People

February 11, 2007

Privately owned insurance and risk management firm, McQueary Henry Bowles Troy L.L.P., has named Mike Rutledge a partner. Rutledge is a vice president in MHBT’s Fort Worth, Texas, office.

Rutledge’s career in the insurance field spans 30 years. Prior to joining MHBT, Rutledge served as vice president of Aon Risk Services of Texas, brokering insurance products for global accounts and Fortune 500 companies. In addition to assisting clients with due diligence projects for acquisitions, he gained exposure to industries such as retail, hospitality, mining and manufacturing. Rutledge also specialized in the energy business in Texas and Oklahoma while working for Southern Marine & Aviation Underwriters Inc.

North Texas-based Southern Insurance Group announced that Fred Wilkinson joined the company as its new vice president of marketing. Wilkinson’s primary duty will be to appoint independent agents in the Dallas-Fort Worth area that are looking to expand their agencies by joining SIG. SIG is a Master Agency for the Strategic Independent Agents Alliance (SIAA), a group of over 2,000 independent agents nationwide.

Previously, Wilkinson served as president of Universal Insurance Exchange and vice president of Kemper Insurance Companies in Dallas.

Dallas-based RISC announced that Sam Maynard and Cathy Montgomery have joined its brokerage department as vice presidents specializing in casualty and property respectively.

Maynard began his insurance career with Continental in 1975. For the past 15 years he has been with a major Dallas wholesaler.

Montgomery has 26 years experience in the insurance industry. She brings experience in the property, inland marine and ocean marine lines of coverage. Her career began at Hartford and included stints at Kemper, Philadelphia, St. Paul and Great American before joining RISC.

Fort Worth-based independent insurance agency Higginbotham & Associates named brokers Tami Rodgers and Scott Shapard to its managing director team for 2007. The agency’s board looks to the 25 managing directors for insight on industry trends, best practices and employee management, among other strategic directives.

Rodgers, a commercial property/casualty broker, manages the accounts for many of Higginbotham’s most complex domestic and international clients. Rodgers joined Higginbotham as a commercial marketing manager in 2000 and became a broker for the agency in 2002.

Shapard, an employee benefits broker, leads Higginbotham’s Worksite Benefits unit, which offers voluntary insurance products to supplement core benefits plans. Shapard provided administrative services, internet enrollment and worksite benefits plans to Texas public school systems before joining Higginbotham in 2003.

Two South Central insurance commissioners have received executive committee assignments for 2007 at the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC).

Arkansas Insurance Commissioner Julie Benafield Bowman was elected secretary-treasurer of the Southeastern Zone of the NAIC. Becoming an officer of the Zone elevates Bowman to the Executive Committee of the NAIC. Bowman was also named as vice chair of the Market Regulation and Consumer Affairs Committee.

The Southeastern Zone includes commissioners and regulators from Florida, West Virginia, South Carolina, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and the U.S territories of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner Kim Holland was named vice chair of the Health Insurance and Managed Care Committee. Holland recently hosted a Summit on the High Cost of Health Insurance that generated a number of comprehensive policy recommendations to combat this growing problem. Participants’ priorities include: establishing a model for universal coverage for Oklahoma’s children, some 145,000 of whom are presently uninsured; creating an affordable basic health benefit plan; and expanding eligibility and marketing of the O-EPIC health insurance premium assistance plan, according to the Oklahoma Insurance Department.

Holland also serves on the NAIC’s Government Affairs standing committee, which represents insurance consumers and the industry in matters before Congress.Texas-based

Southwest Risk announced the addition of Jeff Saams to its brokerage team. Saams specializes in the placement of layered and complex property risks, with specific expertise in REO and forced placed coverages. He brings more than 30 years experience to the Southwest Risk staff.

Southwest Risk specializes in placing commercial insurance for high hazard property and liability risks, with emphasis in real estate, construction and manufacturing classes.

Providence Property & Casualty Insurance Co., which provides workers’ compensation insurance to professional employer organizations, appointed Stephen A. Gober as vice president, underwriting, and Nicolas A. Arizaga as vice president and controller.

Gober joined Providence in July 2003 as director of underwriting. Gober previously was senior account executive with The Hartford’s National Accounts Division. He has more than 23 years of underwriting experience.

Arizaga has been in the controller position since 2005. Throughout his 20 year insurance accounting career, he has had a variety of senior level responsibilities including treasurer for TIG and chief financial officer for the Personal Lines Division of Hallmark Financial Services.

Providence is licensed in 41 states plus the District of Columbia and domiciled in Oklahoma City, Okla. Its administrative offices are located in Frisco, Texas.

Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe named Philip Alan Hood as the labor representative for the Arkansas Workers’ Compensation Commission. Hood was appointed to a six-year term after serving at the state Workforce Investment Board since 2004.

To submit information for “People,”e-mail sjones@insurancejournal.com.

Topics Texas Agencies Property Oklahoma Arkansas

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