JACKSONVILLE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Main Street America Group, a super-regional property/casualty insurance company, has announced the appointment of Chris Cox as president of the carrier’s newly created Florida Region. Main Street America’s primary brand in Florida is Old Dominion Insurance Company.
“Florida has ascended to become Main Street America’s second largest state with annual written premium of nearly $106 million,” said Jeff Kusch, Main Street America’s senior vice president and head of field operations. “With its strong annual performance and profitable growth trend, as well as the state’s unique catastrophe exposure management issues, we have determined Florida warrants a dedicated management team.”
In his new leadership position, Cox will remain based at the company’s corporate headquarters in Jacksonville and report to Kusch.
Since 2010, Cox has led Main Street America’s distribution management function, where he was responsible for executing agency management best practices companywide.
“Chris has also led our National and Regional Agency Councils, which collectively provide a forum for our independent agent-customers to share invaluable feedback and suggestions with company management on how we can make it easier for our customers to do business with us,” Kusch said. “With nearly 25 years of property/casualty industry experience, Chris knows the Florida market very well and will be a valued partner to our Florida Old Dominion independent agent-customers.”
Cox joined Main Street America in 2008 as a personal lines product manager. In 2010, he moved to the company’s field operations unit to become director, distribution management. In 2011, he was appointed as a company officer and in 2013, elected as an assistant vice president by Main Street America’s board of directors.
Before joining Main Street America, Cox was an associate vice president at Nationwide Insurance’s office of underwriting. He held several management positions at Nationwide during his tenure there, including underwriting product officer, underwriting product director and product director.
Cox earned his executive master’s degree in business administration from the University of Iowa Tipple School of Management, Iowa City; and his bachelor’s degree in management/marketing from the University of North Florida, Jacksonville. He holds several professional designations including Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU), Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) and Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC).
About The Main Street America Group
With roots dating back to 1923, The Main Street America Group is a mutual insurance holding company which writes business through its nine property/casualty insurance carriers: Old Dominion Insurance Company, NGM Insurance Company, Austin Mutual Insurance Company, Main Street America Assurance Company, Grain Dealers Mutual Insurance Company, Great Lakes Casualty Insurance Company, MSA Insurance Company, Main Street America Protection Insurance Company and Spring Valley Mutual Insurance Company. Based in Jacksonville, Fla., Main Street America offers a wide range of commercial and personal insurance, as well as fidelity and surety bond products, to individuals, families and businesses throughout the United States.
With nearly $1 billion in premium written exclusively by more than 3,000 independent insurance agents, the 92-year-old company insures over 650,000 policyholders in 36 states and writes bonds in 46 states and the District of Columbia. A.M. Best Company rates The Main Street America Group with an "A" (Excellent) financial strength rating and “a+” issuer credit rating. Main Street America is the founding company partner of Trusted Choice®, the global branding program of the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America. Main Street America is also a founding company partner of the TrustedChoice.com consumer agent portal and the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) Research Center. For more information about Main Street America, please visit our newsroom at http://msagroup.newshq.businesswire.com/ or connect with us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MainStreetAmerica.
