Louis Edmond Ryan otherwise known as Eddy Ryan joined Groupe Gestionnaire d’assurances Totten Ltee on August 4, 2008 as a Senior Underwriter. He had over 30 years in the insurance industry and he carried designations of FIIC and CIB. His past experiences include underwriting of risk management accounts, middle market accounts and difficult casualty and property lines. He ran his own consulting firm Consultation LER Reg’d from March 1998-March 2004 providing inspections services, risk management and R&D.

He was a vibrant and outgoing addition to our team. He was very proud of his French and Irish heritage and always wore his colours to events. Eddy will be missed by all of those who knew him.

The son of a small town broker and politician, Ross grew up with the example of service and giving back to the community. He started his insurance career with the Pitts Insurance Company in London, followed by London & Midland in London and from there joined South Western Group in Leamington as the seventh employee. He spent 37 years as its President and CEO. In 2003, Ross’ new venture was the formation of Totten Insurance Group, a national wholesale brokerage.

Ross earned his Fellowship designation in 1979 and his passion for learning has been encouraged in others ever since. Involved in education for several years, he has been an Institute course instructor; coordinator of Insurance Studies at St. Clair college; and a teacher and lecturer for RIBO licensing and CAIB courses. Ross is a frequent speaker at seminars regarding insurance issues dealing with niche or specialty marketing and has written numerous articles on the subject.

As one nominator stated: “Well before the Career Connections ‘Ambassador program’ was conceived, Ross was the epitome of an ambassador for both the Institute and the property and casualty insurance industry. Whenever we need someone to participate in an industry panel, Ross’ name is the first one that comes to mind. He’s knowledgeable, articulate and a genuine ‘draw’ within the insurance community. Above all, he is highly regarded, well respected, and we’re glad to have him as a member of our insurance community.”

As President and CEO of Totten Insurance Group, Ross has built a nationally recognized specialty wholesale insurance company with a management team and staff that are committed to providing service and support to the industry. In fact, Ross’ nomination for this award was signed by each of the members of his senior leadership team.

Ross was on the Board of Directors of the Local Institute Chapter, is Past President of the Insurance Institute of Ontario and Past Governor of the Insurance Institute of Canada. Currently he is the International Executive Committee representative for Gamma Iota Sigma, an insurance fraternity organization on university and college campuses in Canada and the US.
Personally and professionally Ross is committed to the support of many charitable and community groups. Ross and Joan, his wife of over 40 years, have been important members of the Children’s ‘family’ of donors for 15 years in support of Children’s Hospital in London. In recognition of their support toward the Building Fund for the New Children’s Hospital, two rooms will be named in their families’ honour.

As the President &CEO of the Children’s Health Foundation stated in her nomination letter: “We are honoured to have Ross as one of our most loyal and valued donors. We of course sincerely appreciate all of the financial support he and his wife, Joan, have given, but we also highly respect Ross’ modesty, his truly philanthropic motivation for giving, and his genuine caring for children – he is a man who has demonstrated time and again his sincere concern for the wellbeing of the youngest members of our society.”

Professionally, Ross and Totten Insurance Group support many industry charitable events including WICC and the Lew Dunn Charity Golf Tournament. Totten Group holds an annual charity golf tournament in support of Canine Vision. The staff of Totten Group is encouraged to participate in charitable events and is recognized for this. All offices of Totten Group raise funds in support of families at Christmas and on May 28 all of the staff from across Canada met in Toronto for a Team Building exercise where bicycles were built for more than 50 children from families that do not have the means to provide these for their children.

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H. Ross Totten FCIP, CCIB, President & CEO of Totten Insurance Group Inc / Groupe Gestionnaire D’Assurances Totten Ltée, and Gino S. Vaisica, President of Norac Intermediaries, announced today that Totten Group has acquired Norac Intermediaries effective April 1, 2009.

Norac is an intermediary located in Varennes Quebec, just outside of Montreal, specializing in the placement of casualty business for brokers in the province of Quebec. Working with over 200 retail brokers for many years, Norac has built a reputation for superior service and knowledge of casualty business, on both Commercial and Professional liability accounts. Norac / Totten will now have enhanced markets, higher binding limits and new and broader liability facilities, both international and domestic.

The combination of Totten and Norac now makes Groupe Totten one of the largest intermediaries in the province, providing diversified products to their broker partners. By enhancing its bilingual presence with this acquisition, Totten has further strengthened its position as a national wholesaler. This joining of forces will also enable Totten to provide expanded casualty insurance offerings to the 2,000 brokers they deal with across Canada.

“We are very excited to welcome Gino, Carole Paquin and Nicole Mailloux to the Totten Group of Companies,” said H. Ross Totten FCIP, CCIB, President & CEO, Totten Insurance Group Inc. “They have built outstanding relationships with many brokers across Quebec and together we look forward to expanding our capabilities in serving the insurance community in this province.” The Norac office will remain at its current location and Gino S. Vaisica will become a Vice President of Totten Group and a member of the firm’s national management committee.

The full range of products offered by Groupe Totten, backed by a number of national and international markets, will be available to Norac’s broker force. These include Specialty Personal Lines, Special Events, Builder’s Risk, Regular lines Property, Casualty and Programs, Environmental, D&O, and much more.

Totten Insurance Group Inc. is a specialty insurance wholesaler that develops niche products and provides innovative solutions for out-of-the-ordinary lines of insurance.