EPIC Team Members Join Class of 2023 Power Brokers

Awards highlight standout client service and outcomes in transportation employee benefits, cybersecurity and renewable energy sectors

EPIC Insurance Brokers & Consultants, a retail property and casualty insurance brokerage and employee benefits consultant, announced today that five of their team members earned recognition in Risk & Insurance Magazine’s 2023 Power Brokers awards. Karen Harris and Patrick McGrade have been named Power Brokers; and Thompson Mackey, Vinny Perricone, and Matthew Rist were recognized as finalists.

Power Brokers stand out among their peers for their exceptional client service, industry knowledge, and problem-solving acumen. Harris, Mackey, McGrade, Perricone, and Rist were among thousands of applicants reviewed by the Risk & Insurance editorial team, ultimately earning this distinction on the strength of testimonials from their clients. That’s what makes Power Broker so special, it’s about the individual and their contribution to helping customers create and execute risk mitigation strategies.

“Karen, Tom, Patrick, Vinny, and Matthew deserve recognition for the positive impact they have made in the lives of their clients,” said Crawford McInnis, Chief Sales Officer at EPIC. “Their professionalism, and the outcomes of the risk mitigation strategies show the caliber of talent at EPIC.”

Karen Harris, Principal, was recognized as a 2023 Transportation Power Broker Winner. When a 25+ year worker’s compensation client was faced with major cost increases for transportation fleets and other lines, Harris stepped in to thoroughly examine the company’s fleet program. Her recommended solution demonstrated creativity, sophistication, and careful alignment with the client’s risk tolerance. Her efforts have already saved the client $1 million in the first year, far outweighing the company’s losses and opening a path for the client to save millions over the next five years.

Patrick McGrade, CEBS, GBA, RPA, Managing Principal, won his 2023 Power Broker status in the Employee Benefits category. McGrade has been focused on the review and transition of Professional Employer Organizations (PEOs) for employers. As companies and organizations grow, they often search for insurance arrangements with more flexibility and customization. McGrade’s work has been instrumental in guiding maturing businesses from the PEO model to more traditional insurance arrangements.

Thompson Mackey, CCIC, CRM, ARM, CIC, Vice President, Risk Management based in Duluth, Georgia is 2023 Power Broker finalist in the Cyber category. Mackey and his team built a process to analyze the insureds’ cybersecurity risk posture, challenge risk assumptions made by the insured, and quantify potential security issues through network scans and proprietary database comparisons. The result is a refined cybersecurity analysis now used by EPIC to patch holes, fix vulnerabilities, and optimize the cyber risk posture prior to ever approaching underwriters for a renewal or new placement.

Vinny Perricone, Principal, is a 2023 Power Broker finalist in the Agriculture category. When a farmland management service accidentally killed several acres of a client’s crops with a herbicide spray, they faced a claim of more than $300,000 in damages, which their carrier denied. Working with the farmland management service and EPIC’s legal team, Perricone built a strong case for his client and assisted them in finding their own attorney. His guidance and extraordinary customer service ultimately led to a reduced claim of $60,000 - which the carrier accepted.

Matthew Rist, Senior Account Executive, was recognized as a 2023 Power Broker finalist in the Renewable Energy category. Rist provides insurance program management, placement, and advocacy to companies working in the renewables industry with technologies such as solar, storage, wind, and biogas. New and emerging technologies, coupled with exposure to increasing and widespread extreme weather events, create a volatile and limited insurance marketplace in which Rist’s specialized skills and experience command attention and respect from clients.

“EPIC stands out in the marketplace because of a team of professionals who prize specialized knowledge capital in risk management, and who keep an unwavering focus on what matters most to our clients. Karen, Tom, Patrick, Vinny, and Matthew exemplify these qualities, and have more than earned recognition,” said Steve Denton, CEO of EPIC.

About EPIC Insurance Brokers & Consultants

EPIC Insurance Brokers & Consultants is a leader in risk management, providing clients with diverse and specialized property and casualty, employee benefits, private client and specialty insurance solutions. The EPIC team operates from locations nationwide that bring strategic and expansive specializations allowing them to collaborate for innovative and comprehensive risk solution development. For more information on EPIC, please visit www.epicbrokers.com.

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