Magnolia Grove announces three senior hires

Magnolia Grove Insurance Services, an environmental specialty managing general agency backed by Beat Capital, has announced the appointment of three senior hires following its launch earlier this month. Richard Edwards has been named chief underwriting officer, Kevin Fussell has been named vice president, and Joliana Hodges has been appointed senior underwriter.

Edwards joins the company from DUAL North America, where he served as senior underwriter, focusing on managing the company’s Southwest region. Prior to DUAL, Edwards served as a senior underwriter at Westchester Environmental.

Fussell joins the company from DUAL Commercial, where he served as senior environmental underwriter. He has also held positions at Colony Environmental and Westchester Environmental.

Hodges joins the company from DUAL North America. She brings nearly four years of environmental underwriting experience to her role at Magnolia Grove.

The new team will report to Justin Crawford, president and CEO of Magnolia Grove.

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“Magnolia Grove’s ability to attract and build a team of highly qualified environmental underwriters with extensive networks speaks volumes about the business we are building,” Crawford said. “Through the leadership and expertise of Richard, Kevin and Joliana, we are further strengthening our foundations, ensuring we provide the excellent services and expert solutions our partners urgently require from a specialist MGA.”

“I am very excited to be joining a business with such a driven and service-oriented team,” Edwards said. “Our ‘find a way’ underwriting style and relationship-focused business model will provide unique value to our partners, and I look forward to realizing Magnolia Grove’s strategic underwriting ambitions.”