Long-Time Avemco Boss Will Play Active Role Over Next 18
months
ANN has had the chance to follow up on Monday's somewhat
surprising news that Jim Lauerman was giving up the top seat as
President of Avemco -- with former AOPA staffer JJ Greenway taking
over.
During a Tuesday afternoon chat, Lauerman noted that the
transition has been under consideration "for some time" and will
allow him to remain at Avemco for the next 6 months in order to
give Greenway every possible assistance in taking over the aviation
insurance juggernaut.
In addition to the time he has committed to staying at Avemco,
Lauerman will remain available to Avemco for another 12 months in a
consulting role, after he which he admits he 'might really
retire.'
It will have been a log and pretty substantial run for
Lauerman... the official bio notes that with over 4,000 hours of
flight time, his career has spanned almost every aspect of
general aviation. Starting in the Navy as an acoustic sensor
operator aboard a P-3 Orion, he eventually 'went civilian' where he
purchased and managed his own flight school and Grumman-American
dealership, which he later sold to become Chief Pilot and Chief
Flight Instructor at Elliot Beechcraft. In 1985, National Aviation
Underwriters recruited him to enter the aviation insurance
profession and was eventually promoted to Vice President of US
Specialty Insurance Company (USSIC) and later, became the Executive
Vice President of Operations at Avemco. He became President of
Avemco in 2007.
JJ Greenway
His successor has quite a pedigree, as well. Prior to joining
Avemco, Mr. Greenway served as captain and check airman with
American Airlines and more recently as the director of Safety for
the AOPA Air Safety Institute. He is an aircraft owner and active
flight instructor, and lives with his wife (Candy) and two
daughters in Frederick, Maryland.
Avemco is part of HCC Insurance Holdings, Inc., which is
headquartered in Houston, Texas. The company is an international
specialty insurance group with offices across the United States and
in the United Kingdom, Spain and Ireland. As of September 30, 2011,
HCC had assets of $9.6 billion and shareholders' equity of $3.3
billion.
In Monday's announcement, Michael J. Donovan, President of HCC
Aviation noted that, "we are very pleased to have Jonathan Greenway
bring his aviation experience and passion for safety to Avemco. We
would also like to express our thanks and appreciation to Jim
Lauerman whose 28 years of loyalty, expertise and leadership have
helped to make Avemco the success that it is today."