The Star Intermediary; Our Staff

Our Project Leader staff is comprised of individuals who were executive officers in large corporate insurance entities, as well as individuals who were principals in privately held retail and wholesale brokerage operations.

They have many years of executive search experience and some also work in our consulting divisions (www.irgroupco.com).

	Gene Boscacci Managing Director & National Practice Leader Gene has been with us since 1992. Previously, he was a principal in a large Bay Area retail brokerage that specialized in the construction industry. He started his career in the carrier ranks as a Surety Bond Specialist before moving into Sales & Marketing. He has a B.S. in Business Economics from the University of San Francisco and a Master of Science in Organizational Behavior from the California School of Professional Psychology. He is our National Practice Leader for E&S Wholesale Brokerage and for Surety. He can be reached at 916-721-5511 or e-mailed at gene.boscacci@irgroupco.com.

	Sandra Simmons, CPC Managing Director & National Practice Leader Sandra has been a member of the IR Group since 1988. A graduate of the University of Nebraska, she began her insurance career with a Life insurance carrier in Omaha and entered the executive search field in 1983. A leader in promoting professionalism in the search field, she has been a Board Member and two-time President of a national association of insurance recruiting firms. She is our National Practice Leader for Life and Annuity business. She is active in the National Tax Sheltered Accounts Association and the Benefits Marketing Association. She can be reached at 916-721-5511 or e-mailed at sandy.simmons@irgroupco.com.

	David Speciale, J.D. Managing Director & National Practice Leader President, Career Champions David was an executive with two of the world’s largest insurance carriers. His background includes having been head of all Asian operations (based in Japan) for AIG and then returning to New York to head all international operations for personal lines P&C and Life. In 1997, he formed the Career Champions organization to provide both executive search and career coaching. After serving as President for seven years, he merged the search division into the IR Group in 2004 and continues to provide coaching through Career Champions. He is our National Practice Leader for Standard Carrier operations. David can be reached at 916-456-8417 or e-mailed at david.speciale@irgroupco.com.

	Bruce Fernandez Managing Director, IR Group of Florida National Practice Leader Bruce is Managing Director for East Coast operations, but manages projects on a national basis. He also heads a specialized busines development firm called G2G3. He spent 14 of his 20 year insurance career in Chicago. While there, he served in the National Accounts Division of a major global insurance company, was a junior officer of the Illinois office of a global brokerage firm, and served as Vice President of Marketing and Business Development for Classic Syndicate, Classic Fire & Marine Insurance Company and their countrywide corporate network of underwriting profit centers. During that time, he was active as a board director and officer of the Illinois Captive and Alternative Risk Funding Insurance Association. He holds a B.A. degree in Communications and Business Administration from Rollins College. Bruce is our National Practice Leader for Captives and the Alternative Risk market sector. He also handles assignments for the E&S Wholesale and Specialty Retail Brokerage markets, including individual placements, multi-person production or production teams, acquisition prospecting and strategic planning. He can be reached at 407-261-9162 or e-mailed at Bruce.Fernandez@irgroupco.com.

	Eve Allen Director & BizPro Coordinator Eve joined the IR Group in 1999. Previously, she was in the advertising industry. She manages projects in P&C, Employee Benefits, and the Life Industry. She is also our Coordinator for our BizPro projects. That is a special program designed to recruit retail brokerage producers. She has a B.A. in Organizational Communications from California State University Sacramento. She can be reached at 916-721-5511 or e-mailed at Eve.Allen@irgroupco.com.

	Richard Shoemaker President & CEO, IR Group Richard founded the first of the IR Group Companies in 1977. In addition to his consulting activities, he conducts CEO and COO searches, as well as consulting on the purchasing of books of business and moving multi-person production or product teams. More on his background is available on the www.irgroupco.com website. He can be reached at 916-721-5511 or e-mailed at rich.shoemaker@irgroupco.com.

Our project leaders are backed by an excellent team or research, technology, and support staff. They have added benefit of being able to strategize with our strategic planning, M&A, and operational consulting divisions.