DAYTONA BEACH, FL and TAMPA, FL, Apr 16, 2010 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) --The Board of Directors of Brown & Brown, Inc. (NYSE: BRO) today announced that Linda S. Downs, CPCU, has been elected as Senior Executive Vice President of the Company. Effective immediately, Ms. Downs will assume responsibility for the oversight of certain of the Company's retail operations in Georgia, Kentucky, Illinois, Minnesota, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Additionally, she will continue to be responsible for retail operations in Delaware and South Carolina, programs operations in Florida and Missouri, and Halcyon Underwriters, Inc., a wholesale brokerage division operation in Orlando, Florida. Ms. Downs will also continue to oversee certain corporate matters, including the Corporate Benefits Department and the Company's Leadership Schools.
J. Powell Brown, President and Chief Executive Officer, stated, "Linda's promotion positions us to continue to sharpen the focus of the offices for which she is assuming responsibility, and the leaders in those offices. Her depth of experience and proven abilities in retail sales and management, and in leadership development, will be invaluable to the development of these operations."
Jim W. Henderson, Vice Chairman and Chief Operating Officer, commented, "Linda is a great asset to our organization and she has been a significant contributor to the growth and improvement of our operations for many years. These additional responsibilities are a logical progression for her."
Ms. Downs has been with Brown & Brown since 1980, when she founded and commenced service as profit center leader of the Orlando, Florida retail office, where she worked until 1998. She served as one of our Regional Executive Vice Presidents since 2001, and she was promoted to Executive Vice President for Leadership Development in January 2006. She currently serves as director and as president or in another executive officer capacity for several of our subsidiaries. Ms. Downs is actively involved with Habitat for Humanity and Women's Executive Leadership in addition to a number of other charitable endeavors in Orlando and Daytona Beach, Florida, and she is a past member of the Florida Symphony Board and the Downtown (Orlando) Women's Executive Council. She holds both the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) and Accredited Insurance Advisor (AIA) designations.
Brown & Brown, Inc. and its subsidiaries offer a broad range of insurance and reinsurance products and services, as well as risk management, third-party administration, managed health care, and Medicare set-aside services and programs. Providing service to business, public entity, individual, trade and professional association clients nationwide, the Company is ranked by Business Insurance magazine as the United States' sixth largest independent insurance intermediary. The Company's Web address is www.bbinsurance.com.
This press release may contain certain statements relating to future results which are forward-looking statements. These statements are not historical facts, but instead represent only the Company's current belief regarding future events, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of the Company's control. It is possible that the Company's actual results, financial condition and achievements may differ, possibly materially, from the anticipated results, financial condition and achievements contemplated by these forward-looking statements. Further information concerning the Company and its business, including factors that potentially could materially affect the Company's financial results and condition, as well as its other achievements, are contained in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements made herein are made only as of the date of this release, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or correct any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that subsequently occur or of which the Company hereafter becomes aware.
Cory T. Walker Chief Financial Officer (386) 239-7250
SOURCE: Brown & Brown, Inc.