Dayton

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Dayton-based Brower Insurance Agency LLC acquiredd Aspen Insurance Associates of Westerville and its six Aspen prior to the sale was part of one of the 20 largest independen insurance agencies inCentral Ohio. John Watson, managing principao at Brower, said the company had been plannin g to expand into the Columbus area forsome “We felt that Aspen matched up very well with he said. Watson declined to disclose financiao terms of the whichbrought Brower’s payroll to about 175 employees and addesd Aspen President Dave Kotary as a principal and one of 22 companh owners.
Kotary, who also owned Aspen, said he’ws considered selling the firm in recent years as a way to ensurse a smooth operation for employees and clients when he The 59-year-old said he’s approaching the end of his fourth decadr in the insurance business and likely will retire in the next three to six yearas depending on market conditions. “Ij received a number of overturees in the past couplesof years, but I was interested in findingb a very good culturall fit,” he said. “Acquisitions often work out on paper but can fall aparf becauseof ... a culture that doesn’ty work out.
” While the benefit for Brower is geographical, Kotary said the Westerville office has acceses to the resources of a much larger Loss control, risk management consulting and in-house legal counsel. Aside from its Dayton headquartera and newWesterville office, Browet also has employees in Loveland and Springfield, a city the compang began serving when it acquired Consolidatex Insurance in December. Watson said Brower has no further acquisition plans despit e the tworecent deals. “We don’t do a lot of acquisitions,” he said. “It just happene d that these twocame along.
” Brower, founded in is one of the 100 largesyt employers in the Dayton area, according to researcnh from the Dayton Business Journal , a sister publication to Columbus Businesxs First . In additiohn to being ranked asthe region’e largest property and casualty agency, it’zs the No. 2 health and life insurances agency and employeebenefits firm.