Scottsdale Insurance Company® Celebrates 30 Remarkable Years of Providing Exceptional Excess & Surplus Coverage

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Scottsdale Insurance Company, a leader in the Excess & Surplus and Specialty Lines arena, celebrates 30 years in business. Founded in January 1982 by Rollie Wiegers with backing from Nationwide^®, Scottsdale Insurance has prospered through its strong foundation and lasting relationships with the best general agents, brokers, and program managers in the nation.

Thanks to Rollie’s influence and the subsequent leadership of Max Williamson in 1995 and Mike Miller in 2005, Scottsdale Insurance has brought strength, stability, and a customer-centric approach to the insurance marketplace, while its customers have brought underwriting expertise, aggregation of retail agents and local market knowledge. This combination has led to tremendous success for Scottsdale Insurance and its customers—even in difficult times.

“We are proud of the relationships we’ve forged over the last three decades,” said Mike, current president of Scottsdale Insurance. “By partnering with our customers and holding ourselves to the highest levels of professionalism, the Scottsdale Insurance team is focused on being ready for whatever the future holds.”

Scottsdale Insurance has grown from 12 associates and $1.7 million in direct written premium in 1982, to more than 1,400 associates and $2 billion in premium in 2012.

A strategy of diversifying Scottsdale Insurance’s offerings has buoyed the company during fluctuating market cycles. The core of the company’s success is its Contract Underwriting operation, led by Gary Tiepelman, which has maintained the wholesale distribution model and long enjoyed a stellar reputation in the E&S marketplace. John Goodloe led the reorganization of the Brokerage arm of Scottsdale Insurance in 2011, forming teams that deliver consistency, accessibility, and flexibility in responding quickly to customer needs.

Western Heritage Insurance Company, currently led by Anthony Washington, became a sister company in 1998, and Freedom Specialty, led by Craig Landi, was founded in 2006. Scottsdale Insurance opened a long-haul trucking division in Minnesota, led by Lou Welch, in 2010. Scottsdale Insurance now represents 150 general agencies, as well as brokers and program managers.

“Rollie’s loyalty to our agents solidified the company’s early successes,” said Max. “When I began leading Scottsdale Insurance, the agents needed to know I was as loyal to them as Rollie had been. That loyalty continues under Mike’s leadership. Loyalty is what got us here and what will take us all far into the future.”

Scottsdale Insurance has a tradition of soliciting feedback from general agents through forums established by the company, such as the Agents’ Advisory Board, Agents’ Technology Advisory Committee and Scottsdale Brokerage Advisory Board.

Thanks to a strong emphasis on corporate citizenship, Scottsdale Insurance has fostered a philanthropic culture with associates through its annual United Way campaign, onsite blood donations, support of St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance, and monetary contributions to other charitable organizations. In recognition of the contributions Scottsdale Insurance has made to the community, the City of Scottsdale declared January 25, 2012, to be “Scottsdale Insurance Company Day.”

“I’d say the Scottsdale Insurance culture hasn’t deviated from the guidelines we started out with,” said Rollie. “Make a nice place to work, hire good people, train them if they need training, and let them do their jobs.”

Over the years, Scottsdale Insurance has clearly grown. As the company has changed, however, its focus on people—associates and customers alike—has remained the cornerstone of its success.

About Scottsdale Insurance

A wholly owned subsidiary of Nationwide^®, Scottsdale Insurance Company^® (www.scottsdaleins.com) benefits from the backing of one of the largest insurance and financial service providers in the United States, an A.M. Best rating of A+XV (superior), and a Standard & Poor’s “A” rating. As an industry leader with impeccable financial strength and stability, Scottsdale Insurance Company^® provides its customers with exceptional experiences based on mutual respect and trust.

Scottsdale Insurance CompanyTom Tirone, 480-365-2283
[email protected]

Source: Scottsdale Insurance Company