Business Moves – West

Heffernan, VentureLoop

Walnut Creek, Calif.-based Heffernan Insurance Brokers is partnering with VentureLoop to launch VentureLoop HR, a professional employer organization that provides payroll, benefits and human resources specifically for startups and venture-backed companies.

The service is designed to assist the needs of technology companies that require flexibility and rapid response to their needs.

Heffernan provides insurance and financial services products to businesses and individuals. Heffernan has additional offices in the California cities of San Francisco, Petaluma, Menlo Park, Los Angeles, and Orange County, as well as in Portland, Ore., St Louis, Mo. and New York, N.Y.

Bolton, Reaume

Pasadena, Calif.-based Bolton & Company has joined forces with Reaume Financial Group, an independent insurance agency providing employee benefit services in Southern California.

As part of the transaction, Reaume President Bradley G. Reaume will join Bolton & Company as executive vice president and will relocate to Bolton’s Pasadena office.

Employee-owned Bolton & Company is a partner of Assurex Global.

Whitfield, The Leavitt Group

Everett, Wash.-based Whitfield United Insurance Agencies Inc. has joined The Leavitt Group.

The agency will now do business as Whitfield-Leavitt Insurance Agency.

Local agency leaders Ted Schlatter, Randy McDonald, Don Whitfield, Sean King, and Jeff Olsen share ownership in the agency with the Leavitt Group.

Ted Schlatter will operate as the agency’s local managing co-owner.

Schlatter joined Whitfield three years ago with experience as an insurance sales-manager and principal for another in Washington.

McDonald, who has been with the Whitfield 10 years, will manage the personal insurance department.

Whitfield, having served as the company’s president and CEO, will focus on mergers and acquisitions.

King and Olsen are commercial insurance advisors who will continue to operate in the Everett and Oak Harbor offices.

The Leavitt Group is an organization of independent insurance agencies with 115 offices across the United States.

RMIS Going National

Fullerton, Calif.-based RMIS is taking the 34-year-old managing general agency national.

Leading the endeavor will be Jay Mieloszyk based out of Illinois. Beginning with Illinois, RMIS has also added Iowa, Ohio and Indiana with expectations of being in 30 states by the end of 2014.

Mieloszyk brings 19 years of industry experience mostly on the carrier side. He has held positions in such areas as auditing, underwriting, product development, marketing, operations and executive management. He has experience in both commercial and personal lines.

Insurance Associates, F&W Insurance

Boulder, Colo.-based Insurance Associates Inc. announced it opened a newly formed company, F&W Insurance.

F&W Insurance was established to meet the insurance and risk management needs of Colorado’s emergency service organizations and public and water entities. F&W has also partnered with VFIS and Glatfelter Public Practice.

Liberty Mutual

Boston-headquartered insurance giant Liberty Mutual said it is realigning its strategic business units.

The company reported $139 million profit for its 2012 second-quarter.

The changes include: bringing together its regional company and commercial markets group; combining domestic personal lines business; and creating a global specialty unit combining Liberty International Underwriters, Liberty Mutual Reinsurance and Liberty Mutual Surety.

Liberty Mutual emphasized, however, that this is not a consolidation or reorganization.