Please tell us about your family, interests, and hobbies.

I grew up in Charlottesville, VA with my younger siblings. We attended St. Anne’s-Belfield, where our mom taught and also coached lacrosse. Lacrosse has been an important part of our family, and my siblings and I were all introduced to the sport at a young age. I attended Denison University in Granville, Ohio to play for their varsity team. After college I moved back to Charlottesville for a short while, before moving to Richmond, Virginia. After two years in Richmond, my girlfriend and I decided to move out to Denver, Colorado, where we currently reside. We spend most of our weekends outdoors either skiing in the winter, or hiking and attending live music concerts at Red Rocks in the summer.

What is your professional background and how has it led you to work in environmental insurance?

My first job opportunity after college came in the insurance industry, as a producer for a small agency in Charlottesville, VA. The agency insured mostly contractors, so I quickly learned the value of insurance for those types of companies, and how important certain types of coverage, including environmental, are for that industry. As my experience grew with larger brokerage firms in both Richmond and Denver, the importance for environmental coverage was only magnified. After 6 years on the retail brokerage side, I decided to move into the wholesale brokerage space, and it has been a great fit.  

What is the most important lesson you have learned in your career?

To be transparent and responsive. Relationships with your clients are built on trust, and letting them know you are here to serve them regardless of the situation. If I don’t know the answer to a question, I’ll go find out and provide them with an accurate response, so they have the right information. Sometimes in insurance, people need to get things done quickly. If you are responsive and provide them with a solution, that also helps solidify the relationship.  

If you had to choose one word to describe the most important motivator to being a leader in your career, what would it be and why? What are you doing specifically at Beacon Hill to help you achieve this? 

Detailed. Insurance policies can be confusing, and require a lot of deciphering. Understanding that most important coverages live within the details of the policy is something that I learned very quickly. When I was a retail broker, I worked with Beacon Hill a handful of times. I always admired how detailed and thorough the team was, from the top down. Our clients seem to really appreciate that. It makes their lives easier and provides a compelling reason to continue growing their relationship with Beacon Hill.