“Peter B. Burke's expertise in property and casualty insurance as well as sureties will not only complement our existing business in Pittsburgh but it also provides us the opportunity to expand in a metropolitan growth market for Sky,” Mr. Batt said in a statement.

“Sky has been an active participant in the Pittsburgh market since its acquisition of Meyer & Eckenrode Insurance Agency in 2000, and the Peter Burke Agency has been a strong competitor that we identified some time ago as an attractive future partner,” he added.

While Sky is a young operation itself, founded in 1999, Mr. Batt said the Burke agency will join an insurance services company with current revenue of $60 million that aims to grow to $90 million in revenue by 2007. He said the operation has managed to double its revenue every two years since its founding.

The firm deals in property-casualty insurance, employee benefits, personal lines, professional liability, and some life and health, writing polices primarily in Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania.

Growth plans, he said, are to follow the footprint of Sky Bank ($15 billion in assets) and continue an acquisition strategy that saw five acquisitions last year–and an equal number are planned in 2006, Mr. Batt said.