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As Lawley grows, hiring expands to bring new leaders into (back to) Rochester area

ROCHESTER, NY, March 1, 2020 | Lawley, an independent family-owned insurance broker, is proud to announce the addition of Mark S. Peterson to their growing insurance and employee benefits teams at their Rochester branch.

Peterson has over 30 years of business development experience spanning from the nonprofit sector to education and beyond. He was at the frontlines during the creation and execution of the Greater Rochester Enterprise (GRE), becoming a proactive change agent in the Central New York Region.  At Lawley, Peterson will use his firm belief in staff empowerment to grow and lead teams at Lawley’s Rochester branch towards sales goals and the organization’s vision. His background and expertise will be initially focused in Lawley’s Rochester location, guiding service and sales teams into the future of the insurance industry along with current Principals and Partners.

Peterson is a certified fund-raising executive (CFRE) and was honored in 2009 with the Robert A. Clinger Outstanding Professional Fundraiser by the Genesee Valley Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. As a public speaker and conference presenter, he delivers up to 60 speeches annually. And, in 2011, Peterson was appointed by Governor Andrew Cuomo as a member of the Finger Lakes Regional Economic Development Council where he served as a member of the Council’s Steering Committee. Peterson is also a proud alumnus of St. John Fisher College.

Dedicated to giving back to his community, Mark has served on many community boards including as a member of the Board of Trustees for his alma mater St. John Fisher College. Mark is moving back to the Rochester area after recently living in Naperville, Illinois, and enjoys playing golf and spending quality time with his wife and their four daughters.

“We are beyond excited to have Mark join our team here at Lawley,” says Mike Lawley, Principal in charge of Sales at Lawley. “Mark is known throughout the Greater Rochester Region for his leadership, community values, business ethics, and ability to develop growing teams. We welcome the opportunity to work with him and learn from the in-depth experience he brings from the world-class organizations he helped nurture.”

“Our Rochester location is our second largest branch. We are eager to have Mark propel the Lawley brand forward in the city of Rochester, allowing prospective clients to understand the sophistication and specialization that Lawley brings as an insurance broker. Mark has the background, experience, and leadership to be a crucial part of our expanding footprint,” says Chris Ross, Lawley’s Principal in charge of Mergers and Acquisitions at Lawley.

To learn more about Lawley and our business insurance team, please visit www.lawleyinsurance.com

ABOUT LAWLEY

Lawley is a privately-owned, independent regional insurance firm specializing in property, casualty and personal insurance, employee benefits, and risk management consulting. Lawley is ranked among the 50 Largest Insurance Brokers in the U.S., according to Business Insurance magazine. For over 60 years, Lawley’s team of more than 400 associates have developed customized property, casualty, surety and benefits insurance programs for businesses and municipalities of all sizes along with personalized protection for individuals and their families.

Headquartered in Buffalo, NY, Lawley has branch offices across New York in Amherst, Batavia, Dunkirk, Jamestown, Mahopac, Plainview, Purchase and Rochester along with Darien, Connecticut and Florham Park, New Jersey. To find out more, visit lawleyinsurance.com.

ABOUT MARK PETERSON

Mark S. Peterson has an outstanding background in business  development, financial administration, and high-value fund raising. Until September, 2019 Mark served as President & CEO of Intersect Illinois, a privately funded, not-for-profit, acting as the lead business recruitment and marketing organization for the State of Illinois. Intersect Illinois built collaborations and partnerships with business leaders, state, regional, and local entities actively engaged in economic development. Together they competed for major recruitment and expansion projects on a global basis, resulting in accelerated job growth, capital investment, and wealth creation in the state. Beginning in June, 2017 Intersect helped create more than 22,000 new jobs and $7.05 billion in new investment.  Mark led successful jobs missions to Japan, China, Poland and Germany and in 2018 was named one of the Top 50 Economic Developers in North America.

Prior to joining Intersect, Mark served as President & CEO for the Greater Rochester Enterprise (GRE), in Rochester, New York.  Mark joined the organization in 2005 and was named CEO in 2008.  Charged with the continued creation and execution of GRE’s strategic plan, Mark proved himself to be a strong advocate for the Greater Rochester region, building a reputation amongst his colleagues as an exceptional leader and proactive change agent.

Believing firmly in staff empowerment, Mark’s ability to establish high-functioning teams has been consistent throughout his well-rounded career. His motivational management style leads to fierce loyalty, constant collaboration, and accountability for the attainment of desired results. Previous roles have included President at Bishop Kearney High School, Chief Operating Officer at Telecomp, Inc., Director of Major Gifts at Hiram College in Ohio, and Vice President at Philanthropy Management, Inc. located in New York City.

A certified fund-raising executive (CFRE), Mark has an impressive history of garnering substantial monies at several world-class nonprofit organizations totaling more than $130 million. In 2009 Mark was honored as the Robert A. Clinger Outstanding Professional Fundraiser by the Genesee Valley Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.  An engaging public speaker and conference presenter, Mark delivers up to 60 speeches annually.  In 2011 Mark was appointed by Governor Andrew Cuomo as a member of the Finger Lakes Regional Economic Development Council where he served as a member of the Council’s Steering Committee.

A proud alumnus of St. John Fisher College, Mark received his BA in Political Science. He went on to earn his MBA in Kent State University’s Executive MBA Program. In 2014 Mark was recognized as St. John Fisher College’s Beta Gamma Sigma Chapter Honoree in recognition of professional achievement and for demonstration of excellence and outstanding commitment to the values of Beta Gamma Sigma, which are:  honor and integrity, pursuit of wisdom, and earnestness.  Dedicated to giving back to his community, Mark has served on many community boards including as a member of the Board of Trustees for his alma mater St. John Fisher College. Mark lives in Naperville, Illinois, and enjoys playing golf and spending quality time with his wife and their four daughters.

ABOUT MIKE LAWLEY

As a Lawley Principal, Mike is responsible for overseeing sales across the organization. In addition, Mike is actively involved in writing and handling large commercial accounts, including many Real Estate organizations. His knowledge of sales and the insurance industry provides him with the tools to obtain the best terms, conditions and pricing for Lawley’s clients. Mike joined Lawley in 1995 as an account executive and became a partner in 1999. Mike has nearly 25 years of insurance experience.

ABOUT CHRIS ROSS

Chris Ross, in addition to serving as an agency principal, oversees Lawley Construction Insurance & Bonds, the branch dedicated to providing insurance and surety bonds to contractors, developers and others in the construction industry. Chris began his career at Lawley in 1986 and is instrumental in all company mergers, acquisitions and branch activities, including Lawley Benefits Group. He is also actively involved in major accounts and has extensive knowledge of construction, Real Estate development and risk management. Chris has been an integral part of leading the growth of Lawley, spearheading the expansion of the firm into New York’s Southern Tier, New Jersey, Connecticut, and around the New York City region.