Arthur J. Gallagher Acquires S.A. Freerks & Associates

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. announced the acquisition of S. A. Freerks & Associates, Inc. headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Published on October 11, 2011

Founded in 1979, S. A. Freerks & Associates, Inc. (SAFA) is a managing general agent and wholesale insurance broker which provides excess and surplus, property/casualty, professional business liability and other specialty insurance products and services for independent insurance agents and brokers primarily throughout the central Midwest. They specialize in the transportation, hospitality, and construction industries. Stanley A. Freerks and his associates will continue to operate from their current St. Louis and Peoria, Illinois locations under the direction of Joel Cavaness, President of Risk Placement Services, Inc., a subsidiary of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

"For over 30 years, SAFA has developed an outstanding reputation for their knowledge of specialty products and their capability to match hard to place risks with the appropriate markets," said J. Patrick Gallagher, Jr., President and CEO. "Not only will they provide us a solid wholesale presence in the

Midwest, their expertise will also be a wonderful complement to our expanding wholesale network which makes them an excellent merger partner. We are extremely pleased to welcome Stan and his team to Risk Placement Services' family of professionals."

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., an international insurance brokerage and risk management services firm, is headquartered in Itasca, Illinois, has operations in 16 countries and offers client-service capabilities in more than 100 countries around the world through a network of correspondent brokers and consultants.