ABOUT
Agribusiness Risk Underwriters (ARU) was conceived in 2016 by a North Carolina-based family of independent agents who specialized in serving the poultry confinement niche. Time and time again, the family had watched markets enter into the poultry space without doing the necessary homework. These markets consistently followed a pattern that became as predictable as clockwork. They would: 1) jump into the market guns blazing, 2) give all their agents the product, without regards to agent expertise (or lack thereof), 3) write loads of new business because of very low rates / lax underwriting / no loss control, 4) experience inevitable unprofitable loss ratios, and then 5) non-renew the entire book. This constant churning of markets entering and exiting the poultry space created terrible conditions for both insureds and agents.
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ARU was founded to build a consistent and sustainable poultry confinement solution and end the fear and frustration caused by decades of poultry confinement market volatility. Unlike its predecessors, ARU did substantial and rigorous homework, investing millions of dollars building an approach to sustainably underwrite the poultry class. The keys were: a focused analysis of poultry house risk characteristics, a deep dive into thousands of actual poultry house claim files, the development of a 100% proprietary poultry confinement insurance policy, the creation of rigorous poultry-specific loss control methodologies, and building the technology to tie it all together.
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In the years since ARU’s launch, there have been multiple large, high-profile market exits from the poultry confinement insurance space. Meanwhile, ARU’s methodologies and disciplined processes have facilitated the company growing into one of the world’s largest writers of poultry confinement risks, all while maintaining a profitable book of business.
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In 2021, ARU began an expansion into other “hard to place” farm / ag property classes, using the same R&D, underwriting / loss control, and technology framework that underpinned the company’s success in the poultry space. ARU now offers solutions for a wide array of farm / ag property risks, providing retail brokers, wholesalers, and carriers a solutions-oriented underwriting approach and access to substantial capacity.

2 time winner of the Triad Business Journal's Fast 50 Award - the list of fastest growing businesses in the Triad area. Ranked #9 in 2021 and #25 in 2022.
Meet the Team
Accounting & Billing

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Carole Sackowitz
Accounting Manager
Karen Dugan
Staff Accountant
Logan Bass
Accounting & Billing Coordinator
Taylor Campbell, CPA, MSA
Chief Financial Officer
Agribusiness Risk Services

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Alex Shaw, AIC, AFIS
Brittnee Beevers
Sarah Young
General Manager
Risk Control Supervisor
Claims Operations Supervisor
Operations & Technology






Amanda Bryant, ANFI
Andrei Bernovski
Operations Manager
Software Development Manager
Chandler Griffith
Marketing Coordinator
Jason Lied
Systems Manager
Lejla Kusari
Nelson Carneiro
Software Engineer
Senior Software Engineer
Underwriting & Loss Control


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Amanda Constanza, MPH
Underwriting Manager
Brad Taylor,
CPCU, AFIS, ARM
Brock Hoskin
Underwriting Assistant
Curtis Barham, CPCU
Elizabeth DiMarco
Senior Advisor
Associate Underwriter
Underwriting Manager


Jessica Todd
Underwriting Manager
Lindsey Tingler
Underwriting Assistant


Ryan Lamoreux
Associate Underwriter
Ryan Lay,
MS, GSP, CRM, AINS
Loss Control Manager




Sierra Ready
Associate Underwriter
Tony Pickens
Underwriting Assistant
Tyler Guilmette
Underwriter
Will Johnson, CIC, AFIS
CEO & Co-Founder
Reinsurance &
Specialty Services
Legal


Matt Rose, CPCU, ARe
Senior Advisor
David Zoffer
General Counsel

ARU is an affiliate of international carrier group Accelerant Holdings.