CONNECT SUMMIT SPEAKERS

John Wepler
John Wepler
Chairman & CEO
MarshBerry
A vital resource in mergers and acquisitions (M&A), John Wepler has personally advised on more than 300 M&A transactions since joining MarshBerry in 1991. He is an in-demand industry speaker because of his extensive knowledge in organic growth management, valuation enhancement strategies, business planning, perpetuation, financial management and M&A. As Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of MarshBerry—and CEO of the wholly-owned FINRA registered broker/dealer MarshBerry Capital, LLC —John’s leadership and industry experience has benefited many insurance industry professionals.

Investment banking services offered through MarshBerry Capital, LLC, Member FINRA and SIPC, and an affiliate of Marsh, Berry & Company, LLC, 28601 Chagrin Blvd, Suite 400, Woodmere, OH 44122 (440) 354-3230

Curt Vondrasek
Curt Vondrasek
SVP, Management Consulting
MarshBerry
Curt Vondrasek joined Marsh, Berry & Company, Inc. (“MarshBerry”) in 2016 and is the Senior Vice President of the Management Consulting Group. Curt is responsible for the strategy and direction of the Peer Exchange Networks, Talent Acquisition and Sales Performance business units. Curt sits on MarshBerry’s Strategic Planning Committee, and leads the Sales Board and the Networks Advisory Committee. He is also a frequent speaker at carrier, association, MarshBerry and industry events.

Prior to joining MarshBerry, Curt worked for HUB International as the Chief Business Development Officer in charge of their Business Development team. He was responsible for building, developing and leading a team that focused on outbound lead generation, new revenue growth, recruiting and training. While at HUB, Curt recruited and trained over 100 individuals and won a Bronze Stevie award for Insurance Executive of the Year.

Prior to HUB, Curt led US sales teams at both Allstate and AIG American General where he developed nationwide strategies and business plans, resulting in several years of double-digit growth. This included working with both captive and independent agents. With over 20 years of experience, Curt has started, reorganized and led various sales (inside and outside), marketing, training, recruiting and account management teams.

Outside of work, Curt has served on several boards including ABIA, CIMRO and RRHOA. He is also a past member of the American Heart Association wellness committee and the past president of the Chicago chapter for the American Association of Inside Sales Professionals, which won the “Comeback Chapter of the Year” in 2013.

Curt earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, IL where he majored in finance and served as the president of his fraternity. He currently lives in Naperville, IL with his wife and two daughters.

Jeffrey Hayzlett
Jeffrey Hayzlett
Primetime TV & Podcast Host, Keynote Speaker, Best-Selling Author and Global Business Celebrity
Jeffrey Hayzlett is a primetime television host of C-Suite with Jeffrey Hayzlett and Executive Perspectives on C-Suite TV, and business podcast host The HERO Factor Podcast on C-Suite Radio. He is a global business celebrity, speaker, best-selling author, and Chairman of C-Suite Network, home of the world’s most trusted network of C-Suite leaders. Hayzlett is a well-traveled public speaker, former Fortune 100 CMO, and author of numerous best-selling business books including: The Hero Factor; How Great Leaders Transform Organizations and Create Winning Cultures, Think Big, Act Bigger: The Rewards of Being Relentless, Running the Gauntlet and The Mirror Test. Hayzlett is one of the most compelling figures in business today and is in five business hall of fames including Speaker Hall of Fame, Sales and Marketing Executives, Business Marketing Hall of Fame, Direct Marketing Hall of Fame, and the Industry Award of Distinction from the National Association of Quick Printers.
As a leading business expert, Hayzlett is frequently cited in Forbes, SUCCESS, Mashable, Marketing Week and Chief Executive, among many others. He shares his executive insight and commentary on television networks like Bloomberg, MSNBC, Fox Business, and C-Suite TV. Hayzlett is a former Bloomberg contributing editor and primetime host, and has appeared as a guest celebrity judge on NBC’s Celebrity Apprentice with Donald Trump for three seasons. He is a turnaround architect of the highest order, a maverick marketer and c-suite executive who delivers scalable campaigns, embraces traditional modes of customer engagement, and possesses a remarkable cachet of mentorship, corporate governance, and brand building.

David Soforenko
David Soforenko
Executive Vice President
MarshBerry
David joined Marsh, Berry & Company, Inc. (“MarshBerry”) in 2018 as Executive Vice President. In his role, David is responsible for the strategy and direction of MarshBerry’s newly formed Connect platform.

Prior to joining MarshBerry, David was with Starkweather & Shepley Insurance Brokerage, Inc. (“Starkweather”) for over 20 years where he rose to become a key leader of the firm. Until his departure, he was President, Chief Operating Officer, Director, Trustee, and Sales Manager of the firm. David’s responsibilities included, but were not limited to, building, developing and leading Commercial, Employee Benefits, and Surety operations with a strong focus on practice specialization management, organic revenue growth, retention strategies, and producer/account executive talent acquisition and development. Additionally, David participated in, and later led, Starkweather’s merger & acquisition activities. He also spearheaded their Captive and Small Business strategies.

David began his career with Aetna Casualty & Surety as a Commercial Casualty Underwriter in its Boston, MA, office and left Starkweather in 1992 for five years to help manage an apparel manufacturing facility in Fall River, MA, returning in 1997.

For nearly 15 years, David was an active participant in MarshBerry’s peer exchange programming, aligning himself, and Starkweather, to many of the key attributes of high growth agencies. He earned his Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) in 2003 and has served on and chaired numerous industry and community boards. David graduated from the University of Rhode Island in Kingston, RI and lives in Lincoln, RI, with his wife and two children.

Ronaelle Perillo
Ronaelle Perillo
Vice President Business Development
Patra Corporation

Dave Tight
Dave Tight
EVP Business Development
Patra Corporation

Benjamin Rubin
Benjamin Rubin
SVP CRO Risk Management
First Insurance Funding

Joy Justus
Joy Justus
SVP – Marketing, Insurance Channel Distribution & Strategy
ThinkHR