People and Places

The Property Casualty Insurers Association of Americahired Benjamin J. McKay III as senior vice president of federal government relations in its Washington, D.C., office.Previously, McKay served as chief of staff for U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris, R-Fla. McKay also served for more than a decade as senior staff in both the Florida House and Senate.

The Main Street America Group promoted Ed Kuhlto executive vice president, chief financial officer; Dick Schultz to assistant vice president; and Tom Frazier to assistant treasurer.Kuhl joined the company in 1988 as controller. He has served as treasurer of all of Main Street America’s operating companies since 1999 and was named senior vice president, chief financial officer, in March 2005.

Schultz joined in 1986 as manager, financial control and reporting. In 2002, he was named director, financial reporting and control, and in 2003, he was elected assistant treasurer.

Frazier joined as senior internal auditor in 1999, and was named manager, corporate finance, in 2001. He was named director, corporate finance and investments, in 2005.

American International Group Inc. named Anthony J. Galioto AIG Co.s’ senior executive – East. Based in Atlanta, Galioto succeeds David M. Hupp, who was recently elected president and CEO of AIG Aviation Inc. Galioto will coordinate marketing within the Eastern zone of commercial and consumer benefit products provided by the AIG Cos., including life insurance and other employee benefit products, medical excess insurance products, accident and health insurance products, and identity theft and fraud insurance products serving both the employer-paid and voluntary markets. The Eastern zone comprises AIG Cos. regional operations based in offices in Atlanta, Boston, Cleveland, Philadelphia and New York.

Galioto joined AIG Cos. in 1985 and held various management positions in Boston, New York, Paris and London.

Warner Pacific Insurance Services, Westlake Village, Calif., named Neil Crosby director of sales. He will work with Warner Pacific’s statewide sales force providing support and counsel to agents working to build their book of business. Crosby has more than 20 years in the industry.

PGI Commercial opened a branch office in Fullerton, Calif., and named Jill Bay branch manager. The new unit will underwrite PGIC habitational programs and a commercial package facility in that region.

Eaton Professional Insurance Services, Tustin, Calif., named Vicente Aldana an assistant broker. His responsibilities will include servicing the business in the professional liability arena.

PWIB named Liz Guzman assistant vice president located in the Burbank, Calif., office. Guzman has been in the wholesale insurance industry for more than 17 years. Most recently, she was an account broker at Swett & Crawford.

Abram Interstate Insurance Services Inc., Rocklin, Calif., added Aimee Watkins to its Commercial Lines Department. Watkins began her career in insurance six years ago at Networked Insurance Agency. At Abram Interstate, she will focus on growing the Agri-business and Commercial Lines, writing farm/ranch packages, equine mortality, employment practices liability, and business owner’s policies.

Park AVRECO, a member of The Park Group, opened an office in Park California, in San Diego. The office will be run by Senior Vice President Greg Schrom, who joined the company in Oct. 2005 to expand operations in the western states. The office will develop business in California and the western United States, with expertise in medical and non-medical professional liability and difficult property risks.

Ted Clayton was promoted to senior vice president and regional director for Westrope’s West Coast operation, based in the Los Angeles area. Along with his new leadership responsibilities, he will continue to produce and broker commercial property business.

Members of the Association of California Insurance Companies (ACIC) elected officers and the Board of Directors at the organization’s annual meeting.

Cary Cheldin, president of Crusader Insurance Co., was elected for a one-year term as chair of the ACIC board. Traditionally, ACIC chairs serve two, one-year terms. He replaces GEICO Counsel Cinda Smith, who was chair for the past two years. Kathleen Bissell, assistant vice president of public affairs for Liberty Mutual Insurance Co., was named vice chair. She will serve a one-year term.

A presentation was made at the meeting by a representative of the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI), ACIC’s national parent organization. At the meeting, ACIC members ratified PCI’s decision that Sam Sorich should continue to as ACIC president.

The Iroquois Group named Edwin Knott a regional manager to serve member agents in Colorado and the Rocky Mountain Region. Previously, he was a business consultant at Ernst & Young and BearingPoint. After 15 years in that industry, he began his own retail insurance agency.

Willis Group Holdings added three senior level executives in its Denver office. The appointments of Dennis Miceli, senior vice president and employee benefits practice leader; Brian Janeck, senior vice president; and Bethany Ross Peterson, vice president and account executive, will help the company to grow its Employee Benefits business and expand in Colorado.

Miceli has 25 years of experience, and Peterson brings 15 years of experience. Janeck, a 26-year veteran of the P/C industry, will focus on the Colorado growth industries of life-sciences and technology, and will bring his expertise to the construction and manufacturing industries. Prior to joining Willis, all three were employed at the Van Gilder Insurance Corp. in Denver.

Mitchell International appointed Greg Horn vice president of Industry Relations. Previously, Horn was vice president of material damage claims at St. Louis-based GMAC.