SCV Hosts Winery Insurance Roundtable
Thursday, April 24, 2025 | 9:00-10:00am, Via Zoom
Gain valuable insights into winery insurance during our SCV Winery Insurance Roundtable, where Sonoma County Vintners (SCV) and our trusted partners at Risk Strategies will lead an informative and solution-driven discussion via Zoom.
Hear from top industry insurance carriers as the Risk Strategies team leads an important panel discussion. This interactive webinar will offer the opportunity to hear directly from U.S. and London leading insurers, ask questions, and gain valuable insights into the evolving winery insurance landscape. The panel will discuss key coverage challenges, market trends, and tailored programs designed to protect your winery’s future. Participants are encouraged to bring their questions to ask directly to the insurance carrier representatives.
Risk Strategies brings deep expertise in winery-specific insurance solutions, risk management, and consulting services tailored to the unique needs of wineries, related businesses, and individuals. Their comprehensive offerings include commercial insurance, employee benefits, private client home and auto services, and specialty risk management.
Don’t miss this opportunity to engage with industry experts and access exclusive insights designed for SCV winery members. Join the conversation and ensure your winery is well-protected for the future.
When: Thursday, April 24, 2025
Where: Via Zoom, link will be sent after registration and a recording will be available after the session
Time: 9:00-10:00am
Roundtable Panel
Jennifer Heliotes, Senior Account Executive with Risk Strategies
Jennifer Heliotes is a seasoned insurance professional with over 22 years of experience delivering innovative insurance solutions and effective risk management. A recipient of the 2025 Power Broker Award in Agriculture, she specializes in crafting tailored insurance programs that address complex liability and property exposures across various industries. As a Senior Account Executive at Risk Strategies, Jennifer excels in building strong partnerships that drive risk mitigation and coverage optimization. She is also a key contributor to the North Bay wine team, playing an instrumental role in leading and developing wine industry-focused insurance solutions. A Sonoma County native, she brings a deep understanding of regional risk challenges and market dynamics to her work.
Chet Laws, Director of Client Relationships with Risk Strategies
Chet Laws is a 30+ year veteran of the insurance industry. As Director of Client Relationships, Chet is actively involved in the business community and frequently attends events whereby he meets and mingles with business owners and leaders. Given the proximity to the wine industry, Chet spends quite a bit of time working with wineries and wine related companies. One of Chet’s passions is to get involved and give back to the community. By immersing himself into groups and associations, Chet learns what needs an organization has and works collaboratively to help them achieve their desired outcomes.
Mike Ryan, Managing Director for Property and Casualty with Risk Strategies
Mike Ryan is the Managing Director for Property and Casualty and is responsible for the management, leadership, and growth of the Santa Rosa and Northern California Offices of Risk Strategies. Previously he was a North Bay Practice Leader at InterWest Insurance Services. He served as a member of their leadership committee and client team leader designing property, casualty and employee benefits insurance programs for corporate clients as well as coordinating risk management resources throughout the organization.
Mike’s client responsibilities include overall management of relationships, service teams, brokerage and advocacy in the insurance marketplace. His breadth of expertise has helped regional and national organizations optimize risk transfer solutions across their insurance portfolios. He works with clients in the real estate, professional services, manufacturing / distribution, wine and construction industries.
Mike received his formal education from California State University at Chico. He furthered his insurance education with the National Alliance, Chubb and Fireman’s Fund Producer Schools. He holds a Property and Casualty Insurance Broker Agent License.
Brendan Wright, Senior Vice President with Paragon Insurance Holdings
Brendan Wright is a Senior Vice President with Paragon Insurance Holdings and is the Underwriting Manager for their winery-specific commercial insurance program, WineRe. Brendan has been in the commercial insurance industry for almost 20 years, starting in retail brokerage and representing one of the largest wine producers in the country. He then moved into an underwriting role with the WineRe Program prior to its acquisition by Paragon in 2017. Brendan became the Underwriting Manager of the WineRe Program with Paragon in 2019 and, as a result of devastating wildfire events in California, re-developed the program with their carrier partner, Arch Insurance Company. Brendan maintains key stakeholder relationships with retail agents, carrier partners, insurance actuaries, and claims management companies to enhance business partnerships. He also stays abreast of industry trends and regulatory changes that may impact the insurance market and program. Most of his work recently has been around developing a permission structure for commercial insurance carriers to come back to the California property insurance market for those communities and properties practicing adequate brush mitigation and building hardening strategies.
Michael Bilton, Director of the Cargo team at Price Forbes
Michael Bilton is an insurance expert specializing in winery accounts since 2018, with a background in the Cargo insurance industry dating back to 2008 where he started at Willis Towers Watson, covering the North America and LATAM region.
Since joining Price Forbes, Michael has worked with both boutique vineyards and large-scale wine producers developing an understanding of their individual needs and operations, offering tailored insurance solutions for wineries through Stock Throughput Insurance and ensuring comprehensive protection for each unique winery operation.
Michael is currently working on enhanced placement tools as part of the Price Forbes wine offering to clients and markets.
SCV will continue our efforts to lead and communicate with representatives and partners of the insurance industry, the state Insurance commission, and our congressional representatives to further explore and propose solutions to this important issue.
