2015 40 Under 40 Broker Awards: Charley Hollimon

Charley Hollimon

Managing director

Wortham Insurance & Risk Management

Age:38

But for a twist of fate, Charley Hollimon could have been an Enron guy.

Mr. Hollimon, a San Antonio-based managing director for Wortham Insurance & Risk Management, applied for a job at Houston-based Enron Corp. at its peak. When he didn't get an offer from the energy company — which eventually was dissolved after an accounting scandal — Mr. Hollimon thought back to his time as a Wortham intern. It was an experience he remembered so fondly, he joined Wortham in 1999 after receiving his bachelor of business administration degree from Waco, Texas-based Baylor University.

It's also just as well Mr. Hollimon didn't end up at Enron because the people who know him best are quick to cite trustworthiness and character as his most admirable qualities.

“Integrity is everything, and he's got a ton of it,” said Thad Ziegler, operations officer for San Antonio-based Thad Ziegler Glass, who is now a client but knows Mr. Hollimon going back to their days in Little League.

Mr. Hollimon has several clients in the energy business, including Kyle McAlister, president and owner of Questor Pipeline Co. in Kingsland, Texas, who is confident his company has the best, most affordable insurance coverage possible thanks to Mr. Hollimon.

“With Charley, I feel he would do a deal that would take money out of his own pocket to do a deal that was better for us,” he said.

Mr. Hollimon is now the youngest member of the executive committee managing the San Antonio office, where in 2014 he initiated and led the effort to establish its core values: teamwork, respect, integrity, passion and professionalism.

“I feel so fortunate to have gotten into (the insurance industry) at such a young age,” Mr. Hollimon said. “If more people knew about the career opportunities in this industry, they would go for it.”