Risk Strategies Company Grows Employee Benefits and Higher Education Practice With Acquisition of Northwest Comprehensive, Inc.

BOSTON, MA--(Marketwired - May 6, 2015) -  Risk Strategies Company, a national insurance brokerage and risk management firm based in Boston, today announced the acquisition of Northwest Comprehensive, Inc., a full service employee benefits insurance brokerage and consulting firm with headquarters in Chicago. 

The acquisition of Northwest Comprehensive, Inc. brings increased expertise and scale to Risk Strategies' growing employee benefits and higher education practices. John Cerasani, Northwest Comprehensive President and Founder, will continue to manage Northwest Comprehensive. In addition, he will also assume the role of the Risk Strategies Midwest Employee Benefits Practice Leader. Cerasani will be integral in Risk Strategies' growing national higher education practice and his team will integrate with Risk Strategies of Chicago, an office with expertise in Executive Risk, Property/Casualty, and Private Client. 

"We look for partners that are highly specialized to augment and complement our specialty-focused firm. Northwest Comprehensive's prominence in employee benefits for colleges and universities will bring expanded expertise and resources to Risk Strategies' higher education clients," said Chief Executive Officer and Risk Strategies Founder, Michael Christian. "In addition, Northwest Comprehensive's clients will benefit from Risk Strategies' resources, expanded product offerings and market access."

"Northwest Comprehensive has been a highly specialized player, focusing on employee benefits for colleges and universities," said Cerasani. "Through our integration with Risk Strategies, we can continue to offer our specialized insurance consulting only now with greater resources behind us to better serve our clients. In addition, we're excited about joining Risk Strategies of Chicago. Together, we have a significant opportunity to expand Risk Strategies' employee benefits and higher education practices."

About Northwest Comprehensive, Inc. 
Northwest Comprehensive, Inc. provides comprehensive health and welfare benefits brokerage/consulting services to help control costs and maximize available resources. Employee benefits services include ACA and legislative compliance, management of competitive bids, contract negotiation, plan design audit and cost modeling, consumer driven health plans linked to HSA's and/or HRA's, self-funding and fully insured analysis, and analysis of claims history and utilization trends.

About Risk Strategies Company
Risk Strategies Company is a privately-held, national firm with 16 offices across the country. As a leading U.S. insurance broker, the company offers sophisticated risk management advice and insurance placement for property & casualty and employee benefits risks. Risk Strategies serves middle market commercial companies, non-profits, public entities, and individuals, and has access to all major insurance markets.

Risk Strategies Company, recently recognized as a 2015 Pacesetter by the Boston Business Journal, has wide-ranging capabilities and specialists in many insurance areas, including professional liability, higher education, real estate, entertainment, fine arts, financial services, social services/non-profits, entertainment, healthcare, and private equity. Ranked in the top 30 brokers in the country, the company is headquartered in Boston, MA with offices in Chicago; Los Angeles; New York City; San Francisco; Atlanta; Nashville; Memphis, Birmingham, AL; Portsmouth, NH; Randolph, MA; Providence, RI; Long Island, New Jersey; Glendale, CA; Irvine, CA; and Sacramento, CA. Risk Strategies is supported by Kohlberg & Company, L.L.C., a New York-based private equity firm specializing in middle market investing.