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Mike Grushon of Thomas & Grushon Agency in Bellbrook, Ohio, has been honored by the National Association of Professional Insurance Agents (PIA) as its 2009 PIA National Professional Agent of the Year.

Grushon was honored for his contribution to the insurance industry and the American agency system as well as his participation in PIA. Grushon is a long-time member of PIA of Ohio. He chairs PIA’s Education Committee, and has served on the board of directors and as chairman of the several other committees.

In 2008 he was named PIA Chairman of the Year and was recognized with a Lifetime Achievement Award. His accolades extend beyond his professional career – Grushon and his wife, Debi, were named National Alumni of the Year by Florida College for their work running a summer youth camp for the past 18 years, where they take 400 kids to Walt Disney World each year.

Mike Kerner has been named chief executive officer of Zurich’s Global Corporate North America business unit. In his new position, which is effective June 1, he will oversee all Global Corporate business in North America.

Kerner currently serves as global chief underwriting officer and head of group strategy at Zurich. He has served in a number of senior roles with the Zurich Financial Services Group and with Zurich North America Commercial since 1992. He has extensive experience in underwriting, actuarial, operations, finance and reinsurance.

Kerner replaces Mario Vitale, CEO of Global Corporate, who had been serving on an interim basis since January.

The Association of Professional Insurance Women Inc. (APIW) has selected Chubb Group Executive Vice President Janice Tomlinson as its “Insurance Woman of the Year.”

Tomlinson, who has been employed by Chubb since 1973, serves as international field operations manager at the insurer. She is responsible for profit and loss on a $2.9 billion book of business in 28 countries and oversees more than 50 offices and 2,500 employees.

Prior to her current position, Tomlinson was the chairman and president of Chubb’s Canadian business operations from 1995 to 2003.

The Main Street America Group has appointed Ron James as chief information officer and vice president of information technology. The company has also named Jeff Price as assistant secretary, director, claims.

James, who is based in the company’s headquarters in Jacksonville, Fla., joined Main Street America in November 2008 as interim chief information officer. He has more than 30 years of experience heading information technology operations at leading property casualty companies.

Price is based out of the insurance carrier’s Richmond, Va., regional office and manages six Main Street America casualty units located in Richmond, Jacksonville, Fla., and Syracuse, N.Y.

St. Louis, Mo.-based Stifel, Nicolaus & Co. Inc. has named Scott Brewer as a managing director in its Financial Institutions Group. Brewer comes to Stifel from KeyBanc Capital Markets, where he headed the Insurance Group in the Corporate and Investment Banking Division.

During his time at KBCM, he was responsible for building an investment banking practice focused on delivering strategic and capital markets ideas to clients in the insurance and insurance-related sectors. Prior to joining KBCM, Brewer was an M&A banker with the Financial Institutions Group at Morgan Stanley & Co. in New York City.

Brewer, based in Cleveland, Ohio, will serve Stifel as a senior relationship banker covering the insurance industry.

Joining Brewer will be Bryce Myers, as senior analyst in the Financial Institutions Group. Myers also comes from KBCM’s Insurance Group, where he focused primarily on advisory and capital-raising engagements.

Steven D. Monahan was appointed president and chief executive officer of MEEMIC Insurance Co., following that company’s acquisition by Auto Club Insurance Association (ACIA), a Dearborn, Mich.-based insurer.

Monahan most recently served as president and chief operating officer of ACIA.

Michigan-based InPro Insurance Group Inc. has hired Erik C. Frazier as an insurance agent and producer. In his new role, Frazier oversees sales and marketing for the independent insurance agency.

Frazier has more than 15 years of experience in the industry. He gained solid insurance sales and marketing experience serving in account management and sales positions at companies throughout Michigan, including Wausau Signature Agency in Southfield and Hill, Rogal & Hobbs in Okemos.

Nautilus Insurance Group named Thomas Miali as assistant vice president-property underwriting.

Miali joins Nautilus from a reinsurance company where he served as vice president. His background includes managerial positions specializing in property underwriting for both primary and reinsurance companies. He has more than 30 years industry experience including excess and surplus lines, individual risk underwriting, programs, training and development and marketing.

Nautilus Insurance Group includes Nautilus Insurance Co. and Great Divide Insurance Co., member companies of W. R. Berkley Corporation, and writes excess and surplus (E&S) and specialty lines coverage in the United States.

Topics Ohio