In Memoriam

William D. Aspinwall, CIC
1958-2006

On January 13, 2006 we lost our friend and colleague, Bill Aspinwall.

Bill was a principal of Tegner-Miller Insurance Brokers. He had over 25 years of insurance industry experience and was employed by the company since graduating from college.  

In 1982, he recruited his college roommate and fraternity brother Dave Nelson into the agency.   Following the passage of Proposition 103 in 1988, they quickly transformed the agency into Aetna's largest writer of personal insurance in the state. During the industry pullback following 103, The Tegner Company engineered a risk reducing valuation model and set out on an acquisition trail. In less than eight years, the company purchased seven independent agencies throughout Los Angeles.

In 1990, they purchased The Tegner Company from retiring partner Ian Grant. In 1996, The Tegner Company merged with Miller & DeCray Insurance Brokers. Bill began building the company's Internet strategy, focusing on niche related Internet sites.

Bill held the Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) designation. He received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Cal State Northridge. He was a Paul Harris Fellow, past vice president of the Rotary Club of Santa Monica and a board member of the Santa Monica Chapter of the American Red Cross. He served in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve for eight years, working search and rescue assignments.

Bill is survived by his wife and two children. We share in their sorrow.

Bill will be missed by all who knew him.

Management Team

Agency Principal’s • Kenneth S. Miller, CPCU • Dave K. Nelson • M. Christian Czuzak

 

Kenneth S. Miller, CPCU

Ken Miller is Principal and President of Tegner-Miller Insurance Brokers and is responsible for managing the agency’s largest book of commercial relationships. He provides over 30 years of insurance industry experience and a formidable nationwide industry network.

Ken became managing owner of Miller and DeCray Insurance Brokers, Inc. in 1983. During his tenure with Miller and DeCray, he was the driving force behind a nearly tenfold increase in agency revenues as well as a High Performance Agency rating by CNA Insurance Companies. In addition to executing the turnaround of Miller and DeCray, his achievements include: the insurance industry’s most prestigious certification (CPCU), the appointment as National Chairman of the CNA Insurance Company’s PACER advisory council, and election as President of the Santa Monica Independent Insurance Agents Association.

As National Chairman of the PACER advisory council, Ken set the agenda for over 100 brokers nationwide and worked closely with the Senior Management team at CNA Insurance Companies. Ken is a founding member of the General Insurance Network, a professional organization of past PACER National Chairmen. Ken is a graduate of Oregon State University, a former Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy and a Paul Harris fellow in the Rotary Club of Santa Monica.

In 1996 Ken became President of Tegner-Miller Insurance Brokers with the merger of Miller & DeCray Insurance Brokers and The Tegner Company.

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Dave K. Nelson

Dave Nelson is Principal and Chief Operating Officer of Tegner-Miller Insurance Brokers. Dave has overall responsibility for the financial, administrative, commercial and benefits insurance areas of the agency. Dave has over 22 years of experience in the insurance industry with Tegner-Miller.

Dave spent his first years out of college in the Accounting Department of Union Oil Company and Surety Insurance Company before being recruited by Bill Aspinwall. Dave attended the prestigious Aetna Home Office Sales School and Home Office Life School in Hartford, CT.

Dave possesses a unique combination of inventive mind and sound business judgement. In addition to his revenue generating responsibilities, Dave manages the day-to-day administration of TMIB. He is always looking for better ways to handle the redundant processes of benefits administration, payroll and human resource management. Dave is also in charge of Sales Management, making sure that the TMIB sales team is on goal.

Dave’s success has afforded him many opportunities to serve his industry and community. He is Finance Chairman of IBA West (Independent Insurance Agents Association) a past vice-president of the Independent Insurance Agents Association of Los Angeles and past advisory council member with Aetna. Dave is past president of the Santa Monica Kiwanis Club and is the current president of the of the Santa Monica Family YMCA. Dave holds dual Bachelor’s of Science degrees in Finance and Accounting from California State University at Northridge.

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M. Christian Czuzak

Chris Czuzak is Principal and Secretary of Tegner-Miller Insurance Brokers. He is responsible for relationship origination, planning and overseeing the management of technical systems and insurance contract analysis. Chris has over 20 years of insurance experience.

Chris began his insurance career with Liberty Mutual in 1985 as a workers compensation claims adjuster. A year later he joined CNA Insurance Companies as a commercial underwriter. In 1988 General Reinsurance Company (GenRE) recruited Chris as a facultative reinsurance underwriter where he learned a great deal about policy forms, provisions, exclusions and limitations. Chris’ mother worked for Ken Miller for many years and in 1990 Ken recruited Chris to join him at Miller and DeCray.

Chris brings a combination of technical skills, analytic expertise, and industry-wide sales, marketing and relationship management experience. His diverse background has resulted in a broad network of insurance industry relationships, including agencies, wholesalers and reinsurance intermediaries.

Chris’ technical systems accomplishments include: running of main frame and PC network environments, directing of Novell to NT operating platform conversion, establishment of full-time wide-area-network (WAN), installation of agency remote connectivity capabilities and imaging capabilities. Prior to beginning his insurance industry career, Chris worked at Litton Data Systems.

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