Longstanding family-run insurance firm promotes third-generation leader to CEO

Boyd Insurance & Investments, one of the largest and most established insurance firms in Manatee County, named third-generation leader Austin Boyd CEO. 

Boyd, 36, takes the helm of the company from Jim Boyd, who will assume the role of chairman, according to a statement. The elder Boyd is also a state senator, a Republican representing the 20th District, which includes northern Manatee County and southeastern Hillsborough County. Jim Boyd has been at the forefront of multiple insurance reform bills in the Florida Senate, and before that, the Florida House. 

“I am honored and thrilled to assume the role of CEO at Boyd Insurance & Investments,” Austin Boyd says in the release. “Our organization has a rich history of community-minded leadership, and I am excited to continue this legacy into the next generation. I am committed to building upon our strong foundation, fostering a culture of innovation, and expanding our capabilities to meet the evolving needs of our valued clients." 

Jim Boyd's uncle, Wilbur Boyd, founded Boyd Insurance in 1974. The company today, the release states, has 37 insurance and investment professionals. 

Austin Boyd worked at Global Financial Private Capital in Sarasota, where he was a portfolio risk analyst, before joining Boyd Insurance in 2013, the release states. He started at the company as a commercial account executive and worked his way up to president in 2019.

“Austin knows our business inside and out, and it is time for him to take the reins,” Jim Boyd says in the statement. “He will ensure that the company continues to deliver financial services and support with honesty and integrity for years to come.”  

Jim Boyd, meanwhile, received Accredited Advisor in Insurance certification in 1985 and has been a member of the Florida Association of Independent Insurance Agents board. Prior to running and be elected to the state senate in 2020, Boyd was state representative, from 2010-2018, representing districts in Manatee County. (Politics, like insurance, also runs in the family: Jim Boyd's grandfather, according to a bio on his website, Hugh E. Boyd, served in the Florida House in the 1940s. And Wilbur Boyd served in the Florida House and Senate in the 1960s and 1970s.)

Boyd Insurance, in addition to promoting Austin Boyd, also announced three other promotions: Jerilynn Chapin will serve as the director of human resources and internal operations; Jamie Wood rises to director of business development; and Kristy Terenzio is now director of client services.  

Boyd Insurance & Investments offers a range of services, including property and casualty insurance, life insurance, employee benefits, retirement planning and investment management. It has offices in downtown Bradenton and Bristol, west of Tallahassee.