(Garden City, New York, May 20, 2021) — Insurance producer trade organization Big I New York this week elected Ronald M. Brunell, CIC as its chair of the board for the 2021-22 term. Brunell was sworn in during a ceremony as part of Big I New York’s Annual Business Meeting, held at The Garden City Hotel in Garden City. Brunell is managing principal of The Signature B&B Companies, an Acrisure agency partner with locations in Garden City and Elmsford, New York.
A past member of the Big I New York board of directors, Brunell has chaired the group’s audit and finance committees and served as chair of the board of IAAC, the group’s member services division. He is past president of both the Independent Insurance Agents Associations of Queens and Kings Counties and the Downstate Insurance Council. He is also vice chair of the Applied Client Network, a national insurance agency automation users’ group; serves on The Plattsburgh College Foundation board of directors; and serves on the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County board of directors. He, his wife Debbie and two children reside in Woodmere. His family attended the ceremony with him, with his 90-years-young mother joining virtually from Florida.
In his remarks, Brunell laid out Big I New York’s priorities for the coming year, including recruitment of new talent into the insurance industry; helping agencies adapt to advances in technology; advocating for insurance agencies and brokerages with state lawmakers and regulators; and helping them find the markets they need to serve their clients.
Nicholas C. Masterpole of Masterpole-Murphy Agency in Syracuse was elected to a one-year term as vice-chair and secretary-treasurer.
Big I New York members also elected and re-elected the following regional directors:
- David Bodenstein of Mike Preis, Inc. in Callicoon, to a two-year term representing the east-north region
- Marianne McCormick, AAI, CPCU of NBT Insurance Agency in Vestal, to a two-year term representing the west-central region
- Ted Walsh, CPCU, CIC of Walsh Duffield Companies in Buffalo, to a two-year term representing the west-central region
- Doug Benz of New Buffalo Insurance Agency in Buffalo, to a two-year term representing the west-central region
Lane Rubin of The Excelsior Group in Valley Stream won a two-year term as member representative on the Nominating Committee, which evaluates candidates for leadership positions and makes recommendations to the membership. Rubin is a past chair of the Big I New York board.
The board also re-elected Steve Anderson of Catalyit to a two-year term as a director-at-large.
The association also bestowed the following awards at the meeting:
- Craig Bender of The Archdeacon Agency in East Setauket received the Joel S. Pollack Next Generation Agent of the Year, given to an agent under age 40 for outstanding commitment to customers, agency and the industry
- Dan Bierbrauer of Merchants Insurance Group in Buffalo received the Thom McDaniel Exemplar Award for dedication and unwavering support of the independent agency system
- John Costello, CIC, CRIS of USI Insurance Services in Rochester received the Vincent Alba Award for outstanding contributions to the association's political effectiveness
- Patricia Calvert of Roslyn Heights received the Distinguished Service Award for her work as administrator of the Long Island local insurance agents' associations
Big I New York exists to fulfill the educational, political, and business interests of our more than 1,750 agencies and their 13,000 plus employees.
Our members are independent insurance agents and brokers, which means they can provide consumers with a choice of products from more than one insurance company and in turn give consumers unrivaled service, and the best auto, homeowner, and business coverage to meet their changing needs. In addition, most Big I New York members proudly identify themselves as Trusted Choice® agents and brokers, a national consumer brand uniting more than 21,000 independent agencies across the United States.
For more information, go to www.trustedchoice.com or www.biginy.org.