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2015 40 Under 40 Broker Awards: Ryan W. Brown

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2015 40 Under 40 Broker Awards: Ryan W. Brown

Producer/client advocate

Lockton Cos. L.L.C.

Age: 38

Ryan W. Brown is no stranger to the pages of Business Insurance.

As the former director of risk management and fleet operations at Raben Tire Co. L.L.C. in Evansville, Indiana, Mr. Brown was named to Business Insurance's Risk Management Honor Roll in 2006 at just 29 years old.

Now 38 and a St. Louis-based client advocate at Lockton Cos. L.L.C., Mr. Brown says he left risk management in 2011 primarily to tackle a more diverse range of challenges.

The early results have been impressive. Despite having no formal training in sales, Mr. Brown grew his book of property/casualty business by $630,000 in 2012, $925,000 in 2013 and $400,000 in 2014, and has generated more than $5 million in total revenue for Lockton since joining the company.

Mr. Brown, his clients and his colleagues at Lockton all attribute his success as a broker to a sense of empathy for his clients' needs, as well as a commitment to their long-term well-being.

“When you come from the risk management side, you tend to come at things from a more holistic point of view, so rather than just looking for insurance solutions, things like alternative risk, self-insurance and retentions start to make a lot more sense,” said Scott Curtis, Lockton's senior vice president and property practice leader in St. Louis. “That approach and that empathy — where he can see things from the risk manager's perspective — is what sets him apart.”

“Ryan's sat on the client side of the fence, so he's got a very good understanding of the challenges we're facing,” said John Brisson Jr., senior finance director at DeVry Education Group Inc. in Downers Grove, Illinois.

“He could have come in and set us up with a program just like what we had, maybe switching out a couple of vendors and saved us a little money, but that's not his way,” Mr. Brisson said. “He wants us to look at what we're doing, and whether it makes sense for the company.”

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