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Managing Director
Aon, Chicago
anna_adams@ars.aon.com

Running the 24/7 Renewal

With one of Anna Adams' clients, a large aerospace company, the renewal process is almost a constant activity during the policy year.

To be successful in placement of these programs, Adams and her team have to be early, have to meet deadlines and have to deliver results. And they do.

Said the senior director, risk management and insurance, at one client: "She understands the marketplace. She's very organized. She creates a plan, then communicates it clearly and effectively, complete with touch points. She gauges the communication based on what phase of the renewal we're in. There are never any surprises."

Like other clients, this one stressed that Adams has done a great job with her team. Of Adams herself, this client said: "She is dedicated to her job. She's available 24/7. She leads me to believe I'm her only client."

"Anna is especially good in the management liability arena," added another client. "She has helped us achieve great success in that area, which is particularly important to us because we're an international company operating in 17 countries.

"She is a great practice leader. In the two years we've worked with her, we've seen her build a good team. She always knows where the moving parts are."

"She clearly enjoys her work," continued this client. "She enjoys her successes and she enjoys sharing them."

Area Senior Vice President, Managing Director, Gallagher Aviation Group
Arthur J. Gallagher, Miami
bob_altemus@ajg.com

Master of His Bid'ness

When it comes to bid business, Bob Altemus is without peer, said his clients.

"He is the most detailed broker out there," noted one of those clients. "When there's a lot of paperwork involved, a lot of contract review, Bob is the broker I turn to. Bob has very often been the only broker who would submit a bid. He has a tremendous track record."

This person recently left AIG, where he worked with Altemus for 15 or so years and he began working with Altemus almost immediately afterward. They currently are working on a couple of projects together.

"Bob is a very honest businessman," said this person. "You never have to second-guess him. He is no-nonsense, great to work with. He always returns phone calls promptly."

In one of Altemus' most unusual deals in the past year, he had an owned-aircraft situation that had three strikes against it: the owner was a celebrity, was in his early 70s, and insisted he retain rights as pilot in command even though his annual flight time averaged under 10 hours per year when the underwriting standard is 150 to 200 hours per year.

Not surprisingly, the prior carrier, through a prior broker, declined to renew. But Altemus learned his client would be attending the aircraft manufacturer's recurrent flight training facility and that one fact, coupled with excellent relationships with aviation underwriters, allowed for the successful design of a placement for both aircraft hull and liability, including passenger liability.

Principal
Integro, Chicago
lynn.ambrose@integrogroup.com

One Step Above

Known as very upbeat and proactive, Lynn Ambrose translated those qualities again and again on behalf of clients in 2008.

In one dramatic example, after participating in a request for proposal, her team won the D&O business for an aerospace client. Through the use of Integro's patent-pending D&O models and Ambrose's knowledge of the aerospace industry, she was able to secure for her client a 25 percent decrease in the premium, while at the same time securing numerous coverage enhancements not widely available in the market.

One of her most impressive services to her customer was the ability to obtain the primary D&O policy within five days, with the excess placements and ancillary policies, 14 in all, to be delivered to the client within 14 days. This was achieved through a stringent policy analysis up front and the ability to push the underwriters for coverage enhancements before binding the policy.

"We had issues with our insurance coverage before we brought in Lynn," noted another client. "She moved very aggressively to lower premiums. Through a significant improvement in structure, we were able to beat already low projections.

"Lynn is very detail oriented and communicative as well," added this client. "She does a very thorough job. Plus, she is friendly and has a very pleasant personality."

Said another client. "She has moved us one step above where things stood when she came on the scene two and a half years ago. She's very professional, very personable."

President, CEO
John F. Throne & Co. Insurance Marketing Inc., Seattle
rmthrone@johnfthrone.com

The King of Equal Treatment

One of the key reasons Mike Throne has consistently grown his company's business is he hires top-rate people and keeps them.

"He hires quality people," said one airline company executive. "You never have to wait for them to deliver. They're always right on schedule."

Added another client: "I bet you he has a huge volume per employee."

Several clients cited how adept Throne is at working with underwriters. "Mike takes a special delight in moving the pieces on the underwriting board," said one of those underwriters. "Each underwriter is an integral part of his equation. Plus, he doesn't burn any bridges."

During 2008, Throne's accomplishments included the formation of an enhanced domestic small airline market, which is attracting a growing number of accounts from Alaska to the U.S. Virgin Islands.

He also created a new market for commercial aviation insurance in Alaska. This program allows Alaska operators the opportunity to obtain an insurance package with broad terms and conditions at a competitive price, therefore reducing their bottom line and allowing for the growth of their business. In another situation, a client reported Throne and his team created a medical-malpractice program for EMS helicopters in Alaska.

All of Throne's clients underscored that he and his team treat clients large and small with equal care.

"They take the same approach to clients of all sizes," said an airline executive.

Director, National EPLI Practice Leader
Aon, Chicago
tom_hams@ars.aon.com

Earned His Employment Practices Wings

Tom Hams has carved out a specialty in employment practices liability insurance. "He is one of the true experts at it," said one client.

Added this client: "Wherever Tom went, we'd go. We're a big company, with 27 lines of coverage using three large brokers and the only line we use Tom's firm for is his specialty." Cost is not a factor in hiring an EPLI expert. "We're not interested in free, we're interested in the best. And Tom and his team are the best."

Hams' clients cited the fact that he is an attorney as a plus, but noted that he is very down-to-earth and business-like. "He's an excellent advocate for us in the marketplace," said one client. "We've been with Tom for five years, and he's the best," noted another client. "He's very friendly but he's tough when he has to be. He's an outstanding negotiator."

2008 was a good year for Hams and his team.

For example, for a manufacturer of private jets and helicopters, Hams was able to complete their renewal during a holiday season after having received the renewal information from the client just the week before. He was still able to achieve a premium savings under the program.

For a large airline, Hams was able to create two different and fully bindable employment practices liability insurance towers upon renewal during an unrelated dispute the client was having with their current primary EPLI carrier.

Aviation Practice Leader--West Region
Wells Fargo Insurance Services, Las Vegas
joanne_dorsey@wellsfargois.com

Flying High Where Few Others Dare

Joanne Ybarguen Dorsey does something considered remarkable by a client whose business includes two airports in ski country. "She likes to review our leases. She volunteered to do it," this client said. "We have over 100 leases in 10 different genres, things like ground transportation shuttles to the ski area. This makes it an easier sell to an underwriter. It's 100 percent for protection of the county and the two airports."

Another thing that had impressed this client in the six or seven years her entity has worked with Ybarguen Dorsey is that she frequently makes site visits. "She knows our buildings," said this client. "I can e-mail Joanne the littlest of things and she will respond promptly," this client also said. "She is very analytical and she is available all the time."

During the past year, Ybarguen Dorsey worked with a defense contractor and the aviation underwriter community to provide unique coverage for the contracts under which her client had a military responsibility. Oftentimes, she had only one day to provide answers and many times she had to come up with out-of-the-box solutions.

Noted another client: "She's frequently been able to get double-digit discounts on premiums year after year. She hooked us up with an underwriter whom we've built a great relationship with."

Yet another client cited Ybarguen Dorsey for her matchless talent for getting quotes for unique exposures. "In one instance, she was able to get a quote when six other brokers were unable to come up with a quote. That is symbolic of her style."

Executive Perils Inc.
Managing Director
Los Angeles