Posted on September 19, 2022 in News

RB Jones Acquires Ocean Cargo Business To Expand Coverage Solutions For Clients In Marine & Energy Division

Farmington Hills, Mich. (Sept. 19, 2022) RB Jones, a leader in providing specialty risk coverage solutions, today announced its Marine & Energy division acquired the Smart Cargo Insurance® business from Corvus Insurance, a specialty insurance MGA. This acquisition allows RB Jones to expand its comprehensive solutions for brokers, agents, and wholesale partners.

This Ocean Cargo product offers a custom solution for temperature sensitive cargo such as food and pharmaceuticals. As part of the transaction, RB Jones will have exclusive access to underwrite cargo insurance policies through Skyward Specialty Insurance Group Inc.TM, a specialty property and casualty insurance company that provides capacity to the Marine Cargo industry.

“RB Jones is pleased to add this new business to our portfolio of growing specialty products,” said Mark Engel, Managing Director, RB Jones. “Beyond deepening our capabilities within Ocean Cargo, the acquisition showcases our intention to expand RB Jones into a destination for highly specialized insurance solutions. This strategic acquisition increases RB Jones’ offerings and holistically enhances our expertise, operations and performance.”

This technology utilizes proprietary risk models built on a multitude of data points from cargo sensors to better inform underwriting, coverage, and rates. Additionally, the technology can be used to minimize or prevent cargo damage during transportation. The analysis and application of temperature stability data will assist RB Jones and its Marine Cargo clients in optimizing shipping methods and routes.

“Corvus has found an ideal buyer for our Smart Cargo Insurance® product line in RB Jones,” said Madhu Tadikonda, CEO of Corvus Insurance. “With a long history in marine insurance, we are confident their team will provide the support needed for our ocean cargo policyholders and underwriters to thrive.”

John Gambino, Underwriting Manager, Marine, RB Jones, leads the integration of the Corvus offering into the RB Jones portfolio alongside Engel. In addition, the company will welcome talent from Corvus to its Marine & Energy division as RB Jones associates. Zandra Brown joins as Head of Specialty Cargo and Kevin Kempf joins as Product Leader of Specialty Cargo.

“We welcome Zandra and Kevin to RB Jones and look forward to their work in launching this new product solution and business,” said Gambino. “Bringing in top talent and expanded product offerings is part of the company’s strategic plan to further grow the RB Jones brand.”

Both Brown and Kempf report to Gambino.

“Earlier this year, we rebranded Global Excess Partners as RB Jones Property, which was the first step in our long-term growth plan for the brand,” said Jodie Kaufman Davis, Executive Vice President, H.W. Kaufman Group, parent company to RB Jones. “We are continuing to pursue that path now with this business acquisition for our Marine & Energy division.”

About RB Jones

Founded in 1905, RB Jones is a leader in providing specialty risk coverage solutions to brokers, agents, and wholesalers, including: Commercial Marine, Excess Energy, Commercial Property, Large Property Schedules, Middle Market Property, Flood, Professional Liability, Specialty General Liability, Commercial Umbrella/Excess Liability, and other unique products. More information can be found at www.rbjonesinsurance.com.

RB Jones is a member of H.W. Kaufman Group, which has over 60 offices across the United States, Canada, Europe, and South America and employs more than 2,000 professionals. Founded in 1969 and headquartered in Metro Detroit, Michigan, H.W. Kaufman Group also includes: Burns & Wilcox, Burns & Wilcox Brokerage, Burns & Wilcox Canada, Atain Insurance Companies, Afirm, Stonemark, Minuteman Adjusters, Kaufman Institute, and Noremac Marketing Group. H.W. Kaufman Group International includes: H.W. Kaufman Group Europe, Chesterfield Group, Chesterfield LatAm, Lochain Patrick, Burns & Wilcox United Kingdom, Node International and Cranbrook Underwriting. More information can be found at www.hwkaufman.com.  

About Corvus Insurance

Corvus Insurance is building a safer world through insurance products and digital tools that reduce risk, increase transparency, and improve resilience for policyholders and program partners. Our market-leading specialty insurance products are enabled by advanced data science and include Smart Cyber Insurance® and Smart Tech E+O™. Our digital platforms and tools enable efficient quoting and binding and proactive risk mitigation. Corvus Insurance offers insurance products in the US, Middle East, Europe, Canada, and Australia. Current insurance program partners include AXIS Capital, Crum & Forster, Hudson Insurance Group, certain underwriters at Lloyd’s of London, R&Q Accredited, SiriusPoint, and Skyward Specialty Insurance. Corvus Insurance, Corvus London Markets, and Corvus Germany are the marketing names used to refer to Corvus Insurance Agency, LLC; Corvus Agency Limited; and Corvus Underwriting GmbH. All entities are subsidiaries of Corvus Insurance Holdings, Inc. Corvus Insurance was founded in 2017 and is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts with offices across the US, in the UK, and Germany. For more information, visit corvusinsurance.com.

About Skyward Specialty

Skyward Specialty is a rapidly growing specialty insurance company, delivering commercial property and casualty products and solutions on a non-admitted and admitted basis. The Company operates through eight underwriting divisions — Accident & Health, Captives, Global Property, Industry Solutions, Professional Lines, Programs, Surety and Transactional E&S.

Skyward Specialty’s subsidiary insurance companies consist of Houston Specialty Insurance Company, Imperium Insurance Company, Great Midwest Insurance Company, and Oklahoma Specialty Insurance Company. These insurance companies are rated A- (Excellent) by A.M. Best Company. For more information about Skyward Specialty, its people, and its products, please visit skywardinsurance.com.