Chapter cites his active involvement in the San Diego construction industry
Steven M. Spillane Vice President Construction Practice Group ABD Insurance Services
14th largest U.S. retail broker 830 employees, 23 locations $165 million annual revenue Headquarters: Redwood City, Calif.
Age: 35 Education
B.S. Accounting
Bridgewater State College, 1956 Bridgewater, Mass. Experience
> Worked way through college in the construction trades
> Senior accountant, 2 years, Macomber Construction Co.
> Controller, 2 years, Helix Electric Inc
> Business Development/Operations Manager, 2 years, The Accounting Group
> Producer, Construction Division, 2 years, Willis Risk & Insurance Services
AGC San Diego Chapter’s 2007 “Rookie of the Year” says he’s grateful for the award, especially since it’s the only rookie honor he’s likely to get.
“It was great to be recognized in this way. I’ve never been a rookie-of-the-year anything before. I gave up dreaming I’d make it big in Major League Baseball a long time ago,” says Steve Spellane, a vice president at abd Insurance and Financial Services, Carlsbad, Calif.
Spellane was honored during the chapter’s annual awards program in February for his “significant involvement in local construction industry initiatives.”
“Don’t get me wrong, I like baseball a lot—I’m from Boston, so I’m a lifetime member of the Red Sox Nation and a Padres fan right after that. But it’s the construction industry that really interests me,” the 35-year-old Spellane says.
The San Diego chapter’s Rookie of the Year award, which has been given annually since 1994, is selected from members that have been actively involved with AGC within the first two years of their membership. abd Insurance Services joined the San Diego chapter in 2005.
“Right from the beginning, Steve jumped in and became involved in the AGC Affiliate Council and the AGC Meetings and Events Committee, also joining several subcommittees that put on AGC events,” says Jim Ryan, executive vice president of the San Diego Chapter. “In particular, Steve was instrumental in the successful outcome of the AGC Affiliate Day Golf Tournament.”
“OK, so the golf part was fun, although I’m not much of a golfer,” Spellane says. “I just generally volunteered wherever it looked like I could help out the most.”
Spellane joined abd in January 2006, bringing with him more than 10 years of industry experience in construction, real estate, technology, manufacturing, retail and financial services. “But construction is one of my lifelong interests,” he says. “I put myself through college working in the construction trades. I come from a real blue-collar town, Rockland, Mass., so I had the chance to learn it all: drywalling, roofing, some carpentry. The money was good and I had fun doing it.”
Before joining abd, Spellane was a top producer with another big insurance provider and an operations manager for an accounting consultancy, where he helped clients understand and analyze insurance program options.
In addition to his work with AGC, Spellane founded The Foundation San Diego, a networking organization for construction industry executives. He also is co-founder of the North County Venture Council in Carlsbad, a networking organization for officials with emerging companies and a range of service providers who support them.
“At abd, supporting AGC and the local construction industry is part of our culture,” says Ed Nokes, managing director of the abd property and casualty division in the San Diego, Orange County and Riverside region. “We believe that AGC’s education and support of general contractors on a wide range of complex training, labor and safety issues are crucial.”
The main components of abd’s business portfolio are risk management consulting and property and casualty insurance services, employee benefits and health and welfare consulting services, retirement planning and executive benefits consulting services and individual risk assessment and personal insurance services.
