Old Republic Surety: Our 2011 Surety Partner of the Year
Cretcher Heartland is pleased to announce that Old Republic Surety Company has been awarded their 2011 Surety Partner of the Year Award. A presentation of the award took place in Cretcher Heartland’s Overland Park offices on February 8, 2012.
The Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based company, with local offices in Overland Park, has received the honor for the second consecutive year. In addition to premium writing and growth, Cretcher Heartland associates and clients cite Old Republic Surety’s overall high service levels, strong relationships, responsiveness, professionalism, staff continuity and commercial surety support as factors leading to the 2011 distinction.
Erle Benton, Cretcher Heartland Bond Manager, said, “We are fortunate to have great relationships and exceptional service from all of our key surety partners, but during the last two years, Old Republic Surety has continued to exceed our expectations. Day after day, they provide the very best level of service we could ask for.”
Cretcher Heartland’s Surety Partner of the Year award was established in 2007 and past winners include Zurich N.A., CNA Surety/Western Surety, United Fire & Casualty Company, and Merchants Bonding Company.
Congratulations to Old Republic Surety, and to everyone on their high-performing service team!
L to R: Margaret Carey, ORSC Commercial Surety Manager; Mike Sanders, ORSC Vice President; Sam Perschau, ORSC General Manager–Midwest Region; Gerry Leach, ORSC President; Erle Benton, CH Bond Manager; Omar Guerra, ORSC Kansas City Bond Manager
Did you see our New Year’s email greeting?
We’re upbeat about 2012 and wanted to share that sentiment with our clients, partners and friends! If you didn’t receive it earlier this month, you can view the email greeting here.
If you’re not on our email list, sign up now! (We won’t clog your inbox with too-frequent mailings and we do not sell or share names on our subscription list.) In addition to the occasional greeting, you’ll receive timely newsletters, invitations to our exclusive client seminars and alerts on important regulatory and legal issues.
Announcing: Cretcher Heartland Acquires The Scotland Group
We’re pleased to announce exciting news that is a win-win deal for our company and clients alike. Following is the text from the news release, issued this week. (View the original news release here.)
See also: as reported by the Kansas City Business Journal: Ex-Chief’s insurance agency sells to Cretcher Heartland
CRETCHER HEARTLAND ACQUIRES
SCOTLAND GROUP
Deal enhances Kansas City and Wichita presence,
loss prevention services
Overland Park, KS – January 9, 2012 – Cretcher Heartland, a rapidly-growing insurance, risk management and employee benefits agency, has announced that it has acquired The Scotland Group, a commercial insurance agency operating in the Kansas City and Wichita markets. The transaction closed in October, 2011 and terms were not disclosed.
The Scotland Group was founded in 2009 and grew to $4 million in annual sales volume. Former Scotland principals Tim Sinclair and Kendall Gammon have both joined Cretcher Heartland; Sinclair will continue to be based in Wichita and Gammon, along with other former Scotland Group staff, has moved to Cretcher Heartland’s Overland Park offices.
Steve Nicholson, Cretcher Heartland CEO, said “We consider more than just revenue in an acquisition, and The Scotland Group and Cretcher Heartland shared a common vision, attitude and approach. It’s definitely a win-win partnership.”
Scotland Group principal and Rose Hill, Kansas native Kendall Gammon is a well-known figure in the area, having played 7 years for the Kansas City Chiefs during his 15-year NFL career. Gammon is also known for his insightful reporting and commentary on the KC Chiefs for various local sports broadcasting outlets.
According to Kendall Gammon, “While The Scotland Group had been remarkably successful in a short amount of time, we were anxious to grow our business to the next level. This partnership enabled us to fast-track our goals. After 15 years in professional football, I appreciate a culture of excellence and in Cretcher Heartland we found like-minded people who want to win and strive to be the best.”
Gammon continued, “This is a very meaningful and important step for us—a game-changer in terms of the enhanced support and resources we can offer to our clients.”
Chandler Cullor joins Young President’s Organization
Cretcher Heartland President Chandler Cullor has been accepted into the Young President’s Organization (YPO), a global network that connects young chief executives in more than 100 countries. To qualify for YPO membership, business leaders must be under the age of 45 and must be the chief executive/operator of a company that fulfills minimum size and complexity criteria. In aggregate, the companies run by YPO members employ more than 15 million people and generate US$5.4 trillion in annual revenues.
According to Chandler, “I’m looking forward to an active involvement with the YPO. It’s a great opportunity to gain insights from a network of peers and share my decision-making processes with other young business leaders from a cross section of industries.”
Congratulations, Chandler!
Cretcher Heartland 2011 Service Awards
At the 2011 Cretcher Heartland Holiday gathering, everyone was treated to a very special surprise presentation: Service Awards were given to our associates who had reached key tenure milestones with the company…the first of what will become an annual holiday tradition!
Steve Nicholson, Cretcher Heartland CEO notes, “We’re proud that median tenure here is 12.5 years, almost triple that of other U.S. companies in the private sector. Their committed service means we can continue to deliver market-leading knowledge and experience, not to mention rewarding long-term relationships, both inside and outside of our organization.”
Thank you and congratulations to these Cretcher Heartland associates!
5+ years of Service
(with Steve Nicholson and Chandler Cullor) Paul Cohen, Theresa Bebout, Kelly Miller, Paige Hohmann, Martha Bennett, Cyndi Ulett, Dennis Mosier, Jodi Gehrs, Angela Alvarez, Steve Sopinski, Erle Benton, Guinn Buck, Jackie Honomichl, Adam Gildemeister, Marge Dunn, Carolyn Aten, Valerie Swinney (Not pictured: Jill Grundy)
10+ Years of Service
Debbie Clark, Bob Zeller, Steve Nicholson, Joe Spiess, Wilma Mallon, Nicole Blaylock, Kelly Watson, Kevin Williams, Randy Sinclair, Christina Stewart, Chandler Cullor, Teresa Zeller, Lynne Ornduff, (Not pictured: Paul Black, Rex Sweetwood, Jim Wilkinson)
15+ Years of Service
(with Steve Nicholson and Chandler Cullor) Alice Apprill, Tom Hogan, Tom Quick, Cindy Bennett, Carroll Sinclair, Rebecca Speake, Cris Snooks, Evelyn McGaughey, Bob Frankovic, Ron Woelk (Not pictured: Shari Gilliam)
20+ Years of Service
Doris Harper, Linda Minson (with Steve Nicholson and Chandler Cullor)
25+ Years of Service
Mark Nauser, Chris Romine, George Donnelly, Pattie Ransom (with Steve Nicholson and Chandler Cullor)
30+ Years of Service
Susie Young (with Steve Nicholson and Chandler Cullor)
35+ Years of Service
Diana Jackson (with Steve Nicholson and Chandler Cullor)
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