A Message From Our CEO
Welcome to Pipino, the premier real estate risk management and insurance firm. I say that with great pride because I am very fortunate to have the opportunity to expand on the foundation my father created 60 years ago. My father exemplified the consummate risk management and insurance professional; graduating from Oberlin College in 1949 with a degree in economics, founding his own agency in 1952 after working as a partner for only three years; and in 1957 becoming one of the first to earn the most respected designation in our industry, CPCU (Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter).
He further distinguished himself by pioneering niche specialization in the insurance industry in the 1960s, long before it became a focus for brokerage firms during the 1990s. As part of that specialization, he introduced the use of alternative risk solutions, including self-insured retentions and captives.
After graduating from the University of South Florida in 1979 with a degree in marketing, I worked in the buying program for a division of the May Company. In 1982, I joined my father’s company to develop a proprietary liability claims management program for retail real estate developers; my background infused a retail component into an already successful mix. This became the foundation for our very successful, client-focused claims management program. From there, we expanded our proprietary risk management services.
As the leading risk management service provider in the industry, our acclaim continued to grow. Publicly-traded firms started wooing us, and in March 1994, we joined Arthur J. Gallagher & Company (AJG), the 4th largest broker in the world. I became their first female area president in 1995, and the company’s Retail Real Estate Niche Managing Director shortly thereafter.
In 2008, I determined that in order for Pipino to remain a leading risk management service provider to our clients, we needed control of our financial resources to continue our unique “client service” model, which is the foundation of Pipino. I structured an amicable buy-back from AJG in May 2008. We maintain a strong balance sheet and the same Sarbanes-Oxley compliancy standards as those required of a publicly-traded firm.
My goal for Pipino is to capitalize on our respective areas of expertise. We are committed to investing the resources, financial and otherwise, necessary to craft and deliver risk management strategies for our clients that work synergistically to control their total cost of risk. We will continue to attract the best-credentialed talent, develop products and services to respond to and support our clients’ business models, and maintain the highest degree of professional standards in the industry.
I invite you to experience the Pipino passion – the Pipino “Art of Risk Management.”
All my best,
