About Us

Alan Jay Kaufman is Chairman, President and CEO of H.W. Kaufman Group, a global network of companies dedicated to shaping the insurance industry. The flagship subsidiary, Burns & Wilcox, maintains relationships with the industry’s most respected insurance carriers and delivers solutions to brokers and agents for difficult-to-place, complex and unusual risks.

Danny Kaufman is Executive Vice President for H.W. Kaufman Group and President of Burns & Wilcox. A privately held and leading specialty insurance wholesaler, Burns & Wilcox is based in Farmington Hills, Michigan, with offices spanning the U.S., Canada and U.K.

Jodie Kaufman Davis is Executive Vice President and Board Member at H.W. Kaufman Group. A leader in developing and executing company strategy and management-driven initiatives, Jodie offers direction on best practices and expertise to expand business across the Kaufman network.

Harvey Goldenberg is a Senior Advisor at H.W. Kaufman Group and Burns & Wilcox where he provides ongoing counsel to Kaufman’s executive leadership team and mentors associates throughout the network.

Blaise D’Antoni is an Executive Vice President at Burns & Wilcox, where he oversees the growth and operations of the South Region, with offices that extend from Texas to the Carolinas. With more than two decades of experience at the company, Blaise is instrumental in strategically building expertise in the offices he supports and offering direction for best practices and management-driven initiatives.

Chris Zoidis is President of Atain Insurance Companies and an Executive Vice President at H.W. Kaufman Group.  Chris directs and oversees the company’s global Corporate Development strategy and initiatives for H.W. Kaufman Group and its largest subsidiary Burns & Wilcox. He also plays an operational leadership role by overseeing a number of the Kaufman companies, including Burns & Wilcox Canada, RB Jones Property, and H.W. Kaufman Group London.

Denis Brady is President of Burns & Wilcox Brokerage, a distinct business unit of H.W. Kaufman Group solely dedicated to wholesale insurance brokerage. Since its inception in 2010, the group has transformed the company’s brokerage business with placing highly specialized experts and implementing resources required to handle complex accounts of all sizes.

Jeff Diefenbach is a Senior Vice President and Managing Director at Burns & Wilcox where he holds an operational leadership role for more than 10 office locations across the Midwest and East regions, including Salt Lake City.

Bill Gatewood is the Personal Insurance Practice Leader, Senior Vice President at Burns & Wilcox. He is responsible for directing and overseeing the organization’s Personal Insurance Practice Group, which has tripled in size under his leadership.

Rich Gobler is a Senior Vice President, Managing Director at Burns & Wilcox where he directs and oversees operations for the San Francisco, Las Vegas and Arizona offices. His role also includes serving as a regional leader for all California locations including San Diego, Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, Fresno and Sacramento.

Christine M. Tricoli is Chief Human Resources Officer, Senior Vice President of H.W. Kaufman Group. In her role, she oversees the human resources department and its activities and functions, including compensation, benefits, performance management, employee relations, training and development, recruitment, retention, and employee engagement.

Laura Bates is a Corporate Senior Vice President and the London Market Practice leader for Burns & Wilcox. In this role, she works closely with the Burns & Wilcox leadership team, branch personnel and Lloyd’s brokers to expand the company’s London offerings.

Marc Fuhrman is the Senior Vice President, National Retail Relations at H.W. Kaufman Group where he is responsible for managing retail relationships for all companies within the Kaufman network. He also works to identify and satisfy client needs through cross-company collaboration.

Richard S. Fusinski is Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer of H.W. Kaufman Group, where he leads strategy for Information Technology, spearheading short and long-term strategic projects for all 15 Kaufman companies.

Kevin Heckman is a Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for the H.W. Kaufman Group network. He is responsible for the network’s global accounting and financial operations, including strategic planning and growth strategy for its 14 companies.

Richard W. Shipley is the Vice President, Marketing at H.W. Kaufman Group where he is responsible for the strategy and operations for all of the Kaufman companies’ marketing and communications, including its largest subsidiary Burns & Wilcox.

Paul G. Smith is a Senior Vice President, Carrier Relations at H.W. Kaufman Group where he leads and manages strategic relationships with company partners. He is responsible for quality control and provision of data and analytics as well as management of contractual agreements. Paul works closely with all Kaufman companies and senior leadership to maximize domestic market relationships, improving product offerings and driving incremental revenue.

Taylor Smith is Vice President, Corporate Development of H.W. Kaufman Group. In his role, he supports the growth of the organization through mergers and acquisitions and other strategic initiatives across all companies within the Kaufman network, including Burns & Wilcox.

Casimer Daniewski is the Vice President of Real Estate at H.W. Kaufman Group. He leads the company’s real estate arm – Kaufman Real Estate Management – where he oversees asset, property and project management across all Kaufman properties. He and his team are also responsible for partnering with leadership across the network to manage its 60 offices.