World Insurance Associates Expands New York State Business with the Acquisition of Gerard P. Smith Insurance Agency.

• Position: [IN THE COMPANIES]

* More than 300 underwriters, brokers, World Insurance Associates LLC ("WIA"), a top 50 U.S. insurance broker, announcethat it acquired the Gerard P. Smith Insurance Agency ("Gerard P. Smith") of Webster, NY on June 1, 2022. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. In 1966, Gerard P. (Jerry) Smith founded his agency on a commitment to provide his clients with the very highest level of service. Since then, the Gerard P. Smith Insurance Agency has grown into one of the largest independent insurance agencies in the region. Jerry's son, Tom Smith, joined the firm in 1977 and became the company president at his father's retirement in 1993. Tom's brother, Kevin Smith, is also involved in the family business, serving as its vice president. Continuing the tradition even further, Ian Smith, a third-generation member of the Smith family became a partner in the agency in 2012 and took over as president and CEO in 2017.

"We were born here, we work here, and we live here," says Ian Smith, President and CEO, Gerard P. Smith. "We have a vested interest in this community and look forward to serving its residents for a long, long time as part of World Insurance." Also raised in Webster was World board member Tom Ealy, who has known the Smith family, from patriarch on down, for most of his life. "The Gerard P. Smith Agency's deep community ties and strong, third-generation leadership is the epitome of what World seeks in a merger partner. We look forward to providing the agency and its clients with the resources needed to continue what Jerry started and what Tom...