CAMDEN, NJ (September 24, 2024) – Conner Strong & Buckelew, a leading insurance, risk management and employee benefits brokerage and consulting firm, is pleased to announce that President and Chief Executive Officer, Mike Tiagwad has been named one of Philadelphia Business Journal’s 2024 Most Admired CEOs. This honor is awarded to leaders in the region who have demonstrated exceptional business vision and organizational effectiveness while also making a positive impact in the community.
Under Mike’s visionary leadership Conner Strong & Buckelew has grown from a successful regional firm to one of the largest, most admired brokerage and employee benefits consulting firms in the country serving clients nationwide and abroad.
“The organization’s sustained success since Mike joined the firm in 2005 is a testament to the service-oriented structure and consultative approach he has created. He has elevated our ability to do more for our clients by spearheading investments in key areas like safety, risk management, data analytics, pharmacy services and claims advocacy”, said John Muscella, Executive Partner, Chief Financial Officer at Conner Strong & Buckelew. “By creating a client-centric business model focused on partnering with clients to ensure the best possible results, Mike has been instrumental in our ability to achieve a client retention rate near 99% and a Net Promoter Score among the highest in the industry.”
Along with his team, Mike’s leadership has fostered a unique corporate culture of employee respect and empowerment that prioritizes professional development and mentoring and also promoting from within. A big believer in nurturing young talent, under Mike’s leadership, the organization has also built a nationally recognized internship program that has created a continual pipeline of talent to enter the insurance industry.
“Mike’s passion for attracting young people to the business and setting the stage for all employees to build lifelong careers here is reflected in our numbers. Today, 36 Conner Strong & Buckelew employees who started as interns are full time employees, including five who are partners. We have an impressive 97% employee retention rate and 69 employees that have been with the company for over 20 years”, commented Alexis Wolfson, Senior Partner, Chief Human Resources Officer at Conner Strong & Buckelew. “With Mike’s support we have also been able to build a long-term Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) strategy that shatters DEIA program stereotypes and aligns with the company’s business objectives.”
Beyond encouraging a company culture of giving that has translated to thousands of volunteer hours and donations to hundreds of worthy organizations, Mike has been a personal champion of helping individuals and families struggling with addiction. He created the annual Deb Tiagwad Memorial Golf Outing with all proceeds going to support Caron Treatment Centers, a nonprofit, comprehensive addiction treatment and behavioral health organization. To date, the event has raised over $1 million to provide scholarships for individuals to participate in a year-long, post-treatment recovery program.
When asked about being named one of the most admired CEOs, Mike said, “It is quite an honor, but the recognition goes to my colleagues at Conner Strong & Buckelew. Together as a team, we have achieved great success and that is a credit to all our employees.”
From his business acumen to his approach to corporate culture to his charitable endeavors, Mike Tiagwad is certainly a leader to be admired. We congratulate him along with all of the Philadelphia Business Journal’s 2024 Most Admired CEO Honorees.
Founded in 1959, Conner Strong & Buckelew is a privately held firm headquartered in Camden, NJ. An industry leader in providing complex businesses with comprehensive consulting and brokerage solutions for commercial insurance and employee benefits, we have unique resources and expertise in a variety of areas, including captive and alternative risk solutions, owner and contractor-controlled insurance programs, risk control services, claims advocacy and consulting, population health, data analytics, benefit consortiums and technology-driven solutions.
Since 2021 we have been an autonomously operated member of BroadStreet Partners, an insurance brokerage holding company that invests in high-performing independent agencies using a unique co-ownership business model. Collectively with BroadStreet Partners, we are among the 15 largest insurance brokerage, risk management and employee benefits consulting firms in the United States, serving clients throughout North America and abroad.
Conner Strong & Buckelew, National Headquarters, TRIAD1828 CENTRE, 2 Cooper Street, Camden, NJ 08102
For more information, visit www.connerstrong.com or follow us on LinkedIn (@ConnerStrong&Buckelew), Facebook (@connerstrongbuckelew) and Instagram (@connerstrongbuckelew)
