2014 40 Under 40 Broker Awards: David C. Norris

David C. Norris

President

Hylant Group Inc.

Age: 39

David C. Norris became the youngest president in Hylant Group Inc. history when the company bought AGIS Indianapolis, an employee benefits agency, in 2011.

Mr. Norris worked as president and partner of AGIS to grow the firm's Indianapolis market share significantly between 2001 and 2011. He has brought that same leadership to his role as president of Hylant's Indianapolis and Bloomington, Indiana offices, where revenue in the employee benefits department has increased 88% in the last three years.

“We've had some pretty significant growth over the last few years,” Mr. Norris said.

Mr. Norris played football for Western Michigan University while earning a bachelors degree in business administration and marketing, and said he often applies skills from the field to his work at Hylant.

“Every week is a new opportunity, a new way to strategize, a different way to try to find a way to win the game,” he said.

Mr. Norris “has always proven himself to be a reliable and trustworthy sounding board for all of our needs,” said Joe Kennedy, director of human resources for Schwarz Partners L.P., an Indianapolis-based transportation and packaging company.

“Despite the sale of his first agency to his current company ... Dave has been able to retain the core group of people that are familiar with our account and successfully added additional resources, which has always allowed for a smooth transition for all parties concerned,” Mr. Kennedy said. “For me personally, this speaks volumes about Dave and the fact that people want to be part of his team.”