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Director of Broking
Aon
Little Rock, Ark.

It's no secret that some of the best brokers are former risk managers and Al Howze is no exception.

He's been at Aon for six years, and before that he was at Lockton for 13. But before that, he spent a decade in transportation risk management.

A risk manager for a major truckload carrier said Howze understands the business needs of a trucking company better than many brokers. He immerses himself in the business, constantly looking at new ways to approach a problem.

"He's not about putting an insurance product in place and then getting lost," said this risk manager.

While this client joked about her broker making her risk management job and insurance program more complicated, she was completely serious about the results.

"I didn't hire him to make my job easier," she said.

Recently, Howze headed off a brewing problem with a carrier that wanted to change the way it monitored the client's claims. "Al was way ahead of the curve in terms of solving that potential problem before it erupted into something."

Last year, Howze and members of the Aon truck team in Little Rock, including Power Broker^TM Robert Kibbe, took two publicly traded motor carrier clients through captive formation initiatives resulting in premium reductions for independent contractors while also adding long-term stability to their insurance programs.

Managing Principal
Integro
New York

Greg DiPrato's been around the insurance brokerage block, spending 17 years at Marsh and seven years at Aon before jumping on board at Integro in 2005. It's at this most recent employer that DiPrato seems to be motoring his way to new successes, transportation clients in tow.

He recently evaluated an all-lines insurance program for a Fortune 500 logistics and freight forwarding company. DiPrato aggressively marketed each line of insurance, consolidating where possible, but more impressively, he re-established lines of communication between the client and the insurance carriers. This client was unable to speak to Power Broker^TM researchers, citing her company's privacy policy.

However, she was regretful, saying, "I love Greg, he does a great job. I wish I could speak on his behalf."

It is clear that DiPrato's success is derived from bringing the client, brokerage and insurance carrier teams together. This is an especially crucial component to being a transportation broker. Insuring trucking companies can be a dicey business, and it's up to the broker to show the carriers what a good risk his client is.

DiPrato also specializes in determining accurate property damage and business-interruption exposures based on his relationships with claim adjusters, property appraisers and forensic accounting firms. This detailed analysis of exposures, when entered into catastrophe models generates more reliable loss expectations and a better determination of deductibles. Expect to see more of Greg DiPrato in 2008.

Managing Director
Aon
Baltimore

As the song goes, Jim Beardsley's been working on the railroad "all the livelong day."

Working for Aon, whose rail group holds the commanding share of rail clients, Beardsley continues to offer companies from Class 1 railroads to shortline railroads to transit systems the specialized expertise they need.

"He¿s the big idea guy, and you've got to have someone like that to hold a program of our size together," said one railroad risk manager.

One of those big ideas that came to fruition last year was the first Railroad Surplus Real Estate Monetization Program. Beardsley set up a 30-year, $60 million EIL/alternative risk program that allowed that client to convert an old rail yard into a developer's dream--a multiuse complex on the waterfront featuring sports, residential and retail uses.

Beardsley's program, which he plans to replicate for other railroad clients, allows railroads to transfer polluted sites--typically diesel spills at old fueling stations--off the asset side of their balance sheet registers. This opens up desirable property to be converted to other uses.

Another client applauds Beardsley's creative solutions, especially since "it's tough to place railroad coverage at times." An added bonus is having a broker that's also a "great representative of the industry as a whole."

Beardsley is also a member of the Transportation Infrastructure and Logistics Committee in the U.S Chamber of Commerce.

Managing Director
Global Transportation Practice Leader
Marsh
New York

In trucking, it's not enough to have a broker with superb knowledge of the market. The market is, after all, relatively small considering there aren't many underwriters to choose from when compared to other industries. Being creative with alternatives is key.

Mark Langer's been at Marsh for 31 years, not only accumulating expertise and developing relationships with top decision-makers, but also keeping an eye out for the hottest alternatives.

One client at a major truckload carrier, said Langer's always looking at options. "The fact that Mark lets us look at creative alternatives in domestic markets, the London market, and captives and compare them to traditional insurance is key, because you never know what can happen."

This client stresses that self-insurance is not an option, that auto liability coverage is the company's most important risk management tool and placement must be handled properly every time. Langer recently advised the client that the London market was worth considering. Low and behold, the product London offered was a better fit.

Even with great coverage, accidents do happen--big ones. It's during the cycles of higher accident rates that the client is most impressed with Langer's work.

"Whether it's a good actuarial year or a not-so-good actuarial year, he's able to get us alternatives and make sure a quality placement is put in place," the client said.

Director of Client Services
Aon
Little Rock, Ark.

Robert Kibbe, in addition to taking on the client services responsibilities for one of the most powerful trucking practices in the country last year helped create, along with colleague Al Howze, a specialized captive insurance structure allowing insurance products to be offered to independent contractors--one of the biggest issues for trucking companies today.

"Rob's a great detail guy," said one client. His greatest strength: The ability to take very complex programs and break it down into understandable terms.

Kibbe's frequently called into executive meetings to speak on a variety of risk management issues with this client, whose insurance program is constantly changing. Having a broker who's flexible in an environment where the only certainty is uncertainty is crucial.

"He's been able at all times to deal with those meetings where things frequently get changed," said this risk manager. "He always turns it around quickly and he's been very adaptable to change."

While this risk manager jokes about spending way too much time with her broker--for instance, she knows what a chocolate fiend Kibbe is--she insists the tight relationship is indicative of his performance.

"He's integrated himself into our company to the point that he's pretty much indispensable," she said. "But don't tell him that!"

Director of Business Development
Aon
Little Rock, Ark.

Aon's trucking group in Little Rock, Ark., is racking up the awards, and a lion's share of this industry's business.

One broker, Todd Denton, won a big trucking account last year after a lengthy courtship. This logistics company had been working with a boutique transportation broker when Denton began talks with the CFO in 2004. The client said it was the two years of consulting to create a product that suited the company's needs that clinched it. Aon was appointed the exclusive property/casualty broker last February.

"Todd has been fantastic," the CFO said. "I got a great comfort feeling that he didn't show us three products and make us chose one. It's not selling what you have, but solving our unique problem."

Denton and his team created a program that ensured the company's independent contractors had individual policies, with the pricing and efficiencies of a master insurance program. The client also profited from a single-parent captive implemented by Denton and his team. And the team has also created a dedicated unit at Aon for outsourcing the administration of the client's independent contractor insurance program.

The client's opinion is further swayed by Denton's quality of putting the team first, an attitude the client said was acquired from Denton's years as a collegiate basketball player.

"He's given us a huge competitive advantage and I see us sticking with Aon for years to come," said the CFO.