The insurance agency Gowrie Group said it acquired the second of two leading Mid-Atlantic-based marine insurance specialists — International Marine Insurance Services.
Earlier this fall, Connecticut-based Gowrie Group acquired Hartge Insurance Associates. In conjunction with this new agency combination, Gowrie Group previously said insurance industry veteran and Annapolis resident Suzanne Redden joined Gowrie as branch manager of the new Gowrie Group Mid-Atlantic operation.
Redden, who has had a career in marine underwriting and business development for carriers and agencies, will be leading the team from the existing IMIS office in the Annapolis area.
The joining together of International Marine Insurance Services, Hartge Insurance Associates and Suzanne Redden with Gowrie Group enables Gowrie to expand its geographic presence and bring its insurance and risk management expertise to the strong, established marine communities found in the Mid-Atlantic and beyond.
“We are honored by our new relationship with these two firms and we’re very impressed with the strong business they have built over the past three decades,” Gowrie Group chairman and CEO Carter Gowrie said in a statement. “We look forward to working together with their strong teams to bring increased access to insurance solutions to all their clients.”
Together, Gowrie Group, IMIS and Hartge become one of the largest recreational marine insurance agencies in the nation, Northeast and Mid-Atlantic.
IMIS is a Mid-Atlantic-based insurance firm with more than 30 years of marine insurance expertise. Its primary area of specialization is insurance solutions for cruising yachts that sail worldwide, offered through the Jackline Insurance Program. Gowrie Group and IMIS will continue to offer the Jackline Program; the program will be available to existing and new clients.
Hartge Insurance joined forces with Gowrie Group in September. Hartge Insurance, led by Totch Hartge, was a family-owned business with a marine history that went back more than 44 years. Totch Hartge has joined Gowrie Group and will continue to specialize in boat insurance and commercial marine insurance.
“We have always respected Gowrie Group’s strong reputation in the insurance marketplace and their team of experienced professionals,” IMIS president Al Golden said. “Together, as a combined organization, we will be able to offer expanded solutions and services to all of our clients. We are excited about the future we are going to build together.”
