A Conversation with…Commercial Lines

Featuring Tony Finnegan, Vice President of Middle Market & Corporate Underwriting; Ryan Bradley, Vice President of Small Commercial, Product Management & Operations; and Krista Root, Commercial Lines Regional Product Manager

In April, Donegal unveiled the next generation of Commercial Lines leadership, and a new operational structure for the department moving forward.  

With the retirement of Kevin Cawley as Donegal’s Vice President of Commercial Lines this spring, it was an opportune time to further define our focuses to position Donegal for sustained success.

Donegal’s Commercial Lines operation will now function as two divisions: Middle Market, led by Tony Finnegan, Vice President of Middle Market & Corporate Underwriting; and Small Commercial, led by Ryan Bradley, Vice President of Small Commercial, Product Management & Operations.

Well respected amongst our agents and their internal colleagues, both Tony and Ryan bring a deep bench of experience to their new leadership roles.

A Penn State graduate with his degree in finance, Tony has spent his entire 21-year career at Donegal, ascending from his initial role as a Commercial Lines underwriter trainee to the steady and calming leader that he is today. Throughout his years in underwriting and his transition into management, Tony has worked with agents throughout our Marietta, Atlantic South and Midwest regions – most recently, as Vice President of Commercial Lines. 

A proven leader with a strong background in underwriting and operational effectiveness, Ryan earned his MBA in Finance from Oklahoma City University and his Bachelor’s in History from Ohio Wesleyan University. He joined the Donegal team as Vice President of Commercial Underwriting Operations in 2022, following two decades spent in leadership roles for various national carriers.

We spoke with Tony, Ryan and Regional Product Manager Krista Root on the why behind our move to two divisions, and what it means for our shared success in the future.

Hear more from Tony, Ryan and Krista below!

Hi, all! Commercial Lines recently announced a shift to two divisions moving forward. How will this move set Donegal and our agents up for future success?

Ryan Bradley: “Over the years, Donegal has evolved from a Personal and Commercial Lines carrier to the super-regional insurance company that we are today, with a broad appetite and a 22-state footprint. We have the capacity, the talent and the technology to compete with anyone in our operating regions. And as a result, we recognize that managing an almost $1 billion division of the company requires strong leadership, strong employees and deliberate coordination. With two concurrent strategies in the organization, it made sense to split Commercial Lines into two divisions.”

Tony Finnegan: “Having two distinct divisions will allow us to operate more efficiently and effectively, so that Donegal can remain a top competitor in both Middle Market and Small Commercial for years to come.”

How will our move to two divisions impact agents?

Finnegan: “This move allows us to best utilize our resources to provide faster turnaround times and improved service on both Middle Market and small accounts. Freeing up that capacity allows underwriters to talk through new business accounts and negotiate renewals. Agents can easily reach their underwriters to have these important conversations.

Bradley: “While we align ourselves competitively, it doesn’t change our advantage as an organization, which is our underwriter and BRM relationships with our agents. With this split into two divisions, we’re still preserving the sanctity of our agency relationships. Agents will now have a more efficient organization to do business with, so they can focus on writing good new business and growing their agency plan. At the same time, our underwriters can focus on their partnerships and relationships. Our employees are getting more capacity to write good business with our agents, create timely turnarounds on new business submissions, and make sure we’re effectively quoting and making healthy decisions on the renewals that we touch.”

Krista Root: “It really makes Donegal a one stop shop. We’re still people-focused. That’s still our value… our relationships.  But now, we’re making Donegal a one stop shop for both their Middle Market and Small Commercial business. Donegal can do it all. You can come to us, and in the same portal, get the whole broad spectrum of business placed with Donegal while still experiencing the same people relationships that you’ve always felt.”

Let’s dive a little deeper into Krista’s point about Donegal being a one stop shop. In the coming months, Donegal will release a revamped Commercial Lines Package product* with exciting new coverages tailored to different classes of business. What can agents look forward to?

Bradley: “This is the largest investment in our flagship product in Donegal’s history. As a result, our agents are going to find that our coverage offerings and appetite have expanded. Our additional add-on coverages make this one of the most competitive Commercial Package Policy products in our operating regions.”

Root: “We’ll have more sophisticated data and more sophisticated pricing. Agents will notice a more user-friendly experience when they go into quote, because we’ll be leveraging all of the prefill data that we did in our previous releases. Agents can look forward to better pricing, better products and a better agent user experience in our system.”

What energizes you when you come to work each day?

Finnegan: “All of the hard work and intentionality with our enhancements and improvements has already been directly reflected in Donegal’s performance, and the future items still to come will only expand our success as a premier regional carrier in the marketplace for continued profitable growth. Middle Market has historically been our bread and butter, and we are making that division even stronger, while simultaneously setting ourselves up to be a top player in the Small Commercial space. We are very confident and proud of the Commercial Lines team we have in place, and feel they are our secret differentiator. There is a lot of optimism and excitement within the Commercial Lines team, as their hard work is coming together and paying dividends!

Root: “We have a phenomenal team in place. On the product management side, it’s no longer ‘we can’t do this.’ Now, it’s ‘how can we do this?’ Everyone is working together to propel us forward and help our agents write as much good business as they can with us. It’s pretty cool what we have.”

Finnegan: “All of the data we have available to us allows us to be more strategic, knowing exactly what types of business we want to write, where we want to write it, and where we can be more or less aggressive from a competitiveness standpoint. We have a lot more levers at our disposal now to grow our Commercial Lines operation.”

Bradley: “Seeing the investments that Donegal has made in the future of Commercial Lines – from talent to systems, products, and both the agency and employee experiences, and then coming to this position of strength by being consistently profitable- this is a rocket that’s going to take off, and it’s super exciting to come to work every day.”