FEATURES
COVER STORY: ELITE AGENCIES PFENNINGER, CLAXTON & ESTELLE INSURANCE GROUP Location: New Castle, Ind. Agency head: Steve Pfenninger, president Years in business: 113 Major clients/industries served:
Contractors, schools, commercial property, school buses A small-town agency with a long history, PCE Insurance has worked hard to build a broad range of commercial clients. Founded in 1902, the company is now one of the leading independent insurance firms in the region. PCE is now headed by Steve Pfenninger, a third-generation member of the firm.
AMERICAN RISK MANAGEMENT RESOURCES NETWORK Location: Middleton, Wis. Agency head: David J. Dybdahl, CEO and president Years in business: 15 Revenue: $1–$5 million Growth in last 12 months: 32%
organic growth in customer base, 2014-2015; 20% annual growth in premiums over last four years Major clients/industries served:
HUB INTERNATIONAL Location: Chicago, Ill. Agency head: Martin P. Hughes, chairman and CEO Years in business: 17 Major clients/industries served:
Apparel and textiles, biotechnology, hospitality and gaming, aviation, construction, senior living, religious institutions, museums and galleries, wineries Hub International was formed in 1998 by the merger of 11 privately held Canadian insurance brokerages. Today, with more than 330 locations and 7,000-plus employees, Hub is one of the largest insurance agencies in the world. In 2013, Hub was recognized as the top personal lines agency in the United States. It’s also the largest privately held personal lines practice in North America. The company also created Hub Gives, a charitable program that allows employees to donate their time and service to community projects.
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Main street businesses, ranging from farms to industrial operations Awards and accolades: IBA Top 10 Producers; IBA Young Guns; environmental risk resource group for International Risk Management Institute and Independent Insurance Agents of America; senior consultant at Hanover Stone Partners
This year, with only 22 people on staff and just four full-time producers, ARMR placed two people – Kari Dybdahl and Harrison Scheider – in IBA’s Top 10 Producers rankings. ARMR also offers a unique mix of deep subjectmatter expertise in environmental risk management, custom-designed environmental risk insurance products, binding authority with an A+, XV carrier and full-market access to the top environmental insurance underwriters in the world. While most of its clients are small businesses in the US, ARMR operates on a global scale; its clients stretch from China to Africa to South America. In keeping with its international aspirations, the company has staff members who speak Chinese, Spanish, Swedish and Norwegian.
BOLTON & COMPANY Location: Pasadena, Calif. Agency head: Steve Brockmeyer, president and CEO Years in business: 84 Major clients/industries served: Education, technology, biotechnology, life sciences,
construction, real estate Bolton & Company is one of the nation’s largest employee-owned insurance brokers, providing insurance and risk management services, employee benefits and financial products to some of the world’s largest corporations. In business for 84 years, Bolton has been recognized for its professionalism, integrity and commitment to excellence in customer service and risk management. Today, the company employs more than 120 people and places more than $150 million in annual premium.