Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Announces Employer Stop Loss Promotions

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance (BHSI) today announced that it has named Ford Coacher as Vice President, Taft Hartley; Chris Slezak, as Vice President, Employer Stop Loss Sales, U.S. West; and Bill Bixler as Vice President, Employer Stop Loss Sales, U.S. East.

“BHSI’s financial strength, long-term view and CLAIMS IS OUR PRODUCT philosophy has really resonated in the employer stop loss (ESL) marketplace,” said Phil Gardham, President, NA Accident & Health, BHSI. “These well-deserved promotions are designed to recognize the work of our talented professionals and provide strong support for our continued growth in ESL—including the Taft Hartley space.”

Ford Coacher joined BHSI in 2024 as Assistant Vice President, bringing more than a decade of insurance industry experience with a focus on the Taft-Hartley and multiemployer health plan market. In his new role he will oversee the ongoing expansion of BHSI’s Taft Hartley ESL business for self-funded multi-employer union health plans.

Chris Slezak joined BHSI in 2022 and was previously Regional Vice President, for the South-Central Region. He has more than two decades of insurance industry experience. In Chris’s new role, he will oversee sales of BHSI’s ESL solutions for U.S. West which will include the Southwest, Northwest Regions, in addition to the South Central.

Bill Bixler joined BHSI in 2017 and was previously Regional Vice President for the Northeast & Mid Atlantic. He has more than three decades of insurance industry experience. In Bill’s new role, he will oversee sales of BHSI’s ESL solutions for U.S. East which will include the Midwest and Southeast Regions, in addition to the Eastern and Midwest.

BHSI launched its ESL business in 2016 and remains bullish as the business continues to grow. Its Financial Strength (Rated A++ by AM Best), Experienced Team and the fact that it does not purchase any reinsurance allow BHSI to provide a long term, stable solution for distribution partners and policyholders.

Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance (www.bhspecialty.com) provides commercial property, casualty, healthcare professional liability, executive and professional lines, transactional liability, surety, marine, travel, programs, accident and health, medical stop loss, homeowners, and multinational insurance. The actual and final terms of coverage for all product lines may vary. It underwrites on the paper of Berkshire Hathaway's National Indemnity group of insurance companies, which hold financial strength ratings of A++ from AM Best and AA+ from Standard & Poor's. Based in Boston, Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance has offices in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Columbia, Dallas, Houston, Indianapolis, Irvine, Los Angeles, New York, Plymouth Meeting, San Francisco, San Ramon, Seattle, Stevens Point, Adelaide, Auckland, Barcelona, Brisbane, Brussels, Calgary, Cologne, Dubai, Dublin, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, London, Lyon, Macau, Madrid, Manchester, Melbourne, Milan, Munich, Paris, Perth, Singapore, Stockholm, Sydney, Toronto, and Zurich.