It’s funny how often there’s a disconnect between the way things look from the outside and how they really are.  

Let me back up.  

The insurance industry is the greatest “hidden gem” of all the industries, and I’ve been glad to be part of it since I graduated from University of Kentucky. I get to help people when they need it the most, problem solve, innovate, and make a great living. And I didn’t have to go to grad school to do it.

After starting at a privately held brokerage, I ended up at a global firm and really fell into a groove there. I had a lot of resources to work with and I liked being part of a firm that had such huge reach. I even liked the pressure … until I didn’t.  

I was lucky enough to have come up in this industry with Andy Vetor, now MJ’s chief growth officer and president of Benefits Consulting. Until they sold in 2019, my firm, The Crichton Group, was an Assurex Global Partner, and Andy and I were in several Assurex and CIAB study groups together. We also served on CIAB’s Employee Benefits Leadership Forum (EBLF) board.  

I hit it off right away with Andy many years ago, and the same is true of the MJ team members I’ve met along the way. We share a passion for what we do, but I also love that the MJ team prioritizes community involvement, the associate experience, and connecting with their clients.   

I have always been impressed with MJ’s leadership team and culture. I knew the MJ team would be a good fit for me from a values perspective, but I couldn’t shake the idea that I’d be missing out on technology and innovation if I were to move back to a privately held firm. 

Then, as they so often do, things changed. In 2024, the pressures of being a leader in a 19,000-employee brokerage firm frankly had started to drain my passion for the industry. I had transitioned to a role that required me to constantly play defense, and I didn’t get to focus on building, driving strategy, and helping our teams grow and win — the stuff that gets me to jump out of bed in the morning.  

My wife and I also had faced down some health issues in recent years, which has a way of shifting your perspective. I was committed to living my healthiest life, and that meant taking a fresh look at my career. I wanted to get back to the kind of work that meant most to me: I wanted to be able to mentor and coach, and I wanted the technology to find creative solutions. I wanted to be able to drive strategy. And I wanted more time with my family, especially now that I have two teenagers who are going to be out of the house before I know it.  

Andy and I happened to reconnect while I was in “maybe there’s something better for me” mode, and he suggested I come spend a day with some of the MJ leadership team. I went into that meeting thinking there was no way MJ could compare to the talent and resources I had access to at a Top 5 brokerage firm.  

I could not have been more wrong!  

I was so impressed with the people, culture, and resources at MJ. I left that meeting understanding that MJ was more innovative and operationally sound than what I saw with the top firms in the market. The idea of being able to access MJ’s resources and being part of the team and culture at MJ while building a team in Nashville as market president was too appealing to turn down.  

So here I am, and I couldn’t be happier about it! 

I’m just getting started here, but I’m proud and excited to be part of the incredible momentum MJ is building.