

Keith Cummings will serve as construction actuary in New York. Cummings joins XL from Zurich where he served as a regional actuary.

Joseph J. DeVito has been elected to the position of chief executive officer at Indiana-based property and casualty insurer Baldwin & Lyons Inc. He replaces Gary W. Miller in that role.

DeVito has been employed by Baldwin & Lyons in various capacities since 1981 and has been a director since 1997. In addition, he will retain his current duties as president and chief operating officer.

Miller, a 45-year veteran of Baldwin & Lyons, has been chairman and chief executive officer since 1997. Miller will remain with the company and hold the new position of executive chairman of the board of directors of Baldwin & Lyons.

PowerGuard Specialty Insurance Services, a managing general agent and Lloyd’s cover holder specializing in insurance and risk management solutions for the wind and solar energy industries, added Fred Hilsendager as vice president. He will be based in Chicago.

Hilsendager brings more than 20 years of retail and wholesale brokerage experience, as well as expertise in the design ofinsurance, risk management and warranty solutions for renewable energy companies, with a particular emphasis on the needs of wind turbine manufacturers. Prior to joining PowerGuard, Hilsendager worked for retail broker Holmes Murphy & Associates in Chicago.

The Independent Insurance Agents of Indiana has installed Byron C. Kauffman as president of the organization for 2011. Kauffman is with Wetzel Insurance Agency Inc., North Manchester, Ind.

Other officers installed for 2011 are: President-Elect Edward S. Matthews, Edward Matthews Insurance Associates Inc., Indianapolis; Vice President-Treasurer Todd Jackson, Jackson McCormick, Lebanon;Vice President-Secretary Mike Anton, Anton Insurance Agency Inc., Chesterton; Immediate Past President Patrick J. O’Connor, City Securities Corp. Ð Insurance Division, Indianapolis; and State National Director Beverly J. Barney, Mavum Risk Management, Indianapolis.

The IIAI selected Glenn P. Smith, president of Callistus Smith Agency Inc., Floyds Knobs, Ind., as its Agent of the Year. Tony Miller, Indiana Territory manager for Selective Insurance in Indianapolis was named Company Professional of the Year. The IIAI’s Young Agent of the Year is Brooke D. Hamstra, director of Personal Lines, Wetzel Insurance Agency Inc., Warsaw, Ind.

Other 2010 Achievement Award recipients include: Company of the Year — Motorists Insurance Co.; Agency of the Year — RMD-Patti Insurance Agency & Financial Services, Richmond; Harry P. Cooper Jr. Industry-Public Image Award Winner — Richard W. Worman, Worman-Lightfoot Insurance, Leo, Ind.; Distinguished Customer Service Representative — Wendy Taylor Kennedy, Lee Insurance Group, South Bend, Ind.; and Director of the Year — Mike Gilbert, executive senior vice president, First Merchants Ins. Services, Muncie, Ind.

Topics New York Agencies Ohio Underwriting Property Market Property Casualty Construction Risk Management Casualty