PARTNERS
We have extensive experience in the insurance business and want to help you and your business grow by working alongside you and bringing a variety of resources, connections and investments in your company. Let's get to work.
John is currently Vice President, Executive Consultant to the General Counsel at Asurion and prior to that served for ten years as the Vice President, Associate General Counsel for Regulatory Affairs. During his tenure at Asurion, John has led the regulatory team, managed government affairs and legislative lobbying, as well as insurance and service contract regulatory compliance. Prior to joining Asurion, John was a partner in the law firm of Blank, Meenan, and Dunphy, P.A. During his time in private practice, John served as outside regulatory counsel to numerous service contract providers, insurance companies, agents and other insurance industry participants.
John earned his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Emory University in 1986. Prior to attending law school John gained industry experience as a commercial lines underwriter at Sentry Insurance Company and later, New Hampshire Insurance Company. He received his Juris Doctor Degree from the University of Florida in 1992 and joined the Office of the General Counsel at the Florida Department of Insurance before going into private practice. John’s experiences as an underwriter, regulator, and counsel to industry have provided him with a unique business-focused perspective of insurance regulatory compliance issues.
JOHN DUNPHY
JOHN DUNPHY
John is currently Vice President, Executive Consultant to the General Counsel at Asurion and prior to that, served for ten years as the Vice President, Associate General Counsel for Regulatory Affairs. During his tenure at Asurion, John has led the regulatory team, managed government affairs and legislative lobbying, as well as insurance and service contract regulatory compliance. Prior to joining Asurion, John was a partner in the law firm of Blank, Meenan, and Dunphy, P.A. During his time in private practice, John served as outside regulatory counsel to numerous service contract providers, insurance companies, agents and other insurance industry participants.
John earned his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Emory University in 1986. Prior to attending law school John gained industry experience as a commercial lines underwriter at Sentry Insurance Company and later, New Hampshire Insurance Company. He received his Juris Doctor Degree from the University of Florida in 1992 and joined the Office of the General Counsel at the Florida Department of Insurance before going into private practice. John’s experiences as an underwriter, a regulator, and counsel to industry have provided him with a unique business-focused perspective of insurance regulatory compliance issues.
LISA DUNPHY
Lisa Santucci is a founding principal of 15 Longwood LLC real estate investment firm. Lisa served as an attorney for the Florida Department of Financial Services f/k/a the Florida Department of Insurance for over twenty years. Her duties included prosecution of disciplinary and regulatory actions involving insurance agents, companies and other entities under the jurisdiction of the Department. In the five years prior to her retirement in 2006, Lisa served as the agency’s Hearing Officer for all informal hearings held by the Department.
Lisa graduated from Georgetown University in 1978 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and earned her Juris Doctorate from Cumberland School of Law in 1983.
BOB ECKART
Bob has worked for Lockton in a variety of different jobs in Property/Casualty National Accounts and Transportation since 1994. He currently serves as leader of the National Accounts and Transportation Team in Kansas City and as a Unit Manager for a specific book of business within that team.
His teams in National Accounts and Transportation provide risk management, insurance brokerage, and related account services to a diverse client base. Industry vertical expertise within the team includes food service, retail, transportation (trucking, rail, logistics, and warehousing), energy (retail propane, power generation, pipelines, and other diversifed energy), staffing/contingent workforce, BPOs and financial services.
Bob earned his B.S. in business administration at the University of Kansas. He has been a chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) since 1995 and an Associate in Claims (AIC) since 1991.
He also serves as a board advisory member to All About Autism, a non-profit organization.
Heidi is the Founder and CEO of All About Autism, Inc, an organization that gives families with an autism diagnosis access to resources, services and education. In addition, Heidi is in the Advisory Council for the Kansas City Center for Autism Research and Training (K-CART), Children's Mercy Hospital POPS Program, Leadership team for Special Needs Families and Individuals at the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection and is an active advocate for local and national legislation.
Heidi has over 20 years in corporate business including national sales and leadership positions in technology and e-Commerce as well as court reporting. At Pitney Bowes, she was the National Sales & Team Leader for Highest Revenue Generating Clients. For Word Tech Business Systems she worked in the Technology Solution Sales for Fortune 500 Accounts. During her time as a Court Reproter she worked at Hostetler & Associates as well as the Metropolitan Court.
Heidi is currently the Board President of AIIM (Kansas City Association of Information and Image Management).
HEIDI ECKART
CHUCK LAUE
In addition to being Managing Partner of Quinn Capital, Chuck serves as Vice Chairman of Asurion, with responsibility for global underwriting and captive insurance operations. Chuck is a Chartered Property & Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) and Associate in Risk Management (ARM). He began his career in 1987 with Kemper Insurance in Chicago and, in 1995, he joined Lockton Companies, Inc. in Kansas City, where co-founded and served as president of lock\line where he grew the company into a leading provider of insurance and service contract protection programs for wireless and other consumer services companies. He continued to serve as president through its acquisition by DST Systems in 2002 and merger with Asurion in 2006. He also sits on the board of 4P/MX (www.4p.com.mx), Rawxies (www.rawxies.com), Miyoko’s Kitchen (www.miyokoskitchen.com), and Companion Protect (www.companionprotect.com).
Chuck is also the Co-Founder and Chairman of Stray Dog Capital, a mission-based venture fund focused on taking animals out of the supply chain. Chuck is an active supporter of animal welfare in Kansas City including his board role at Great Plains SPCA (www.greatplainsspca.org) and as Chairman of the board of the Kansas Humane Society Legislative Fund (www.KansasHSLF.org). He is also co-founder and board director of The Quinn Foundation and Ringo's Fund which are private foundations focused on charitable giving for animal welfare causes. In 2013, Chuck’s role in animal welfare expanded in scope to the national level when he was named a member of the board for the Humane Society of the United States (www.humanesociety.org).
JENNIFER LAUE
Jennifer Laue is co-founder of Stray Dog Capital and Quinn Capital. She is currently on the board of two companies, Companion Protect and Rawxies and co-founder of two private foundations, The Quinn Foundation and Ringo’s Fund, which focus on grants for animal and human welfare causes. Jennifer is on the non-profit boards of Great Plains SPCA, Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault (MOCSA) and All About Autism. She also served on the board of the Kansas City CARE Clinic for several years. Before focusing on community and capital ventures, Jennifer worked for several major law firms around the country. She loves to foster and provide advanced medical assistance to companion animals.
LISA FERIA
Managing Director
Lisa is a seasoned business manager with over 15 years of experience running organizations and businesses. She has worked with blue chip companies such as Procter & Gamble and General Mills and on businesses ranging from $350 MM to $2.5 BN. Lisa has an MBA from the University of Chicago where she was voted “one of the 25 most influential MBA students,” and a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Lisa has always been heavily involved in the community – as a volunteer for SPCA and the United Way, and was the recipient of one of the two ArtsWave awards given by the CEO of Procter & Gamble. She enjoys a plant–based diet and lives in Kansas with her husband, two boys, and many dogs.
TIM MEENAN
Tim Meenan has served as Deputy in the Florida Department of Insurance and Treasurers office. During his tenure, Tim oversaw Florida’s $4 billion treasury, and three other divisions of state government. As campaign manager for Florida’s elected state Insurance Commissioner and Treasurer, Tim had the opportunity to interface with banks and insurance companies throughout Florida and nationally. Tim currently serves as Managing Partner for Meenan P.A., whose 25 employees assist insurance companies, ancillary product providers, GAP administrators, and others with legal, legislative, and regulatory assistance in Florida and throughout the United States. Tim serves as the General Counsel for the Service Contract Industry Council, the GAP Alliance, and the Motor Vehicle Ancillary Products Association, helping these three trade associations amend and strengthen the laws in all 50 states for extended warranty, GAP, and automobile ancillary products. Tim serves as the General Counsel for the Florida Insurance Guaranty Association, and has helped oversee more than 25 insurance company insolvency’s over the past 21 years in Florida. Tim serves as a shareholder and is on the board of several Florida homeowners insurance companies. His practice includes state legislative lobbying, the formation and licensing of insurers and other regulated entities, and overseeing complex market conduct and other issues facing regulated companies before state insurance departments. Tim’s firm also assists with the development of programs to sell insurance, warranties and other guarantee-type products in retail environments, focusing on legal alternatives to traditional insurance offerings.
KEVIN WESTROPE
When Kevin Westrope founded the wholesale insurance brokerage firm that bears his name in 1992, he intended to own it for five years, sell it and move on to other endeavors. Instead, as president and CEO, Kevin built Westrope into the fifth largest privately-held wholesale insurance brokerage in the country, with premium volume in excess of $600 million and 180 employees spread over three companies and eight offices. Westrope has been known throughout the industry as a “Best in Class” operation with a culture defined by a focus on excellence, a fiercely competitive sales force and a highly ethical business philosophy. In December 2013, Westrope merged with Ryan Specialty Group with Kevin being named President of RT Specialty Kansas City and Managing Director RT Specialty.
Kevin began his insurance career in 1982 as a property underwriter in Los Angeles. He subsequently held underwriting and management positions before moving to his home town of Kansas City where he ultimately launched Westrope as an independent wholesale brokerage in 1992, specializing in commercial property, casualty, construction, executive liability, agribusiness, workers compensation, health care, and also claims services.
Kevin served as a Board Member of the National Association of Professional Surplus Lines Offices Ltd (NAPSLO), a national trade association representing the surplus lines segment of the insurance industry and the wholesale marketing system, for many years and most recently served as President of NAPSLO for the 2013-2014 term. In 2015, Kevin received the Charles A. McAlear/NAPSLO Industry Award, an award given by NAPSLO to honor individuals who have made significant contributions to the surplus lines industry.