MEETING OF LIKE MINDS
communities in a very real and positive ways because it ’ s a ripple effect – it ’ s like the old adage about you can give a person a fish and they can eat for a day or you can teach them how to fish and not only that , but then they ’ re starting to teach other people how to fish . We see this a lot , especially with some of our underrepresented contractors – they have a real desire to not just go around being the big guy on the block , but to help other people make that ascension to being successful . So , it ’ s exciting that HUB sees the potential and benefit of these programs .
Ingrid Merriwether , founder and former CEO of Merriwether & Williams Insurance Services ( MWIS ) and current President of Aligned Risk Management , HUB International
Ingrid , how did you come to the decision that HUB was the right partner to continue MWIS ’ legacy ?
Ingrid Merriwether : The first step was deciding that in order to grow and expand our reach we had to find a strategic partner . Quite candidly , my initial instincts were that we had to stay a minority-owned firm because it ’ s innate in who we are , it ’ s innate in the environments that we work in , so that seemed critical at the time . After going that route , and making an unsuccessful attempt at that effort , it meant that I had to think about legacy and contribution more broadly , and maybe in a way less selfishly , because I had to look at what was more important – that we remain this “ specific status ” or that we bring our unique solutions that enable opportunities for more small businesses and diverse businesses to reach a larger platform ? So , the latter finally resonated to me as more important . After getting to that place in my mindset , then it was deciding that it had to be the right strategic partner .
Working with a business broker through the formal process , HUB came to the table very early on . I knew of HUB , but to be honest , I didn ’ t know a lot about HUB . We had in the past partnered with some of the other big brokers , so I had some experience with most of them and knew them a little more intimately . I knew HUB was out there but didn ’ t have
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