FEATURES
COVER STORY: YOUNG GUNS 2017 JD POWERS
SEAN LETZ
President
Vice president, FINPRO
POWERS INSURANCE & RISK MANAGEMENT Age: 32
MARSH USA Age: 34
At the age of 30, JD Powers was promoted to president of St. Louis-based Powers Insurance & Risk Management. In his short tenure since, Powers has mentored five producers, grown his personal book of business by more than $162,000, initiated a variety of benefits to retain and attract the best talent, and led the company to the largest revenue volume in its history. Powers has also been recognized for outstanding achievement in the PaceSetter Sales Program, achieved his PWCA and CRM designations, and was awarded Broker of the Year by a major client in 2012. In addition to his duties at Powers Insurance, Powers serves on the board of Churchill Center and School for Learning Disabilities, and is active in the Clayton Chamber of Commerce, the Missouri Restaurant Association and EnjoyALocal, which supports local restaurants.
A former commercial litigation attorney in New York and New Jersey, Sean Letz has been in the insurance industry for more than six years, and today serves as vice president with the FINPRO practice in Marsh’s New York office. There, his responsibilities include assisting clients with cyber, technology E&O, miscellaneous professional liability and media coverage. In addition, he works on the development of new offerings and products within Marsh, including managing the development of the new Marsh Cyber Self-Assessment and collaborating on the drafting of the Marsh Cyber CAT form. Prior to joining Marsh, Letz worked at ACE Insurance, where he handled a variety of E&O and cyber claims. He was a finalist for the 2017 Advisen Cyber Risk Industry Person of the Year for the US. A frequent speaker at conferences and events, Letz has also served as a guest lecturer on cyber law at the Rutgers School of Law.
KLAYTON CALDIERO Vice president and broker TKG WHOLESALE BROKERAGE Age: 34
Klayton Caldiero started in the insurance industry by accident in 2001. His first job was as a file clerk at a local agency, which progressed into cold-calling prospects from the phone book. His desire to know more about the insurance products he was touting quickly moved him into an account manager position, which translated into a production role working exclusively with homebuilders. From there, Caldiero decided to become a wholesale broker, using his retail experience to assist his agents with both construction and non-construction casualty risks. Today, Caldiero‘s breadth of expertise spans a diverse portfolio of clients, including manufacturing, environmental, hospitality and real estate. He remains committed to assisting independent agents with specialized solutions for hard-to-place risks. This approach has helped him maintain double-digit growth annually since 2009, including 37% growth from 2015 to 2016.
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TAYLOR NORTON President SOUTH SHORE INSURANCE AGENCY/ SOUTH SHORE INSURANCE UNDERWRITERS Age: 33
After spending six years in retail insurance sales and underwriting, Taylor Norton founded South Shore Insurance Agency [SSIA] in 2012. In less than four years, his agency has grown to three locations and 18 full-time team members. At age 29, Norton formed an in-house underwriting department to complement the retail division, quickly achieving coverholder status with Lloyd’s of London. Today, both SSIA and South Shore Insurance Underwriters specialize in providing coverage for coastal communities in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and South Carolina, with the underwriting division managing 1.5 billion in-force coastal CAT capacity. Norton holds a CIC designation, is past-president of his local AIIA chapter, serves on the boards of CCA Lower Alabama and Ducks Unlimited Lower Alabama, is vice-chair of the Natural Resources and Environmental Board, and is a member of Kiwanis International and My Team Triumph. Each November, his team organizes the Great Turkey Drive, which raises funds to provide holiday meals for more than 350 families.
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