Woodruff Sawyer hires construction team from Acrisure

Woodruff Sawyer & Co. said Monday it has hired a team of construction and commercial risk specialists from rival Acrisure LLC to open an office in Woodbury, New York.

Matthew Kelly was named vice president, New York market growth leader; Robert Trager, Bob Kempner, Eric Wagner and Chris Iovino were appointed vice presidents, producers; and Michael Rella was named vice president, client relationship director.

Mr. Kelly was previously senior vice president at Vanguard Coverage Corp., which Acrisure acquired in 2015. He also co-founded Vertikal RMS.

Mr. Trager and Mr. Kempner previously were senior vice presidents at Acrisure. Mr. Wagner previously was account executive and Mr. Iovino formerly a broker at Bender Insurance Agency, which Acrisure acquired last year. Mr. Rella previously was Acrisure’s director of operations for the construction practice in the New York region.

“New York is a distinctive construction market, presenting unique challenges that demand in-depth knowledge of the local landscape,” Roger Topp, chief growth officer at Woodruff Sawyer, said in a statement.