People – West

Cary W. White joined San Jose, Calif.-based Thoits Insurance as vice president.

White is responsible for new business production, client retention and relationship management.

White has more than 25 years of experience in the insurance industry, including more than 15 years specializing in both commercial and residential construction insurance. His experience includes controlled insurance programs, construction defect liability insurance and insurance certificate management. White also has experience in specialities including large deductible general liability insurance programs, workers’ compensation and insurance for commercial trucking.

White has held senior positions at Aon and Heffernan Insurance Brokers. He has also worked with Gallagher Construction Services and ABD.

Thoits Insurance is a regional California insurance brokerage, employee benefits and risk management consulting firm owned by its employees.

Island Insurance Company Ltd. named Alison Tanigawa advertising and media director.

In this newly created position, Tanigawa will be responsible for managing the company’s advertising and media activities.

Tanigawa has nearly 15 years of advertising and marketing experience. Prior to Island, she was the marketing manager for DTRIC Insurance. She has also held various positions with Team Vision, Sansora International and Milici Valenti Ng Pack.

Island Insurance holds a financial strength rating of “A” (Excellent) from A.M. Best Co.

Benjamin J. McKay was named as executive director of the Surplus Line Association of California.

McKay joins the SLA-CA after a career in both the private and public sector. He spent the last eight years with the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI) as senior vice president for federal government relations. Prior to PCI, McKay served as a chief of staff to a member of Congress.

Other career highlights include eight years as staff to members of the Florida legislature, where he worked on insurance issues, and a tour as a regulator at the Florida Department of State, where he served as deputy secretary for international and legislative affairs and later as chief of staff for the department.

Wells Fargo Insurance named Bob Volkel to lead its Bay Area operations.

Volkel will lead the insurance brokerage and consulting sales and service teams that offer a array of products, services and consulting in the areas of employee benefits, and property/casualty insurance. He will manage the San Francisco, Santa Clara, San Carlos, Scotts Valley and Walnut Creek offices across the Bay Area. Volkel will be based in San Carlos and report to Rich Lane, regional managing director for Wells Fargo Insurance’s Northwest Region.

Prior to his new role, Volkel was co-head of the national practice for Wells Fargo Insurance’s executive benefits and retirement plan services. Before joining Wells Fargo, he was executive vice president and leader of the employee benefits division of ABD Insurance and Financial Services.

Wells Fargo Insurance is part of San Francisco-based Wells Fargo & Co., a national financial services company with $1.3 trillion in assets.

Brandon Boynton and Ryan Murphy were named to the title of senior vice president of AH&T Insurance in the firm’s Seattle, Wash., office.

Boynton will bolster AH&T’s employee benefits production team and, particularly for technology, life science, engineering and manufacturing companies.

Murphy will work to assist AH&T’s employee benefits production team, particularly for technology, life science, engineering and manufacturing companies.

Leesburg, Va.-based AH&T is an insurance brokerage and consulting firm with practices in areas including technology, manufacturing, government contracting and nonprofits.

Managing general agent ACES Commercial Insurance Services Inc. named Ken Meeker as director of product development.

His goals are on market development and expansion into the Southern California and Arizona markets.

At ACES, Meeker will continue placing general liability, property, professional liability and other lines of commercial insurance.

Meeker’s background includes commercial insurance products within the excess & surplus lines market. He began his insurance career in New Mexico as a temp worker. Most recently he completed seven years of service as a senior underwriter for a large MGA in Southern California.

Richmond, Calif.-based Aces provides general liability solutions to construction firms, general contractors and construction workers.

Woodland Hills, Calif.-based Poms & Associates Insurance Brokers Inc. named Peter Scott Jr. vice president of employee benefits and property/casualty in the firm’s Northern California office.

Scott was previously with Sitzmann Morris & Lavis, where his focus was developing and expanding the firm’s employee benefits and life insurance practices.

Scott was co-founder and CEO of Decision Maker Media in San Francisco, where he developed and maintained a vertical advertising network.

Poms services include commercial insurance, employee benefits, corporate wellness, personal lines, and risk management and risk control. The firm has offices in California, Colorado, New Mexico and Washington.

Barbara Gall joined Kansas City, Mo.-based Lockton as senior vice president of its technology practice in the firm’s San Jose, Calif., office.

Gall will have a lead role in expanding Lockton’s presence in the San Francisco Bay Area and throughout the western region.

Gall was most recently a senior vice president and client manager at Marsh’s Technology Center of Excellence in San Jose. Gall also worked as assistant vice president and account manager at Johnson & Higgins’ Technology & Risk Management Practice.

Sacramento, Calif.-based insurance adjuster Sams & Associates Inc. named Marcia Gelon as the firm’s new general adjuster in Phoenix, Scottsdale and surrounding areas.

Gelon joined Sams & Associates in 2012. She has more than 23 years’ experience. She has worked as a large loss general adjuster for Kemper Insurance. She has also handled numerous catastrophes across the country including events such as the San Bruno gas explosion, Northridge earthquake, and hurricanes Opal, Fran and Gustav

Sams & Associates serves California, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, Oregon and Washington.

San Jose, Calif.-based CK Specialty Insurance Associates Inc., a surplus lines broker and managing general agent, named Roger Karber its Southwest regional underwriting manager.

Karber has more than 22 years of insurance experience ranging from retail to wholesale to company-level experience. Most recently, he served as a senior underwriter for Catlin Specialty Insurance Co. He was an underwriter with Colony Specialty Insurance Co., and has also worked at Western Heritage Insurance Co.

In addition to Arizona and Texas, CK Specialty Insurance also offers products in California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Nevada, Idaho and Utah.

Topics California Washington Colorado Arizona