1. MAY 20, 2016
Note of advice from Carl Lindner Jr.
holds place in Cassady’s daily life
S
aturdaysaren’treallypartoftheweekend
for Tom Cassady. They’re just another
workday.
Cassady, the Midwest regional CEO of
USI Insurance Services, has been coming in
on Saturdays since he started working in the
insurance business right out of college in 1976.
He started that because Carl Schlotman,
who ran insurance agency Continental
Associates (now called CAI), was his first
employer and said he’d guarantee that
Cassady would be successful if he worked
every Saturday for the first five years of his
career.
“What he didn’t tell me is that after five
years it becomes a habit,” Cassady said.
Now the 61-year-old Cassady oversees a
region extending from Erie, Pa., to Wichita,
Kan., for New York-based USI. It’s the largest
insurance agency in Cincinnati, generating
more than $35 million in local property and
casualty revenue in 2015.
How has the industry changed since you got
into the business?
Like a lot of businesses, the insurance bro-
kerage industry has responded to customer
demands to be more innovative and creative.
In the old days, best-in-class service, com-
petitive pricing and strong security could win
new business. Customers consider that table
stakes today. Providing actionable informa-
tion, not just data, that can mitigate and pre-
dict risk is required.
Do you expect more merger and acquisition
activity in the insurance brokerage business?
Yes. We are highly acquisitive and have a lot
of confidence that we can integrate an acqui-
sition with our organic growth tools. There
are tens of thousands of agencies that have
become very valuable so internal succession
is problematic for them.
How have firms like yours diversified
the services they offer to include more
consulting services?
We discovered 10 years ago that our best cus-
tomers wanted our advice and tools to pre-
dict and mitigate risk, not just be a vendor.
We are providing the technical resources to
the middle market with a team capable of
providing the consulting value that used to
be exclusively available to the Fortune 500.
This allows our customers a competitive
advantage.
What is the best book you’ve ever read?
I have read “The Road Less Traveled” by Scott
Peck at least 20 times. I try to read it every sum-
mer. More than that, I’ve tried to live my life by
its principles. Life is difficult. With discipline,
the grace of God manifested through love and
courage, we can experience spiritual growth.
How good is that?
What music are you listening to right now?
Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.
How do you most like to spend your money?
I don’t like spending money, but I don’t mind
spending it on roses and flowers.
What scares you?
I hate alligators and snakes. I mean, hate them.
What traits helped you rise to the professional
level you’ve reached?
I was lucky enough to have a father that mod-
eled an unbelievable work ethic. As a black-
bag-carrying pediatrician, I thought every-
body’sdadworkedsevendaysaweek,including
Christmas. I can’t hold a candle to his effort,
but I work harder than most. A month before
he died, Carl Lindner Jr. handed me one of his
infamous cards from his pocket without even
looking at it. It said, “The harder I work, the
luckier I get.” I have that on my mirror.
Are you a good time manager? How do you
handle time management?
Fairly good. I know the art of standing up to
end the meeting, and I’m usually the first one
out the door. I have been called abrupt. I’m not
good at goodbyes.
How do you motivate your employees?
They never have to guess my thoughts. I’m
expressive and try to be real by exposing my
own weaknesses. They reciprocate by being
genuine with me.
Favorite guilty pleasure?
My annual golf outing in Michigan with my
grade school and high school buddies. My wife
calls us the Idiots Club. Enough said.
- Steve Watkins
swatkins@bizjournals.com
Tom Cassady is Midwest
regional CEO for USI
Insurance Services.
Tom Cassady
Title: Midwest regional CEO of USI
Insurance Services
Education: Bachelor’s degree
in history from the University of
Cincinnati
Family: Wife, Karen, four children and
four grandchildren
Residence: Hyde Park
Career path: Joined insurance
agency Continental Associates in
1976. Left in 1981 to start his own
firm, Queen City Insurance. Sold that
company to USI in 1999 and became
regional CEO, a role he’s held ever
since.
R BIO
This article appeared in the Cincinnati Business Courier on May 20, 2016 on page 15. It has been reprinted by the Cincinnati Business Courier
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