Jeff Scherschligt, President & CEO
With 30 years of experience in the field of insurance and risk management, Jeff is knowledgeable in all lines of insurance and risk management. However, he has a special interest in Professional Liability, Medical Malpractice, and the enterprise risk management needs of large commercial businesses. Jeff is very active in the Sioux Falls Community, serving integral roles with organizations such as the Sioux Empire United Way, Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation, Great Bear Recreation Park, and the Washington Pavilion of Arts and Science. Jeff holds the prestigious designation of Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter (CPCU). A graduate of the College of Insurance in 1977, Jeff holds a BA degree in Business and Insurance. He has served as President of Howalt+McDowell Insurance since 1985.
Jeff is an insurance man with a passion for development. In 2004, in search of a new home for Howalt-McDowell, he stumbled upon the Zip Feed Mill site. Enamored by the challenge, he decided this is where his company would be located and proceeded to lead the development of the Cherapa Place, the first LEED Gold certified building in South Dakota.
Jeff is very involved in the community, serving integral roles in organizations such as the United Way, Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation, Mary Jo Wegner Arboretum and the Washington Pavilion. In his free-time, Jeff enjoys hunting, nature conservation, property development and spending time with his wife, two daughters, son-in-law and granddaughter.
Bill Townsend, Vice President
Bill is an Account Executive with over 20 years of experience in the insurance industry. He has extensive experience in designing insurance programs for manufacturing-related, contractors and wholesale businesses; but possesses great knowledge in working with all types of property and liability risks. In 1984, Bill earned his BS in Business from the University of South Dakota and joined Howalt-McDowell in 1989. He later earned the prestigious Certified Insurance Counselor designation (CIC).
Drew Reaves, Vice President
Drew, an Account Executive with over 23 years of insurance experience, has been with Howalt-McDowell since 1991. While Drew’s extensive background in insurance allows him to tailor risk management programs for all types of industries, he specializes in the risks of construction, manufacturing, and healthcare risk management. In 2001, he earned the prestigious Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) designation. A graduate of Arizona State University in 1983, Drew holds his BS in Insurance.
Jack Miller, Vice President
jmiller@howaltmcdowell.com
Jack is an Account Executive with over 30 years of experience in the insurance industry. While Jack’s experienced insurance background allows him to design a variety of risk management programs for many industries, he has a strong foundation in construction, manufacturing and financial services industries. A graduate of the South Dakota State University in 1974, he earned the prestigious Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) designation in 1998.
Jerry Jencks, Account Representative
jjencks@howaltmcdowell.com
With over 30 years in the insurance industry, Jerry is well versed in all aspects of Property and Casualty Insurance. However, he specializes in handling the risk management and bond needs of construction-related businesses. Active in the insurance industry, Jerry continues to research the involvement of design-build construction issues from both a surety and insurance viewpoint. He has proudly spent his entire career in the insurance industry at Howalt-McDowell Insurance. A graduate of the University of South Dakota, Jerry holds a degree in Finance and Insurance.
Gene Loos,CIC, Account Representative
Gene is an Account Executive with over 25 years of experience in the insurance industry. While Gene’s primary areas of risk management expertise are manufacturing, construction, medical malpractice, and professional liability, his extensive knowledge base allows him to handle a wide variety of insurance programs. Gene joined Howalt-McDowell in 1985 and earned the prestigious Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) designation shortly after. A graduate of the University of South Dakota in 1975, Gene holds his BS in Business.
Jarrod Muller, Account Representative
jmuller@howaltmcdowell.com
With over 10 years’ professional experience, Jarrod is knowledgeable in many areas of insurance and risk management. However, his specialties lie in construction, manufacturing, agri-business, and technology. A Construction Risk Insurance Specialist (CRIS), an Associate in Accounting and Finance (AAIF), and an Accredited Advisor in Insurance (AAI), Jarrod is an active member of the Associated General Contractors and Shriners. Prior to joining Howalt-McDowell in 1998, Jarrod was employed in the financial reporting department of a surety company. A graduate of St. Cloud State, Jarrod holds a BS degree in Accounting.
Steve Burgess, Account Representative
sburgess@howaltmcdowell.com
After graduating from Augustana College with a degree in Business, Steve entered the commercial insurance industry. As an Account Representative, he is currently a candidate for the Associate in Underwriting designation. Steve’s foremost area of expertise is with technology and hospitality risks; but is capable in working with all types of property and liability risks.
Justin Overman, AU, Account Representative
joverman@howaltmcdowell.com
After graduating from the University of Northern Iowa with a degree in Management: Business Administration, Justin entered the insurance industry in 2006, working as an underwriter for Federated Insurance. He earned his Associate in Commercial Underwriting (AU) designation in 2008. As an Account Executive at Howalt-McDowell, Justin has the knowledge to handle a wide variety of insurance and risk management programs.
Roger Starks, Account Representative
rstarks@howaltmcdowell.com
With over 32 years of experience in the field of insurance and risk management, Roger is knowledgeable in many lines of risk management and insurance for many industries. However, he has a special interest in managing the risks of Agri-business, Manufacturing, Construction, Wholesale, Bonding, and Bio-fuels Manufacturing. Roger is an active member of the Associated General Contractors, the National Association for Surety Bond Producers (NASBP), the Independent Insurance Agents of America (IIAA), and the Construction Financial Management Association (CFMA). Prior to joining Howalt-McDowell in 1989, Roger was employed as a Marketing Representative and Underwriter at the insurance company level. A graduate of Dakota State College in 1973, Roger holds his Degree in Education.
Gary Joyce, Account Representative
gjoyce@howaltmcdowell.com
Gary is an Account Representative with over 30 years of experience in the insurance industry. While Gary is well versed in many aspects of the risk management field, he is particularly knowledgeable in bonds and large commercial risks. In 1979, after years of study, Gary earned his Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter designation. Today he serves as a South Dakota Representative on the National Board of Independent Agents and Brokers of America. A graduate of Augustana College, Gary holds his BS in Business Administration.
Tracy Dahl-Webb, Account Representative
tdahlwebb@howaltmcdowell.com
Tracy received her BS in Business and Economics from South Dakota State University in 1991 and holds the Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) designation. She served on the national board of directors of the Public Risk Management Association (PRIMA) for 5 years, serving as President in 2002-2003. Prior to joining Howalt-McDowell in 2004, she served as a Risk Manager and Human Resources Director for over 11 years. Her extensive risk management and human resource background allows her to tailor quality insurance programs for many industries including Governmental Agencies, Medical Malpractice, Professional Liability, and Financial Institutions.
Ron Bartz, Account Representative
rbartz@howaltmcdowell.com
Ron entered the insurance industry in 1972 working for the St. Paul Companies. He is a University of Minnesota graduate. He earned his CIC designation in 1988. He has been working exclusively with Health Care clients, helping them develop their insurance programs and providing product expertise since 1983. He is an active member of the Minnesota Insurance Association and Society of Certified Insurance Counselors.
Dustin Haber, Account Representative
dhaber@howaltmcdowell.com
As a life-long resident of Sioux Falls and a graduate of Augustana College in 2005, Dustin has degrees in Business and Economics. His professional history includes involvement in managing a family business, assisting individuals with financial planning, advising businesses with their commercial banking needs. Now as an Account Representative, he has a wide range of skills, knowledge and experience to assist any business with their cost of risk.
James Gulson, Account Representative
James Gulson brings fifteen years of construction and development risk management experience to the team. Of those years, five were spent exclusively on large-scale hospitality renovations and conversions. His primary role was serving as the owners’ representative for private equity hotel investment and ownership groups. Mr. Gulson served as the liaison between the project management team and the ownership group to maintain pace and budgetary control for each asset under his purview. In addition to advocating for the ownership, Mr. Gulson is also a fiduciary in the assets on which he was engaged. Working closely with the acquisitions team of his clients, he provides cradle to grave guidance for the construction and re-development process. This oversight included soft costs, FF&E and contingency control as well as analysis of ROI initiatives for the asset management process.
Prior to joining Howalt McDowell, Mr. Gulson founded GCON, LLC to fill a niche of principal oversight for private equity groups that were lacking in-house expertise in the hotel construction and development arena. These clients entrusted hundreds of millions of dollars to Mr. Gulson’s discretion due to his experience and integrity in realizing the value of industry relationships and knowledge. Inclusive of this position was interfacing with the mezzanine and senior debtors as the information channel on this aspect of the assets. Mr. Gulson is considered a trusted resource by several investment banks as well as institutional investors.
Mike Choinski, Account Representative
mchoinski@howaltmcdowell.com
Mike has been consulting with clients for over 15 years. He has developed an expertise in the healthcare industry serving a wide spectrum of clientele. Mike has an extensive background in Risk Management which he utilizes to partner with his clients in building a risk architecture that enables clients to focus their energy on what’s important – growing their business. Mike Graduated from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee with a double major in Philosophy and Business. Mike currently resides in St. Paul, MN with his wife and two Daughters.
Michael Korf, AAI, Account Representative
mkorf@howaltmcdowell.com
Michael, a licensed business insurance advisor, has nine years of professional experience providing assistance and solving the insurance needs of businesses across a wide variety of occupations and industries. In addition, Michael has spent six years of his insurance career working in the Middle East and European insurance markets as an insurance broker/consultant, assisting the regions’ high profile clients with their business insurance needs.
