People & Places

NetVU elects chairman, adds four new directors: Gary Nester, senior vice president at BB&T Insurance Services, was elected to serve as the 2011-2012 chairman of the  board of NetVU. Nester has been a member for 13 years. The membership also elected four to the board of directors: Tina Clay, senior operations consultant, Bank of America; DeNise Cowley, vice president, Cullifer & Assocs.; Craig McDonald, business systems analyst, Gallagher Benefit Service; and Janie Ussery, administrative manager, Ragland Strother & Lafitte.

Utica promotes AVP: Jolene M. Castelli, assistant vice president, has been promoted to the newly created position of director of field claims operations at the Utica National Insurance Group. She joined the company in 1999.

Willis names managing director: Sean B. Rider has been named managing director, sales and consulting at Willis Global Captive Practice. Ride joined Willis 2007 and in his newly created role will execute global marketing strategies, captive consultancy offerings and best in class consultance procedures.

Regional president joins the Hanover: Kelly J. Stacy has joined the Hanover Insurance Group as regional president for the Northeast region, which includes Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island and eastern Pennsylvania. Stacy replaces Dick Lavey, who has been named senior vice president of field operations and marketing.

Mergers & Acquisitions

Robert E. Miller Group adds to agency: The Robert E. Miller Group, Kansas City, Mo., acquired FBD Consulting, Leawood, Kan. The Miller agency also recently acquired Midwest Employee Benefits.

Neace Lukens acquires three: Neace Lukens acquired three insurance agencies in the past year in Ohio: Ohio Benefit Group, the Hampson Agency and the Insurance First Agency. Effective February 2011, the merger with Ohio Benefit Group added two employees and 40 new employee benefit clients. With the acquisition of the Hampson Agency, Neace Lukens now holds an office in Lancaster, Ohio. The Insurance First Agnecy merged with Neace LUkens in 2010, and brought in two staff members.

Crump adds SFA: Crump Insurance Services, the propoerty and casualty division of Crump Group Inc, acquired the assets of Self Funded Alternatives, an insurance intermediary specializing in the development, placement and maintenance of self-insured workers' compensation programas for individual and grou prisks in the public and private sectors.

New Policies

Markel offers mobile food vendor program: Markel Programs partners with Whorton Insurance Services, a managing general agency, to offer a multi-line admitted program for independent mobile food vendors. Coverages include general liability, auto, umbrella, crime, inland marine and excess limits up to $5 million.

BUA launches NoShow insurance: BUA has introduced NoShow non-apperance insurance. The program is designed for concerts and otehr events for which the non-appearance of a person or group causes the event to be cancelled or postponed.