Savannah-based insurance broker Seacrest Partners Inc. announced Wednesday the opening of its first South Carolina office on Hilton Head Island.
The company has 53 employees in Savannah, Atlanta and now Hilton Head and has called on former South Carolina state director of insurance Scott H. Richardson to head operations in the new office, said the organization’s press release.
Richardson, a Savannah native, began his insurance career in 1978 with The Carswell Agency on Hilton Head and was appointed director of insurance the state of South Carolina in 2007.
As insurance director, Richardson was credited with bringing private insurers back to the South Carolina coastal insurance market during the post-Hurricane Katrina insurance crisis and preventing the cancellation of more than 35,000 homeowner insurance policies.
He also developed plans to expedite insurance claims after major storm and hurricane disasters, according to Seacrest.
Richardson is returning to insurance brokerage after 15 years in legislative and regulatory positions, including service in the South Carolina House of Representatives and the State Senate, and has more than 35 years of experience in the industry.
“I’m ready to roll up my sleeves and get back to the daily world of an insurance broker,” Richardson said in a statement.
Seacrest president David Paddison said the Hilton Head office can be a leader in growth opportunities for the company.
“South Carolina is an exciting market, particularly in the Lowcountry region,” said Paddison. “… we intend to become a major player in the region in a relatively short time.”
Seacrest Partners was formed in 2006 by seven Savannah insurance executives and provides insurance brokerage and consulting services to corporations, nonprofit organizations and municipal entities in the Southeast.
According to Paddison, the company plans to expand further into South Carolina with Richardson’s guidance as director of the firm’s operations there.
Seacrest expects to employ six to eight professionals in its Hilton Head office within two years and to establish more locations in the state, according to the company’s statement.
“We opened our first office with seven partners. Eight years later, we have a solid team of 53 insurance professionals, virtually zero employee turnover and a growing client base,” said Paddison. “We’ll run the same measured pace with our South Carolina growth.”
THE NEW OFFICE
Seacrest’s new office is located at 7 Office Way, Suite 204, Hilton Head Island, S.C., 29928, and can be found online at www.seacrestpartners.com.