As a LEED Green Associate, John Cofini helps cutting edge contractors and building suppliers anticipate and manage emerging green exposures.
John’s interest in construction insurance and risk management best practices began back in 1986 when he worked on the carrier side of the business as a premium auditor and commercial underwriter for large construction risks. It wasn’t long before John’s father, who was then a principal at Milbrandt, convinced John to join the Milbrandt team. That was 25 years ago.
Today, John serves as Executive Vice President, responsible for leading company vision and direction. He works closely with the entire sales team often trouble-shooting challenging underwriting situations or masterminding creative risk transfer strategies. “I believe that our job is to be a business partner – to understand our clients’ challenges, and provide solutions that make sense,” he says.
John is passionate about reinventing the traditional insurance experience, so it’s more relevant and user-friendly for younger consumers. “As insurance leaders, we have an opportunity to make technology an asset that’s working on our behalf, making us more relevant to younger consumers and to younger employees,” he explains. “Trusting relationships are still of utmost importance, however Generation Y has different ways of deciding who to trust – instead of asking their parents, they may be asking the Internet. As insurers, we have to learn to tell our story in new ways or we may not be heard.”
This love of innovation guided John to become educated in green building practices and environmental risk management issues. As a construction insurance advisor, he wants to be proactive and help every client be prepared for next generation exposures. “Milbrandt Insurance is all about doing the right thing, and that includes keeping pace with the changing world. My mission is to treat every client as if they’re our biggest, most important client. From a risk management perspective, we need to prepare the businesses we work with for today and for tomorrow.”
John is a graduate of Iona College and is active in the Independent Insurance Agents of Westchester, for which he served as President in 2009-2010. He lives in Nanuet with his wife and three children. When he’s not working, he enjoys coaching basketball and fundraising for local charities.