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Vice President
Willis, Los Angeles

A Broker With an Unwavering Commitment

If clients have a case to make, they can count on Danielle Chayot, vice president of Willis Insurance Services of California, to make it stick. She persuaded Fannie Mae and a loan servicer to waive a loss-limit requirement that would have driven up the premium for windstorm coverage needed by one client -- even though it meant crossing the country to get it done.

"She literally got on an airplane, flew to Buffalo in the dead of winter, to convince the lender to lower the loss limit," said the client, Jason Post, president of Post Investment Group, a Los Angeles-based multifamily investment company.

Post also appreciates Chayot's understanding of his business. "Not only is she a great insurance broker, she's a master networker and she really has inserted herself and understands fluidly the multifamily industry," he said. "As a result, she's constantly making introductions to us of different institutional and equity partners."

Equally impressive to another real estate executive is Chayot's commitment to clients outside the scope of their annual renewals. "She is the best insurance broker I have had in the 15 years I have been in the commercial real estate business," said Elizabeth Leanse, president of L2 Development Corp., a commercial real estate development company in Beverly Hills, Calif.

Chayot's problem-solving skills prompted another client to call her a shining light. "She really believes that she can always find a solution, and she does," said the client.

Senior Vice President
Willis, Chicago

Going to Battle for Clients

Whether it's arranging training for staff members or taking a closer look at a low-ball premium, Chicago-based Michele Levin, senior vice president of Willis of Illinois Inc., routinely shares her expertise and insights with clients. And she does it with the patience of a true teacher.

"I know she serves other clients, but she never gives me that impression. She is always there for me," said Christine Muszynski, executive vice president, principal and director of management operations for HSA Commercial Real Estate in Chicago.

Levin also is tenacious when claims arise, Muszynski said. A carrier recently sought to deny a large portion of a complicated property damage claim that resulted from an underground fire. The claim was eventually paid. "She just stood behind us as we fought the battle," Muszynski said.

Last spring, another client asked for Levin's help in assuring its staff understood how to review certificates of insurance collected from tenants and contractors. She developed a program that brought staff members up to speed, bolstering the company's risk management. "She's just that kind of go-to person that has really done an outstanding job," said the company's chief financial officer.

A third client leaned on Levin to double-check an insurance policy, offered by another broker, whose price seemed too good to be true. Levin reviewed the policy and identified several holes, carefully explaining each one, said the client.

Account Executive
Aon, Diamond Bar, Calif.

The 'Consummate Professional'

The aftermath of an earthquake is pretty clear to most people in Southern California. But the picture is more complicated for executives at Watson Land Co., which owns warehouse facilities serving the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, Calif. A quake that shut down port operations for a protracted period could have a domino effect on the company's tenants. If those tenants are unable to move goods, they might begin to default on their leases.

Jason Peery, account executive with Aon Risk Solutions in Diamond Bar, Calif., helped bring the picture into focus. He assembled the experts -- including representatives of the port authorities, the U.S. Geological Survey and an insurance carrier -- to evaluate the risks and craft the appropriate coverage, said Roger von Ting, CFO of Carson, Calif.-based Watson Land. "That's something that is real unique," he said, adding that Peery has brought a fresh approach to his company's account overall.

Peery's knack for offering a new perspective also appeals to executives at Australia-based DEXUS Property Group, which has significant real estate holdings in the U.S. Last year, Peery worked with the firm to standardize its environmental reporting, which had varied by location and by the consultants doing the work.

"Jason is the consummate professional, reliable, trustworthy and competent," Joseph Stokes, group risk manager for DEXUS, wrote in an email. "I would not hesitate in putting him in front of senior executives. He is both proactive and responsive."

Senior Vice President
Willis, New York

Bringing Together Coverages

The challenge facing Michael Power, senior vice president and Real Estate Practice leader for Willis Group in New York, read like the kind of thorny case study handed out in business schools: Take a heavy-equipment leasing company that has expanded into commercial real estate and is starting to add residential real estate. Find a single insurance program to cover it all and test it immediately in the wake of Superstorm Sandy.

"I have struggled since I've been with the company to get underwriters to understand our exposures and then rate us accordingly and cover us accordingly. I mean, we had exclusions that just drove me insane," said the risk manager for the mid-Atlantic-based company.

Although most underwriters wanted a separate policy for each business unit, Power helped develop a single program that covered the company's various operations at competitive rates. "We've seen a real improvement in our overall program because of him," the risk manager said.

Sandy, the massive storm that crippled the East Coast in fall 2012, gave the company an early opportunity to see the coverage improvement, the risk manager said. "I was very happy to see how our coverages would respond. In our previous policy, there were certain things that if those policies were still in place, there wouldn't have been coverage."

Power remains active on the account, the risk manager added.

"I go to him first on everything. In terms of customer service and the information that he knows, his knowledge, his ability to reach out to people for very specific things to help, he has been just a great asset."

Senior Vice President
Willis, Addison, Texas

Broker Gives Managers a Boost in Confidence

Penni Nelson can't think of too many risk managers willing to hand a broker's phone number to their bosses in the C-suite. But she's happy to pass around contact information for Christian Ryan, senior vice president with Willis in Addison, Texas.

"He's incredibly knowledgeable about coverage, about the industry, and I think him knowing as much as he does gives me the comfort that I can put my decision makers in front of him and feel confident that we're getting the right answers and the right solutions to the various challenges that we face in the real estate industry," said Nelson, risk manager, for Dallas-based Behringer Harvard Holdings.

At Behringer Harvard, the challenges range from a tight turnaround on securing directors' and officers' coverage to figuring out the right coverage for complicated partnership agreements. Ryan rarely fails to impress, Nelson said. "I often call him my Albert Einstein of insurance because he does almost have a genius-like knowledge of coverage and can always come up with solutions that I'm pretty amazed at."

Ryan is no slouch in the customer-service department either, according to Andy Burchak, vice president of risk management and insurance for Orlando, Fla.-based CNL Financial Group, a group of REITs specializing in health care, golf courses, ski resorts and other hospitality properties. Ryan helped Burchak connect with peers in similar companies.

"Now I've got two or three doors open with other risk managers that do similar things to what I do, and we can have an open conversation," Burchak said.

Executive Vice President
Willis, Dallas

Slamming the Brakes on Steep Premiums

It could have been an awful renewal for Dallas-based ClubCorp USA Inc. Hurricane Irene had delivered a nearly $4 million blow to one of the company's properties in 2011, and ClubCorp was resigned to a steep premium increase, according to Patricia Jones, senior director of business risk and treasury for the company, which operates golf courses and country clubs around the United States.

The increase came, but it was not as steep as expected, Jones said, crediting the work of Eric Schake in presenting the company to insurance markets in London and Bermuda.

"I'm not sure there is another broker that has the relationships that can help you, especially on the property program, to be able to get the market to move and understand your story," she said.

Schake, executive vice president of Willis in Dallas, also has been able to place coverage for trees and greens, a relative rarity for golf courses, Jones said. "I think it comes down to the broker and explaining to the market why they should accept that risk."

He helped another client, a California-based REIT specializing in lab space, revamp its property program and earthquake coverage. The REIT took the wrenching leap from a single carrier to a multicarrier program, reducing premiums by 5 percent while enhancing coverage.

"I don't think this could have been done without Eric's relationships and his hard work in the market," said the REIT's risk manager. "The selection of him and his team ended up being a feather in this risk manager's cap."

Executive Vice President
Willis
Los Angeles

Area Vice Chairman
Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.
Glendale, Calif.

Senior Vice President
Alliant
Poolesville, Md.