May 28, 2025 • 14 mins
Todd Stein CEO of Brunswick Companies proudly announces the appointment of Michelle Hirsch and Rachel Weinberg as Co-Presidents marking a pivotal moment in the company's evolution as a third-generation family-owned, independent insurance and risk management firm providing commercial, professional, personal insurance, and surety bonds.
This evolution reflects Brunswick's unwavering commitment to remaining independent while positioning the firm as an employer of choice that pairs high-touch, personalized service with innovative technology solutions.
In their new roles, Michelle and Rachel will leverage their complementary strengths through a clear division of responsibilities. Both leaders have risen through Brunswick's ranks to shape key areas of the business. Michelle will drive strategic vision and growth initiatives for the company, building upon her success in transforming Brunswick Private Client. Rachel will focus on operational excellence and infrastructure, drawing from her extensive risk management and commercial insurance expertise to enhance Brunswick's service delivery and team development.
"As a father and business leader, I'm incredibly proud to see Michelle and Rachel step into these roles," said Todd Stein, who will continue to serve as CEO. "They've earned this opportunity through decades of dedication to our clients and team. Their partnership ensures Brunswick will continue to thrive while staying true to our family values and independent spirit."
Leadership Experience Michelle brings over 20 years of experience at Brunswick Companies, having founded Brunswick Private Client, a division dedicated to managing risk for high-net-worth individuals and family offices. Michelle holds an MBA from Case Western Reserve University's Weatherhead School of Management and the Certified Advisor in Personal Insurance (CAPI) designation from The Wharton School of Business and Chubb Insurance.
Rachel has 19 years of insurance expertise, specializing in commercial risk management since graduating from the University of Hartford with a degree in Risk Management. She has been instrumental in turning Brunswick's commercial division into a powerhouse serving diverse industries, including real estate and manufacturing.
Both Michelle and Rachel are sought-after speakers at national insurance industry events and serve on multiple non-profit boards, demonstrating their commitment to both professional excellence and community involvement.
Under their joint leadership, Brunswick Companies stands ready to transform the insurance experience while staying true to its founding purpose -- protecting what matters most to its clients. "Having worked alongside Michelle and Rachel for many years, I've had the privilege of watching them develop into the leaders they are today," said Lew Patrick, Chief Financial Officer. "Their complementary abilities and shared commitment to Brunswick's success give me complete confidence in the road ahead."
Vision for Innovation and Growth The sisters step into their leadership roles with complementary strengths and a shared vision. "In an industry that often feels impersonal, showing the love to our clients is what sets Brunswick apart," said Michelle. "We're committed to combining cutting-edge operations with the personal touch and genuine relationships that have always made Brunswick special." "We're investing in our people and technology to create an even stronger future," said Rachel. "By streamlining our operations, we're empowering our team to focus on what they do best — delivering the exceptional service experiences that define Brunswick."
Brunswick Companies Founded in 1972, Brunswick Companies is a third-generation, family-owned independent insurance agency serving clients nationwide. With a commitment to "Insuring the world you love and everything in it," Brunswick
This evolution reflects Brunswick's unwavering commitment to remaining independent while positioning the firm as an employer of choice that pairs high-touch, personalized service with innovative technology solutions.
In their new roles, Michelle and Rachel will leverage their complementary strengths through a clear division of responsibilities. Both leaders have risen through Brunswick's ranks to shape key areas of the business. Michelle will drive strategic vision and growth initiatives for the company, building upon her success in transforming Brunswick Private Client. Rachel will focus on operational excellence and infrastructure, drawing from her extensive risk management and commercial insurance expertise to enhance Brunswick's service delivery and team development.
"As a father and business leader, I'm incredibly proud to see Michelle and Rachel step into these roles," said Todd Stein, who will continue to serve as CEO. "They've earned this opportunity through decades of dedication to our clients and team. Their partnership ensures Brunswick will continue to thrive while staying true to our family values and independent spirit."
Leadership Experience Michelle brings over 20 years of experience at Brunswick Companies, having founded Brunswick Private Client, a division dedicated to managing risk for high-net-worth individuals and family offices. Michelle holds an MBA from Case Western Reserve University's Weatherhead School of Management and the Certified Advisor in Personal Insurance (CAPI) designation from The Wharton School of Business and Chubb Insurance.
Rachel has 19 years of insurance expertise, specializing in commercial risk management since graduating from the University of Hartford with a degree in Risk Management. She has been instrumental in turning Brunswick's commercial division into a powerhouse serving diverse industries, including real estate and manufacturing.
Both Michelle and Rachel are sought-after speakers at national insurance industry events and serve on multiple non-profit boards, demonstrating their commitment to both professional excellence and community involvement.
Under their joint leadership, Brunswick Companies stands ready to transform the insurance experience while staying true to its founding purpose -- protecting what matters most to its clients. "Having worked alongside Michelle and Rachel for many years, I've had the privilege of watching them develop into the leaders they are today," said Lew Patrick, Chief Financial Officer. "Their complementary abilities and shared commitment to Brunswick's success give me complete confidence in the road ahead."
Vision for Innovation and Growth The sisters step into their leadership roles with complementary strengths and a shared vision. "In an industry that often feels impersonal, showing the love to our clients is what sets Brunswick apart," said Michelle. "We're committed to combining cutting-edge operations with the personal touch and genuine relationships that have always made Brunswick special." "We're investing in our people and technology to create an even stronger future," said Rachel. "By streamlining our operations, we're empowering our team to focus on what they do best — delivering the exceptional service experiences that define Brunswick."
Brunswick Companies Founded in 1972, Brunswick Companies is a third-generation, family-owned independent insurance agency serving clients nationwide. With a commitment to "Insuring the world you love and everything in it," Brunswick
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
This is iHeartRadio's CEOs. You should know I'm Keith Hochkis.
Today we have a special group of folks from Brunswick
Companies and we want to welcome Todd Stein and a
family affair is co presidents Michelle and Rachel.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Thanks for being on the show today. Thank you for
having us excited to be here.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
Can you guys talk a little bit about what Brunswick
Companies was founded as and what it does now.
Speaker 3 (00:25):
So Brunswick Companies was founded in nineteen seventy two basically
the world of insurance and risk management. We wanted to
be that special concierge type service to small and medium
sized businesses and then along with that came the necessary
(00:45):
coverages that flowed right into the individual owners and executives
of those teams. So it became our area to include
personal insurance.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Nineteen seventy two.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
That's an impressive legacy, and obviously the insurance industry, as
all industries, have changed over the years. Maybe I'd like
to have each of you kind of chime in on
what has been different since the company's founded. And I'm
sure there's core values that have remained the same, right.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
Yeah, I think I'll start off, because I've been here
the longest, but the and I'm sure that Michelle and
Rachel have quite different answers than what I'm going to say.
But when I started there was basically the same core
fundamentals of the insurance business to protect people's assets, company
(01:38):
assets from loss or liability and loss. But the days
when I started there weren't the aggregation of information, so
it was a pot luck type of approach where we
had hard markets soft markets depending on how the insurance
(01:59):
companies did individually versus what we're seeing how they're handling
the aggregation of information today.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
Michelle, can you speak a.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
Little bit about the company today versus when you first started.
Speaker 4 (02:11):
The family's legacy of those three generations, really putting the
client first, always taking the call, responding, and at the
end of the day, insurance is about protecting people's not
just their assets, but also just creating that peace of mind.
And so that's our job is to help create clarity
(02:33):
when they're confused or in a crisis mode and get
them back to where they were before the loss in
a way that makes them feel totally supported along the way.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
Rachel, what is your experience taught you about how important
insurances to families and protecting people from catastrophic failure.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
Right, I suppose loss is probably better.
Speaker 5 (02:54):
Yeah, So I'm protecting businesses and many of them are
also multi generational businesses. And for us, it's more of
really educating the insurance on what they actually are buying
and why they're buying it, to make sure that they
are We're all on the same page and at the
(03:16):
end of the day, their largest asset, they worked really, really,
really hard for it. We want to make sure that
they have the best of the best, but also really
understand what they're buying.
Speaker 1 (03:27):
We're talking with Todd Stein, Rachel and Michelle from Brunswick Companies,
one of Cleveland's legacy risk management companies in business for
more than fifty years.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
Congratulations. By the way, you must be doing something right.
What is that?
Speaker 1 (03:43):
What's that secret formula that has you with close to
eighty employees and clients in all fifty states.
Speaker 3 (03:49):
Well, I think we started off way back when when
I first came in in nineteen seventy nine and there
was four people in the office, and we grew with
the mentality that you know, it was my father, another gentleman,
his partner who was like a brother to my dad.
So it was like a family event going to the
office every day, having lunch together and things like that.
(04:10):
But we just kept that mentality going through the years
that we have a kind of a we have a
saying that we you dance with the person that took
you to the dance, you know, And so that means
that if once you become a client of ours or
a referral to us, that we take care of you
as if you were part of the family. And we
do the same thing with our employees through the whole
(04:32):
process of making them feel as important to the whole
organization as any one of us.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
You know.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
My assumption would be that this is people are thinking
that this kind of insurance company, you're not like the
what people are familiar with in.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
Terms of state farms and progressives.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
Right, But I imagine that you do have clients that
look for that unique, boutique sort of experience.
Speaker 2 (04:59):
Can you talk a little about that.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
I imagine it is regular old families and people as
well as business owners and people looking to protect things, right.
Speaker 4 (05:07):
Yeah, I mean insurance has become exceptionally transactional. You turn
on the TV and you could see a dozen different
commercials if you're watching, you know, give a Cavs game
or you know, I mean every commercial is one of
our competitors with their mascots. At the end of the day,
insurance is something that shouldn't be left to a company
(05:30):
with a mascot, really, right, especially for people who have
higher assets and individuals in that high network space, you
want a consultative approach. You're not going online per se
to you know, handle other important whether it's your taxes
or I mean some people do, or you know, their
state planning. Insurance is equally as important. So when it
(05:53):
comes to personal you really have to bring in the
experts because taking matters into your own when, especially at
the time of a claim, you have no idea what
you're doing.
Speaker 5 (06:04):
Well, that's I also think people think going direct is
more cost effective, which it's not, which it's not. And
when you're buying, and when you're when you don't have
somebody explaining your coverages to you and why you're buying
what you're buying.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
There's a lot of gaps too.
Speaker 5 (06:20):
You miss something that's important.
Speaker 4 (06:21):
And it's just confusing, right, Like you don't know how
to read the hundred pages of gobblygook in the back.
That is your contract and you don't know what your
deductibles to have and how much coverage to have, so
having someone to translate is really important.
Speaker 1 (06:33):
That's really interesting point I when you think about we're
in the business of marketing. You know the large insurance companies,
and certainly they have their place, but you know, you
want to be able to get someone on the phone
when thees goes down, right, like when you have a claim.
It's one thing to buy the insurance and have it
so you can get your driver's license. It's another thing
(06:54):
to have your home or your farm or your family business.
You want to be able to get somebody on the
phone if if there's a fire, if there's something wrong.
Speaker 2 (07:02):
And that sounds like.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
What the real gem, the real quality you bring is
of insurance is about that, right, because people are needing
this information.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
Because it is confusing and it is scary.
Speaker 1 (07:12):
Can you talk a little bit about you know, if
you're a family business owner or small business, which many
of our listeners are, you know, how would you approach
them from soup to nuts to get them started?
Speaker 2 (07:23):
Probably a consultation, right, yeah.
Speaker 3 (07:25):
I think the best way we typically is meet with
with them, get an understanding of what the business is
all about, what they're what's really at risk, determine what
their risk strategy is, if they're if they're Some are
very conservative when it comes to risks. Some are very
you know, liberal, and they have don't have a real
(07:47):
need to ensure a lot of things. But so we
try to take that and make it a happy mix,
a happy medium to bring everything together. More importantly, like
Michelle is, the first thing is to sit down with
them identify what all their risks are. Once you've identified
all their risks, then we determine if we want to
(08:08):
assume it, meaning the insured wants to assume it, or
if they want to transfer it. If they transferred, that
means we're going to go buy insurance. And then when
you go to buy the insurance, then it becomes an
issue of where it's what's the best carrier, who's the
you know, the where's the best coverages, and then looking
at pricing and looking at deductible options and looking at
(08:30):
the limits of coverage and things like that. So that
makes it very appealing to the consumer when we take
that approach to them, so that they can feel like
someone's really got their arms around them.
Speaker 1 (08:42):
Well, it's one thing to buy airline tickets online, it's
a completely other thing to have insurance. So I think
that that is where the value that you bring comes
to the table. We're talking with Todd, Rachel Michelle from
runs with companies and we always like to sort of
include on CEOs. You should know. You know, you're running
a large company. You have families of your own. This
(09:03):
is a family business, as we're sitting right here Todd
and his daughters. But what's cool about that is that
you have unique pressure into the unique insight into the
pressure that people face. How do you in your family
lives find time to you know, accept the pressure of
running a huge company with seventy other people involved, and
(09:24):
how do you destress and center yourself.
Speaker 3 (09:26):
So I can tell you that one of the things
that I've done over the years is that I did
not say this was a one man band and take
it all on to myself. I basically made sure that
when Michelle and Rachel came in and the other key
people that we've hired to the company, that they come
(09:48):
in and there they take responsibility and they own take
ownership to it. I have a joke around the office
that I give you enough rope to hang yourself, don't
let it happen. But that's but in a perfect world,
it's the truth. But it's where I've transferred responsibility to
(10:08):
everybody and we own it and we basically in their
own individual basis, and we go from there. You know,
we make mistakes, but then as a team, we come
together and we make things right and we move on
and we turn them into learning experiences and hope that
it doesn't happen again. But it's you have to share
the responsibilities of the business. If you take it all
(10:30):
on yourself, then that's when you go nuts.
Speaker 2 (10:33):
What about you?
Speaker 5 (10:34):
I think two, it's important to surround yourself by with
smart people. You never want to be the smartest person
in the room. And to your point, it's to share
the responsibilities. Understand that we preach to everyone family comes first.
So if we're going to put our families first, we
want everybody else to put their families first, and that
(10:56):
mutual respect. The culture that we have built around the
family is or you know, family comes first. Everybody has
each other's back. You never have a backup issue back,
you know, someone backing you up if you're out. We
always say like take PTO to take PTO, go turn
off your emails. You have people that are here, enjoy
your families, but we really are. We surround ourselves by
(11:20):
people who we would want to do business with if
we were the consumer. As long as you have the
confidence and the people in your office, you're in good shape.
Speaker 2 (11:29):
What about you, Michelle, talk a little bit about how
you destress and center yourself in this big responsibility you have.
Speaker 4 (11:36):
I think it's just about being present. So when I'm
in the office, I'm in the office, and or when
i'm you know, when the work clock's on, you're focused
on work. But when with the work clock is off,
we do a really good job.
Speaker 2 (11:50):
We have a very large family.
Speaker 4 (11:51):
We have a lot of family togetherness. We all live
within five miles of each other, so we're together a lot.
We don't talk about Brunswick when we're with a fly
because they don't want to talk about it, and we
shouldn't be talking about it, right we should. We have
that other side of our lives now. We give our
cell phones out to our clients so when they are
on the side of the road that they can call
(12:12):
us in any time. But our family knows and recognizes
that when a client calls on off hours, that's expected.
But we're not sitting around a Sunday night dinner talking
about our business plans or a client issue. And I
think that's really important for us to shut off and
be able to have a sister father relationship outside of Brunswick.
And then when we come in we I mean, it's
(12:34):
still my sister and my dad sitting at a meeting table,
but we also don't intermix. That we are really good
about being president where we are when we are, so
that we can really be in the zone.
Speaker 1 (12:44):
It's certainly as I'm sitting here talking to you today,
I hope that the listeners can feel the sense of
pride that you have in this family business. And if
you're buying insurance for your family, that you would consider,
you know, working with a local Cleveland family like Brunswick companies,
how can they get a hold of you, Todd if
they're looking to join.
Speaker 3 (13:05):
So we have a local number you can call. It's
three three oho eight six four eighty eight hundred and
I'll answer into our our general reception area. We have
a website, It's www dot Brunswick companies. It's ie S
at the end dot com and then you can find
(13:26):
us on LinkedIn. You can find us almost anywhere. We're
very open. We as Michelle said, we have our cell
phones attached to our hips twenty four to seven and
we're always, you know, always available to when anytime anybody
reaches out to us.
Speaker 1 (13:42):
Well appreciate you guys coming in and letting a little
clarity to you know, a really important business that often
seems invisible to people. But insurance is really important when
something happens right, that's the most thing I always remember.
It's there when you need it for sure. So Todd,
Rachel and Michelle thank you for joining us on CEOs
you should know today.
Speaker 2 (14:02):
Thank you thanks for having us and.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
This has been iHeartRadio CEOs you should know. Today's show
was produced by Bob Coates said, I'm Keith Hotchkiss.
Speaker 2 (14:09):
We'll see you next time.
This is iHeartRadio's CEOs. You should know I'm Keith Hochkis.
Today we have a special group of folks from Brunswick
Companies and we want to welcome Todd Stein and a
family affair is co presidents Michelle and Rachel.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Thanks for being on the show today. Thank you for
having us excited to be here.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
Can you guys talk a little bit about what Brunswick
Companies was founded as and what it does now.
Speaker 3 (00:25):
So Brunswick Companies was founded in nineteen seventy two basically
the world of insurance and risk management. We wanted to
be that special concierge type service to small and medium
sized businesses and then along with that came the necessary
(00:45):
coverages that flowed right into the individual owners and executives
of those teams. So it became our area to include
personal insurance.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Nineteen seventy two.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
That's an impressive legacy, and obviously the insurance industry, as
all industries, have changed over the years. Maybe I'd like
to have each of you kind of chime in on
what has been different since the company's founded. And I'm
sure there's core values that have remained the same, right.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
Yeah, I think I'll start off, because I've been here
the longest, but the and I'm sure that Michelle and
Rachel have quite different answers than what I'm going to say.
But when I started there was basically the same core
fundamentals of the insurance business to protect people's assets, company
(01:38):
assets from loss or liability and loss. But the days
when I started there weren't the aggregation of information, so
it was a pot luck type of approach where we
had hard markets soft markets depending on how the insurance
(01:59):
companies did individually versus what we're seeing how they're handling
the aggregation of information today.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
Michelle, can you speak a.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
Little bit about the company today versus when you first started.
Speaker 4 (02:11):
The family's legacy of those three generations, really putting the
client first, always taking the call, responding, and at the
end of the day, insurance is about protecting people's not
just their assets, but also just creating that peace of mind.
And so that's our job is to help create clarity
(02:33):
when they're confused or in a crisis mode and get
them back to where they were before the loss in
a way that makes them feel totally supported along the way.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
Rachel, what is your experience taught you about how important
insurances to families and protecting people from catastrophic failure.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
Right, I suppose loss is probably better.
Speaker 5 (02:54):
Yeah, So I'm protecting businesses and many of them are
also multi generational businesses. And for us, it's more of
really educating the insurance on what they actually are buying
and why they're buying it, to make sure that they
are We're all on the same page and at the
(03:16):
end of the day, their largest asset, they worked really, really,
really hard for it. We want to make sure that
they have the best of the best, but also really
understand what they're buying.
Speaker 1 (03:27):
We're talking with Todd Stein, Rachel and Michelle from Brunswick Companies,
one of Cleveland's legacy risk management companies in business for
more than fifty years.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
Congratulations. By the way, you must be doing something right.
What is that?
Speaker 1 (03:43):
What's that secret formula that has you with close to
eighty employees and clients in all fifty states.
Speaker 3 (03:49):
Well, I think we started off way back when when
I first came in in nineteen seventy nine and there
was four people in the office, and we grew with
the mentality that you know, it was my father, another gentleman,
his partner who was like a brother to my dad.
So it was like a family event going to the
office every day, having lunch together and things like that.
(04:10):
But we just kept that mentality going through the years
that we have a kind of a we have a
saying that we you dance with the person that took
you to the dance, you know, And so that means
that if once you become a client of ours or
a referral to us, that we take care of you
as if you were part of the family. And we
do the same thing with our employees through the whole
(04:32):
process of making them feel as important to the whole
organization as any one of us.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
You know.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
My assumption would be that this is people are thinking
that this kind of insurance company, you're not like the
what people are familiar with in.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
Terms of state farms and progressives.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
Right, But I imagine that you do have clients that
look for that unique, boutique sort of experience.
Speaker 2 (04:59):
Can you talk a little about that.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
I imagine it is regular old families and people as
well as business owners and people looking to protect things, right.
Speaker 4 (05:07):
Yeah, I mean insurance has become exceptionally transactional. You turn
on the TV and you could see a dozen different
commercials if you're watching, you know, give a Cavs game
or you know, I mean every commercial is one of
our competitors with their mascots. At the end of the day,
insurance is something that shouldn't be left to a company
(05:30):
with a mascot, really, right, especially for people who have
higher assets and individuals in that high network space, you
want a consultative approach. You're not going online per se
to you know, handle other important whether it's your taxes
or I mean some people do, or you know, their
state planning. Insurance is equally as important. So when it
(05:53):
comes to personal you really have to bring in the
experts because taking matters into your own when, especially at
the time of a claim, you have no idea what
you're doing.
Speaker 5 (06:04):
Well, that's I also think people think going direct is
more cost effective, which it's not, which it's not. And
when you're buying, and when you're when you don't have
somebody explaining your coverages to you and why you're buying
what you're buying.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
There's a lot of gaps too.
Speaker 5 (06:20):
You miss something that's important.
Speaker 4 (06:21):
And it's just confusing, right, Like you don't know how
to read the hundred pages of gobblygook in the back.
That is your contract and you don't know what your
deductibles to have and how much coverage to have, so
having someone to translate is really important.
Speaker 1 (06:33):
That's really interesting point I when you think about we're
in the business of marketing. You know the large insurance companies,
and certainly they have their place, but you know, you
want to be able to get someone on the phone
when thees goes down, right, like when you have a claim.
It's one thing to buy the insurance and have it
so you can get your driver's license. It's another thing
(06:54):
to have your home or your farm or your family business.
You want to be able to get somebody on the
phone if if there's a fire, if there's something wrong.
Speaker 2 (07:02):
And that sounds like.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
What the real gem, the real quality you bring is
of insurance is about that, right, because people are needing
this information.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
Because it is confusing and it is scary.
Speaker 1 (07:12):
Can you talk a little bit about you know, if
you're a family business owner or small business, which many
of our listeners are, you know, how would you approach
them from soup to nuts to get them started?
Speaker 2 (07:23):
Probably a consultation, right, yeah.
Speaker 3 (07:25):
I think the best way we typically is meet with
with them, get an understanding of what the business is
all about, what they're what's really at risk, determine what
their risk strategy is, if they're if they're Some are
very conservative when it comes to risks. Some are very
you know, liberal, and they have don't have a real
(07:47):
need to ensure a lot of things. But so we
try to take that and make it a happy mix,
a happy medium to bring everything together. More importantly, like
Michelle is, the first thing is to sit down with
them identify what all their risks are. Once you've identified
all their risks, then we determine if we want to
(08:08):
assume it, meaning the insured wants to assume it, or
if they want to transfer it. If they transferred, that
means we're going to go buy insurance. And then when
you go to buy the insurance, then it becomes an
issue of where it's what's the best carrier, who's the
you know, the where's the best coverages, and then looking
at pricing and looking at deductible options and looking at
(08:30):
the limits of coverage and things like that. So that
makes it very appealing to the consumer when we take
that approach to them, so that they can feel like
someone's really got their arms around them.
Speaker 1 (08:42):
Well, it's one thing to buy airline tickets online, it's
a completely other thing to have insurance. So I think
that that is where the value that you bring comes
to the table. We're talking with Todd, Rachel Michelle from
runs with companies and we always like to sort of
include on CEOs. You should know. You know, you're running
a large company. You have families of your own. This
(09:03):
is a family business, as we're sitting right here Todd
and his daughters. But what's cool about that is that
you have unique pressure into the unique insight into the
pressure that people face. How do you in your family
lives find time to you know, accept the pressure of
running a huge company with seventy other people involved, and
(09:24):
how do you destress and center yourself.
Speaker 3 (09:26):
So I can tell you that one of the things
that I've done over the years is that I did
not say this was a one man band and take
it all on to myself. I basically made sure that
when Michelle and Rachel came in and the other key
people that we've hired to the company, that they come
(09:48):
in and there they take responsibility and they own take
ownership to it. I have a joke around the office
that I give you enough rope to hang yourself, don't
let it happen. But that's but in a perfect world,
it's the truth. But it's where I've transferred responsibility to
(10:08):
everybody and we own it and we basically in their
own individual basis, and we go from there. You know,
we make mistakes, but then as a team, we come
together and we make things right and we move on
and we turn them into learning experiences and hope that
it doesn't happen again. But it's you have to share
the responsibilities of the business. If you take it all
(10:30):
on yourself, then that's when you go nuts.
Speaker 2 (10:33):
What about you?
Speaker 5 (10:34):
I think two, it's important to surround yourself by with
smart people. You never want to be the smartest person
in the room. And to your point, it's to share
the responsibilities. Understand that we preach to everyone family comes first.
So if we're going to put our families first, we
want everybody else to put their families first, and that
(10:56):
mutual respect. The culture that we have built around the
family is or you know, family comes first. Everybody has
each other's back. You never have a backup issue back,
you know, someone backing you up if you're out. We
always say like take PTO to take PTO, go turn
off your emails. You have people that are here, enjoy
your families, but we really are. We surround ourselves by
(11:20):
people who we would want to do business with if
we were the consumer. As long as you have the
confidence and the people in your office, you're in good shape.
Speaker 2 (11:29):
What about you, Michelle, talk a little bit about how
you destress and center yourself in this big responsibility you have.
Speaker 4 (11:36):
I think it's just about being present. So when I'm
in the office, I'm in the office, and or when
i'm you know, when the work clock's on, you're focused
on work. But when with the work clock is off,
we do a really good job.
Speaker 2 (11:50):
We have a very large family.
Speaker 4 (11:51):
We have a lot of family togetherness. We all live
within five miles of each other, so we're together a lot.
We don't talk about Brunswick when we're with a fly
because they don't want to talk about it, and we
shouldn't be talking about it, right we should. We have
that other side of our lives now. We give our
cell phones out to our clients so when they are
on the side of the road that they can call
(12:12):
us in any time. But our family knows and recognizes
that when a client calls on off hours, that's expected.
But we're not sitting around a Sunday night dinner talking
about our business plans or a client issue. And I
think that's really important for us to shut off and
be able to have a sister father relationship outside of Brunswick.
And then when we come in we I mean, it's
(12:34):
still my sister and my dad sitting at a meeting table,
but we also don't intermix. That we are really good
about being president where we are when we are, so
that we can really be in the zone.
Speaker 1 (12:44):
It's certainly as I'm sitting here talking to you today,
I hope that the listeners can feel the sense of
pride that you have in this family business. And if
you're buying insurance for your family, that you would consider,
you know, working with a local Cleveland family like Brunswick companies,
how can they get a hold of you, Todd if
they're looking to join.
Speaker 3 (13:05):
So we have a local number you can call. It's
three three oho eight six four eighty eight hundred and
I'll answer into our our general reception area. We have
a website, It's www dot Brunswick companies. It's ie S
at the end dot com and then you can find
(13:26):
us on LinkedIn. You can find us almost anywhere. We're
very open. We as Michelle said, we have our cell
phones attached to our hips twenty four to seven and
we're always, you know, always available to when anytime anybody
reaches out to us.
Speaker 1 (13:42):
Well appreciate you guys coming in and letting a little
clarity to you know, a really important business that often
seems invisible to people. But insurance is really important when
something happens right, that's the most thing I always remember.
It's there when you need it for sure. So Todd,
Rachel and Michelle thank you for joining us on CEOs
you should know today.
Speaker 2 (14:02):
Thank you thanks for having us and.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
This has been iHeartRadio CEOs you should know. Today's show
was produced by Bob Coates said, I'm Keith Hotchkiss.
Speaker 2 (14:09):
We'll see you next time.
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