Houston, Texas, February 1, 2007, -- Brown & Brown of Texas, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Brown & Brown, Inc. (NYSE:BRO), has appointed Traci A. Howell, a Senior Vice President of the company. At Brown & Brown of Texas, Inc., Ms. Howell oversees the company’s Employee Benefits Department and also serves as interim manager of the company’s Specialty Programs Department. Ms. Howell leads a staff of five professionals. Commenting on Ms. Howell’s appointment, Michael A. Garguilo, President & Chief Operating Officer of Brown & Brown of Texas, Inc. said, "Traci has proven herself to be a talented and highly capable leader whose contributions over the past five years have had a tremendously favorable impact on BBTX’s results. Under her leadership, our Employee Benefits Department has consistently grown in excess of 20% each year while increasing its profit margins and delivering near 100% customer satisfaction and retention. Our company believes strongly in the concept of a meritocracy, meaning that people rise or recede at Brown & Brown as a direct result of their contributions and performance. Traci’s elevation is a reflection of that concept in practice." Beginning her insurance career in 1990, Ms. Howell has more than 15 years experience in creatively structuring group health insurance and employee benefits plans which save Brown & Brown’s clients time and money. First named a Vice President of Brown & Brown of Texas in 2002, Ms. Howell has served as Manager of the company’s Employee Benefits Department since 1999. Brown & Brown’s customers have consistently ranked the service provided by Ms. Howell's group as "excellent" in industry customer satisfaction surveys conducted in each of the past five years. She has been a licensed Life / Health and Group Employee Benefits broker since 1990 and licensed Property / Casualty professional since 2006. Brown & Brown of Texas, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Brown & Brown, Inc. (NYSE: BRO), one of the world's ten largest insurance brokers. Based in Houston, Brown & Brown of Texas, Inc. operates throughout the state of Texas and across the nation, and does business in more than two dozen states. It is principally engaged in the business of serving commercial and personal insurance customers by providing professional advice, insurance coverage placement and related claim services. Together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, it offers businesses Property / Casualty Insurance, Surety Bonds, and Group Employee Benefit Plans. It provides individuals with Home, Automobile, Valuable Article, Life, Disability, and Long Term Care Insurance. |
