Lakewood Ranch insurance giant expands niche service in six states

A Lakewood Ranch-based commercial insurance carrier is expanding its services in six states after announcing a recent senior hire. 

FCCI Insurance Group has added writing contract and commercial surety bonds to Connecticut, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Vermont, according to a statement. (A surety bond is when the insurance company provides the bond, and is a specialized product for construction in insurance, among a few other sectors.) 

Phil Shepard was hired to lead the surety business expansion at FCCI. He comes to the role with 30 years of experience, 15 of which was in contract and commercial surety. He’s based in New Hampshire, the release states. 

"Phil brings the perfect balance of strong underwriting, marketing and service skills to our FCCI team," Scott Paice, senior vice president of surety at FCCI, says in a release. "We are excited about the opportunity and the FCCI value proposition of being a relationship-based partner that delivers on its promises. 

“We pride ourselves on helping agents earn and retain business through local knowledge and decision-making, proactive risk management, efficient claim resolution and exceptional customer service."

This isn’t the first time FCCI has expanded its surety business this year. 

"Our surety footprint began the year in 20 states and now covers 44 states,” Paice says. “With the addition of Minnesota and Washington coming soon, surety will be offered in 46 states by the end of 2023. It's an exciting time to be part of our growing surety operation as we expand our presence and build upon our success over the past twelve years.”

FCCI Insurance Group, with $2.8 billion in assets, provides commercial property and casualty insurance, risk control services and surety bonds. The company writes business for 575 contracted agencies, according to the release, and 4,054 independent agents.