Doug Snow
President
Doug began his career in Insurance working at Fireman’s Fund in the Commercial Lines Department. While there he met Dick Walton, who was then President of Beehive Insurance. Dick recognized Doug’s talent and strong work ethic and invited him to come to work at Beehive.
In 1979, Doug began his career at Beehive Insurance Agency working for Dick Walton. He soon began specializing in providing coverage and surety bonds for the construction industry as well as all other lines of commercial insurance.
Doug became the President and CEO of Beehive Insurance in 1992, succeeding Dick Walton. In the late ’90s and early 2000s, Doug took advantage of several opportunities to build the agency by adding talented career producers. The success of Beehive can be attributed to Doug and his passion for building a strong team of dedicated employees who are always willing to go the extra mile, and who bring the highest standards of integrity to the insurance industry.
Aaron Griffith
Senior Account Executive
Aaron began his insurance career in 1995 when he was hired as a Customer Service Representative in a local Salt Lake City Allstate Insurance office. He got licensed that same year and was tutored for the next 3 years by George Dickson, a 20 year veteran of the business, and a true gentleman. In 1997 Aaron graduated from the University of Utah with a Bachelors Degree in Economics. In 1998 He opened his own Commercial Insurance agency as a direct writer for The Hartford Insurance Company, exclusively serving small businesses. In 2002 he joined Beehive Insurance drawn by the exceptional leadership of Doug Snow, and access to all of the insurance markets that a larger firm can offer. In 2013 Aaron was awarded, "Agent of the Year" by the Utah Association of Independent Insurance Agents.
Adam Snow
Senior Account Executive
Adam Snow joined Beehive in March 2011. Before and during college, Adam worked as a general supervisor at a local water park, an intern at Geneva Rock Products, and as a sales representative and graphic designer at a printing center. After finishing school he did an internship at Workers Compensation Fund of Utah learning about the ins and outs of workers compensation insurance. Those experiences have helped him gain a better understanding of the risks businesses face and from what they need protection.
In his role at Beehive, Adam works with businesses of all types helping them find insurance solutions that fit their needs. He also specializes in both commercial and contract surety bonding.
What is your greatest accomplishment?
Training for, and completing my very first marathon in 2010. Although the real accomplishment was just being able to walk afterward!
Who is your favorite musician or band?
Alter Bridge! Best band in the land!
What is the craziest/most exciting thing you've ever done?
Getting a guitar lesson from my favorite guitarist. That was an incredible experience!
Brady Thorn
Senior Vice President
Brady started in the insurance and bonding industry in 2007, with a special focus on contractors. Brady’s family has had a strong presence in the state of Utah within the construction community since the 1950’s. He likes the hard work the industry demands, and the reward of being able to see contractors change how the world looks. Brady works with all types of contractors on both insurance and surety bonding, such as subcontractors, specialty contractors, suppliers, and general contractors-both residential and commercial. He works closely with his clients in providing solutions to challenging exposures, such as multi-family, condo exposures and potential construction defect exposures. He writes all lines of insurance coverages for the commercial and residential sectors, including WRAP policies, both OCIP’s and CCIPS in some of Utah’s larger residential projects and multi-family projects.
Brent Austin
Account Executive
Brent joined the transportation team at Beehive Insurance in 2020 after several years in transportation-related support fields. Prior to joining Beehive, Brent worked in the Banking and Finance industries since 2004 and has been in Underwriting and Portfolio Management positions since 2008. His experience comes with companies such as Bank of Utah, Transportation Alliance Bank (TAB Bank), and England Carrier Services, a financial services division of England Logistics and CR England.
Brent strives to bring the best service possible to his clients through analyzing the client’s needs and making sure that they are not only getting the best coverage possible, but the best customer support as well. Through his experience in the Banking, Finance, and Transportation fields, Brent is able to bring value-add ideas as he consults with both small and large trucking companies.
Brent graduated from Utah State University (GO AGGIES!) and enjoys attending as many basketball and football games as he can. He is fluent in Spanish, a skill which has been very useful over the years in providing service to Spanish-speaking clients.
Brent tries to find humor in life, which leads him to watch a lot of Seinfeld and The Office. When at home, he tries to balance watching baseball and basketball with attending ballet recitals for his three girls. He is married to the love of his life, Natasha, who has a degree in Culinary Arts and is a private chef, so he is also the taste-tester for a lot of delicious recipes.
Corey Ford
Senior Account Executive
Corey has been with Beehive since August of 2008. He specializes mainly in providing insurance for commercial businesses. After completing his BS degree from Weber State University in Technical Sales, Corey spent more than 15 years in sales and sales management for well-known companies like Franklin Covey, Marketstar, Cisco and RIM. He also spent three years as a trainer and small business consultant specializing in sales, leadership and customer service.
Corey’s goal is to be more than just an insurance agent to each client but to become more of a trusted advisor through investing the time to fully understand their business and form long-term relationships. Read full biography...
Cory Payne
Retirement Specialist
Cory started his insurance career in 1979 selling Life and Disability Insurance. In 1980, he started selling Property & Casualty Insurance with Farm Bureau. In 1981, Cory became an independent insurance agent to better serve his clients. As an independent agent, he’s able to shop the entire market place for insurance products, not just one or two companies. In 1987, he was the first “Young Agent Chairman” for the Independent Insurance Agents of Utah. Cory is a past President of the Independent Insurance Agents of Salt Lake in 1995-96 and also a past President of the Independent Insurance Agents of Utah in 2000-01. He’s been selling all lines of insurance for the past 32 years with a focus on Commercial Property, Liability, Errors and Omissions, Director and Officers Professional Liability, and Commercial Auto. Cory has years of experience placing hard to find coverage at affordable rates for his clients.
Dave Comer
Senior Account Executive
Dave has been in the insurance business since 1999 and specializes in the construction industry. He loves his job most when he has really helped his clients make proactive changes that relieve stress, provide direction, and ultimately increase the bottom line. When he is not working he enjoys spending most of his spare time with his wife and 3 kids who keep him busy with basketball, swimming, bike rides, video games, and coaching softball. Dave is a huge fan of the Utah Jazz, and will never tire of watching Seinfeld! Most of all he appreciates the friends he has developed because of his insurance career and looks forward to creating many more valued relationships in the years to come.
Jim Dickson
Vice President
Jim grew up in the insurance business, as his father and grandfather (also named James Dickson) were insurance agents here in Utah. His specialty is commercial insurance for all types of businesses including contractors, trucking companies, manufacturers, and distributors.
After graduating from the U of U Jim worked as an intern with the Aetna Life Insurance Company for two years. As an intern, he was able to learn the finer points of employee benefits including group health and specialty life insurance products.
In 1990 he was awarded the Young Agent of the Year award by the Independent Insurance Agents of Utah. Subsequently, he served on the board of the Professional Insurance Agents of Utah and was the President of the PIA in 1996 and was awarded the Agent of the Year that same year. Jim has worked at Beehive Insurance since July of 2003. In January 2018, Jim was named a Vice President at Beehive.
Joanie Hardcastle
Account Executive
Joanie joined Beehive Insurance Agency in 2018. She brings with her over 20 years of experience in the Health Insurance Industry with specific attention to client relations. Her experience gives her the ability to easily relate to the struggles HR Managers face and helps to alleviate the pressures that surround health insurance. Joanie’s experience along with a broad-based knowledge in the health care industry allows her to resolve client concerns with a quick, professional resolution.
Kent Josephson
Senior Account Executive
Before joining Beehive, Kent began his Insurance career in 1979 working alongside his father, Dale Josephson, until Dale passed away in 1997. In January 1998 Kent and two other agents formed another agency that Kent helped manage until he joined Beehive September 1, 2012.
Kent writes all lines of insurance including personal lines, commercial lines, bonding, and benefits, including life and health.
L. Kay Howland
Senior Account Executive
Kay began his own property and casualty insurance agency in 1989 at Sorensen Insurance Agency. He moved his agency to Grant-Hatch & Associates in 1996 to focus solely on commercial insurance. Kay spent another 5 years running and operating his own agency, Granite Insurance Group, Inc. before joining Beehive Insurance in October of 2006. Kay has received his Certified Insurance Counselors (CIC) designation from the National Alliance for Insurance Education. Kay has earned his Certified Workers Compensation Advisor designation from the Institute of Work Comp Professionals in 2011. Kay has served as President of the Independent Insurance Agents of Salt Lake and as President of the Utah Independent Insurance Agent, in 2010. Kay was awarded the Independent Insurance Agent of Year by the Utah Independent Insurance Association in 2012. For close to three decades Kay has worked diligently to provide comprehensive insurance programs and risk management services for business owners around the Mountain West. Over the past several years Kay has added additional expertise and training to help business owners master and control their workers compensation costs. Kay and his wife Rebecca currently live in Riverton, Utah. They enjoy spending time with their six children who all live close and their 7 grandchildren.
Read full biography...
Mark Austin
Vice President
Mark has been specializing in truck insurance since 1995. He joined Beehive in July of 2003. Mark graduated from the University of Utah with a degree in Economics. He has focused his career in providing insurance coverage for trucking companies of all sizes by giving them advice regarding the unique exposures related to the trucking industry. In January 2018, Mark was named a Vice President at Beehive.
Mike Valentine
Senior Account Executive
Mike has been with Beehive insurance since August 2013, but it not new to healthcare. Before joining Beehive, Mike worked as a Sales Director for eight-plus years with a local medical software company. Mike graduated from Brigham Young University in 2005 with a major in Psychology. Mike is a second generation Employee Benefit Specialist and was recruited to Beehive by his brother, Todd. Growing up seeing his Dad work in the insurance industry he swore to take a different path but like so often happens he was sucked in and has loved every minute. Mike works closely with several local Utah based Associations including the UNA, UMA, AGC, UTA & the UACPA. Beehive has partnered with these Associations to form and manage their medical, dental, vision, life, disability and telehealth risk pools. With a personal commitment to exceptional customer experiences, Mike and his team work tirelessly to meet the growing needs of their clients and to be a valuable business consultant for all things benefits.
Rand Austin
Senior Vice President
Rand was born and raised in Northern Utah and started his insurance career in 1973 working part-time in the accounting department of a local insurance company. After graduating college and a year in accounting he transferred into the truck insurance underwriting department. After a few years of learning the in's and out's of truck coverages Rand joined Affiliated Insurance Agency as an agent and in house underwriter. Following a couple of agency mergers and 22 years as an agent, Rand joined Beehive Insurance in 2003 where he has continued to serve and love the trucking industry.
Ryan Loftin
Account Executive
Ryan was born and raised in the small farm town of Hughson, CA. He went on an LDS Mission to the beautiful island of Jamaica whereupon his return home he completed his college degree at the University of Oregon where he was also on a Football Scholarship. While in college he met his Incredibly Awesome Wife Andrea, and they now have 4 Beautiful daughters Alyssa, Isabella, Melayna, & Samantha. Soon after completing his business degree, Ryan was introduced to Insurance when he joined Federated Insurance Company. During his time at Federated, he was promoted and transferred to Utah to start up several brand new territories. Ryan now joins the Beehive Insurance Agency as part of the Trucking Specialists.
Spencer Wall
Senior Account Executive
As a valued member of the Employee Benefits department at Beehive Insurance, Spencer works strategically with each of his clients to develop the benefits program that best meets their needs. He understands that education plays an essential role in navigating the benefits program election process, and is committed to providing each client with the information they need to make the best decision possible.
Susan Smith-Childs
Senior Account Executive
Susan began her Insurance Career, accidentally, when her Mother got her a job as a receptionist with an Insurance Agency, when Susan was still in high school, to make sure that Susan didn't have too much time on her hands. Susan's mother was in the Insurance Industry, as well, and helped Susan move forward in her career, as she was raising her children.
In 1998, Susan began working at Beehive Insurance Agency and began specializing in Insurance for Nonprofits. Susan feels like she has struck gold with this specialty, and works with Nonprofit Organizations in all 50 states. She enjoys helping even the smallest Nonprofit Organizations obtain the coverage that they need, to move forward with their vision.
Todd Valentine
Senior Vice President
"Todd is a second generation Employee Benefits Specialist. Prior to joining Beehive, he worked with his lifelong mentor and father, Dallas Valentine in Colorado where he started in the industry. His work ethic, personal commitment to excellence, and creative problem-solving skills are a direct reflection of the training he enjoyed while working with his Father. Todd opened the Employee Benefits department for Beehive in 2009, after working his way up to Vice President of Employee Benefits for Willis of Colorado.
Todd believes that many of the problems we now have in the Healthcare System stem directly from the lack of knowledge about how the system actually works. Knowledge is power and Todd is committed to helping employers of all sizes understand the options, and better utilize the products, tools, and resources that come with purchasing insurance. Todd is also known as the States leading expert on Association Health Plans. He has helped to create and maintain 5 robust association health plans for several key Utah industries. (Manufacturing, Construction, Trucking, Nonprofit, and Financial Services)
Tyson Perkes
Senior Account Executive
Tyson has been with Beehive Insurance since January of 2011. He specializes in providing insurance coverage for construction and trucking related risks. He strives to become a trusted advisor with all of his clients to help them manage and mitigate risk and offer more than just an insurance policy. To better serve his construction clients, Tyson has been an active member of the Utah Valley Homebuilders Association since 2015 and has enjoyed rubbing shoulders with some of the finest contractors in Utah. In 2015, Tyson earned his CIC (Certified Insurance Counselor) designation as a way to provide additional insurance insight to his clients. Tyson graduated from Utah State University with a bachelor's degree in Finance with a minor in Accounting and Personal Financial Planning. When he isn't working, Tyson enjoying spending time with his wife and 3 boys, traveling, playing all sports, enjoying the outdoors, and cheering on the Boston Red Sox.
