“Independent insurance agents and brokers are relevant. The change that's surfacing is in the tools,” Cofini, far left, said following his installation, according to a press release. (Photo: Big I New York)

Independent insurance producer trade association Big I New York elected John Cofini as its chair of the board for the 2019-2020 term. He was sworn in during a May 21 ceremony at Big I New York's Go Big 2019 event.

Cofini is principal of BNC Insurance Agency Inc., an insurance brokerage founded in 1993 and located in Rye Brook, N.Y. A member of the Big I New York board since 2015, he is a member and past president of Big I Westchester, which represents independent insurance agents and brokers in Westchester County. He worked for an insurance company before joining Milbrandt Insurance as a producer and officer. (Milbrandt merged with BNC Insurance Agency in 2014.)

Elected to serve

The following individuals were also elected:

• David MacLachlan of Dominick Falcone Agency and Falcone Associates in Syracuse, N.Y., will serve a one-year term as vice-chair and secretary-treasurer.
• Lane Rubin of The Excelsior Group in Valley Stream, N.Y., was elected to a two-year term as a member representative to the Nominating Committee.

Members also elected or re-elected the following individuals to serve two-year terms on the board of directors:

• Ronald Brunell of Acrisure LLC doing business as The Signature B&B Companies in Garden City, N.Y.
• David Rodenstein of Mike Preis Inc. in Callicoon, N.Y.
• Marianne B. McCormick of Insurance Office of America in Binghamton, N.Y.
• Victor Rutecki of Rutecki Agency in West Seneca, N.Y.
• Nicholas C. Masterpole of Masterpole Murphy Agency in Syracuse, N.Y.

“Independent insurance agents and brokers are relevant. The change that's surfacing is in the tools,” Cofini said following his installation, according to a press release. He emphasized “the need to shift to a growth mindset where we can understand the value of our businesses, embrace technology and engage with carriers to enhance what we deliver to our customers.”

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