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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.

New poultry confinement building undergoing construction
2 time winner of the Triad Business Journal's Fast 50 Award

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

Carole Sackowitz, ARU employee
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Logan Bass, ARU employee
Taylor Campbell, ARU employee

Carole Sackowitz

Accounting Manager

Karen Dugan

Staff Accountant

Logan Bass

Accounting & Billing Coordinator

Taylor Campbell, CPA, MSA

Chief Financial Officer

Agribusiness Risk Services

Alex Shaw, ARU employee
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Alex Shaw, AIC, AFIS

Brittnee Beevers

Sarah Young

General Manager

Risk Control Supervisor

Claims Operations Supervisor

Operations & Technology

Amanda Bryant, ARU employee
Andrei Bernovski, ARU employee
Chandler Griffith, ARU employee
Jason Lied, ARU employee
Lejla Kusari, ARU employee
Nelson Carneiro, ARU employee

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

Amanda Constanza, ARU employee
Brad Taylor, ARU employee
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Curtis Barham, ARU employee
Elizabeth DiMarco, ARU employee

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, ARU employee
Lindsey Tingler, ARU employee

Jessica Todd

Underwriting Manager

Lindsey Tingler

Underwriting Assistant

Ryan Lamoreux, ARU employee
Ryan Lay, ARU employee

Ryan Lamoreux

Associate Underwriter

Ryan Lay,
MS, GSP, CRM, AINS

Loss Control Manager

Sierra Ready, ARU employee
Tony Pickens, ARU employee
Tyler Guilmette, ARU employee
Will Johnson, ARU CEO & Co-Founder

Sierra Ready

Associate Underwriter

Tony Pickens

Underwriting Assistant

Tyler Guilmette

Underwriter

Will Johnson, CIC, AFIS

CEO & Co-Founder

Reinsurance &
Specialty Services

Legal

Matt Rose, ARU employee
David Zoffer, ARU employee

Matt Rose, CPCU, ARe

Senior Advisor

David Zoffer

General Counsel

Acclerant Logo

ARU is an affiliate of international carrier group Accelerant Holdings.

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