Larry Neilson, CEO, Neilson Marketing Services and ProgramBusiness.com
Larry helped write the book on insurance lead qualification and lead conversion when he began in the industry nearly 30 years ago. Today you'll find that any telemarketing marketing approach in the industry utilizes the Best Practices training, scheduling processes, and metrics Larry and his firm established with Neilson Marketing Services (formerly NMSDATA). An innovator and pioneer, Larry continues to raise the bar in Property/Casualty outbound telemarketing, intelligent data mining, and on-line market searches and program business accessibility with new products and services that capitalize on marketing trends and evolving technology platforms.
Headquartered in Laguna Hills, California, Neilson Marketing Services provides insurance B2B Call Center services, Intelligent Insurance Lists, Market Research, E-Mail Append, Insurance Internet Marketing, and other products designed to obtain more customers and enhance existing client relationships. ProgramBusiness.com capitalizes on the database and SEO strengths of Neilson Marketing Services to drive traffic organic growth through virtual, optimized Storefronts, and is the premier choice of the insurance distribution system when it comes to finding specific programs and accessing the specialty market.
Jeff Neilson, President, Neilson Marketing Services and ProgramBusiness.com Co-founder of Neilson Marketing Services (formerly NMSDATA) and ProgramBusiness.com, Jeff has more than 25 years of experience in the insurance industry putting his expertise to work for P/C agencies, MGAs/MGUs, Wholesalers, S&L Brokers, and Program Administrators nationwide. With Neilson Marketing, he has implemented the gold standard in insurance telemarketing for more than 5,000+ agencies, brokerages, and companies across North America with customized, targeted lists, qualified leads, appointment-setting, relationship marketing programs, response tracking and analysis, and sales center consulting.
Jeff’s responsibilities as president of ProgramBusiness.com include overseeing the optimization of the online portal to enhance the already widely successful virtual wholesaler/MGA/S&L Broker Storefronts for maximum lead generation and conversion.
Mike Neilson, Vice President/Operations, Neilson Marketing Services and ProgramBusiness.com Vice President of Operations of Neilson Marketing Services and ProgramBusiness.com, Mike is responsible for overseeing the insurance telemarketing and email marketing operations, product management and development, as well as database management. He has been instrumental in managing the implementation of the new Neilson Marketing and ProgramBusiness.com’s websites as well as a number of new product launches, including Insurance Internet Marketing and E-mail Append. Mike graduated Cum Laude from the University of San Diego with a BA in Theology & Religious Studies and Philosophy and holds a Certificate from Chapman University in Coaching Skills for Business Leaders.
Chad Meisinger, Founder, Over The Top Marketing Chad is a former Google executive, Internet entrepreneur and business owner who has been on the leading edge of Internet Marketing for almost two decades. He is recognized as a top player in what is known as the Internet evolution, a fast-moving marriage of technologies and strategies that, even today, is affecting every industry and every organization.
Chad’s experience includes everything from starting businesses in one-room offices to being a key player and principal at dMarc, a high-tech communications firm that eventually sold for $1.2 billion to industry giant Google. He was then hired by Google to manage sales and marketing for Google’s Radio Ads program for three years, gaining unique insights into the workings of world-class search engines, their criteria for ranking success, and the opportunities they offered for driving qualified customers to all types of websites.
His latest entrepreneurial enterprise is Over The Top, a business that develops and implements strategies for diverse industries, including working with Neilson Marketing and ProgramBusiness.com to develop cutting-edge, proven Internet Marketing services designed to monitize the digital footprint of retail agents, wholesalers, MGAs, MGUs, Program Administrators and Surplus Lines Brokers.
Chad currently sits on several boards and in his free time enjoys flying around the country in his Cirrus G3 airplane.
John M. Wepler, President, MarshBerry President and senior shareholder of MarshBerry, John joined the private held company in 1991. MarshBerry provides consulting services to the insurance industry, including sales management, perpetuation planning, business planning, mergers and acquisition services, information services, and more. John is a vital resource nationally in organic growth management, valuation enhancement solutions, mergers and acquisitions, strategic planning, ownership perpetuation and financial management. He is nationally recognized as one of the industry’s leaders in merger & acquisition advisory having personally closed over 175 M&A transactions since joining the firm, and a frequent keynote speaker at national conferences, agent association meetings, insurance carrier elite meetings and executive leadership forums.
John is a prolific author for leading insurance publications, including SNL Financial, Best’s Review, American Agent and Broker, National Underwriter and M&A Scoreboard Magazine. He currently serves on the Board of the American Bankers Insurance Association and the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers Association of New York.
Dan Epstein, CEO - Resource Pro, LLC Dan Epstein obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Modern History from London’s Brunel University, followed by a Masters in International Relations from the London School of Economics. Subsequently Dan received MBAs from both the London School of Business and Columbia University’s School of Business in New York. Despite such a rigorous educational journey, Dan also found time to serve as a gunner in the Armored Corps of the Israel Defense Forces.
With over ten years experience in working with technology start-up companies, Dan joined ReSource Pro as vice president for business development. As the company began to grow, Dan was promoted to Chief Executive Officer and has overseen the dramatic growth of ReSource Pro over the last few years. That growth was recognized 2009 by Inc. magazine’s inclusion of ReSource Pro at #57 of the 500 fastest growing companies.
Dan’s history also includes the founding of the US-Israel Business Exchange in 2000, a non-profit organization dedicated to the fostering of partnerships between U.S. and Israeli high-tech companies. Dan served as President and Executive Director of that organization for four years.
Previous positions include running the Commercial Section of the Israeli Embassy in Washington DC, working as assistant editor at the Bank of Israel, and serving the office of a U.S. Senator in Washington. He also spent time researching economic development in Tanzania, Africa and international marketing in China.
Douglas Bennett, Head of Sales for Program Business - QBE the Americas Doug Bennett joined QBE the Americas as of Dec. 31, 2010 as Head of Sales for Program Business. Doug is a regular attendee at Peak Performance. He began his insurance career in 1980 as a Casualty Facultative Underwriter. He also ran a private company responsible for developing MGA program business on behalf of select insurance companies. In his most recent role, Doug directed a large reinsurance intermediary nationwide effort to partner MGAs with issuing carriers for specialty programs. He is looking forward to developing new program opportunities at QBE working with existing MGA clients to help them profitably grow their programs. Doug graduated from Trinity College and lives in Darien, Conn., with his wife Carol. They have boy/girl twins who are thankfully and gainfully employed after graduating from college in 2009.
Michael Smith, CEO - Axis Insurance Services, LLC TBA
Pat Walsh, VP Marketing - INSTEC Corporation Pat brings 29 years experience as a provider and consumer of technology solutions. Pat joined Instec in 1997 as Vice President, Sales and Marketing where he has responsibility for business development and revenue generation. Prior to joining Instec Pat worked for seven years at MCI Systemhouse (now part of EDS) where he initiated and led the development of the MCI Systemhouse Insurance practice in the Midwest Region. Prior to MCI Systemhouse, Pat started his career with AT&T Bell Labs as a hardware and software developer. Pat received a MS in Electrical Engineering from the Cornell University in 1981, and a BS in Computer Science from the Illinois Institute of Technology in 1980.
Roderick Demaso, Head of Captives & ART Solutions - Zurich Insurance Company
As head of Captives & ART Solutions of the Programs & Direct Markets business unit, Rod DeMaso holds direct profit and loss accountability for a book of Captives business with more than $600M dollars in premium.
For the past ten years, Rod has managed and grown the Captives business from $100M to more than $600M, which includes the member owned group, segregated portfolio, and fronted captive business. In addition, Rod spearheaded the restructuring of the underwriting, processing, claims and risk engineering models which is currently used by the Captives unit.
Rod began his insurance career in January 1985 as a loss prevention consultant and engineer with the Factory Mutual Engineering Association.. Over the years, he has performed a wide variety of technical, specialist, marketing and management roles, including positions at Allendale Mutual Insurance Company and Factory Mutual Insurance Company. He joined Zurich in 1999 as vice president and manager of the company's Chemical/Pharmaceutical segment, moving on to head up Zurich's Industry Segments area in January 2000. In 2001, Rod moved into the Captives unit serving invarious managerial roles prior to being named the head of Captives & ART Solutions on April 1, 2010.
Rod is a 1984 graduate of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, earning a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering with an emphasis in Municipal and Environmental Engineering. In 1988, he earned his masters degree in Business Administration from the same university, concentrating on Corporate Finance and International Business.
Rod's broad experience has given him a depth of knowledge in captives and alternative risk transfer methodologies which has enabled him to make major contributions to Zurich's Captives & ART Solutions unit and the many customers it serves.
The Peak Perforamance Ski Insurance Conference. hosted by Neilson Marketing Services and Programbusiness.com, We're celebrating our tenth year bringing insurance retailers together with insurance wholesalers and insurance vendors to network.
