2013 40 Under 40: Rob Bridges
Southwest Region Reprints
Managing partner
Wortham Insurance & Risk Management
Age: 37
What was initially most impressive about Rob Bridges, managing partner at Wortham Insurance & Risk Management in Austin, Texas, was his persistence in pursuing his account, said client Steve Pack, chief financial officer of Austin-based Joe Bland Construction L.P. “Guys like me don't like taking a lot of insurance calls from insurance agents,” Mr. Pack said. But Mr. Bridges “persevered, had a lot of patience and stick-to-itiveness in trying to earn our business.”
Furthermore, once he got the business, he worked hard to keep it “and to do all the things necessary to service our account, build relationships and do all the little things you need to do,” Mr. Pack said.
Mr. Bridges was introduced to the business by a Wortham partner who was a family friend. After two years working as an underwriter for Chubb Corp. in Atlanta, “I was anxious to get back home to Austin where my family was,” said the third-generation Austin resident, who accepted Wortham's offer in 2000 and has since worked there.
Mr. Bridges attributes his achievements as a broker to his firm. Wortham is unique “in that we work in teams on most of our accounts” and employees are salaried rather than paid on commission. “There's a great deal of impetus on putting the right team together for the client,” he said.
“My favorite part is the relationships side,” he said. “I know the word "relationship' is used all the time, but for me, that's my favorite thing,” to develop meaningful relationships with co-workers, insurance representatives and clients.
Client Tom Campbell, director of support services at Tokyo Electron U.S. Holdings Inc., said Mr. Bridges is, first and foremost, “a businessman there to service his customers and make sure they're taken care of.”
