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EPIC Insurance Brokers & Consultants strengthens auto dealership solutions offering with addition of Finance & Insurance specialists Ryan Hoff and John Jacobi. Business Wire Industry leaders join EPIC Auto Dealer Group, strengthening its ability to serve the needs of auto dealership clientele NEW YORK-(BUSINESS WIRE)- EPIC Insurance Brokers & Consultants ("EPIC"), a national insurance brokerage and consulting firm providing specialized services and products across select industries and client sectors, today announced that auto dealership finance and insurance experts Ryan Hoff and John Jacobi have joined the firm. Based in Irvine, California, both bring more than 25 years of experience specializing in point-of-sale warranty and insurance products critical to auto dealerships. Joining Hoff and Jacobi are senior team members Jeff Rodewald and George Hogan, who will serve as Principals. "We are excited to join EPIC at a time of strong momentum in the auto dealer space," said Hoff. "The firm's commitment to investing in specialized expertise and delivering integrated solutions across F&I, employee benefits and P&C creates a powerful opportunity for our clients." "This is an incredible opportunity for us to join a team that is uniquely committed to its people and culture, and a brand that reflects that same commitment and passion for its clients," said Jacobi. "We are thrilled to be on the same team with Eric Shaw of EPIC as together we are ready to tap into the incredible potential that this partnership has created." "On behalf of our colleagues across EPIC, we are pleased to welcome John, Ryan, Jeff and George to the team at EPIC," said Eric Shaw, Managing Principal and Leader of EPIC Auto Dealer Group. "Each are highly regarded leaders in the F&I space, known for their high skill and expertise, integrity and commitment to client service." "EPIC has built a strong platform for auto dealers across risk consulting, P&C and employee benefits," added Crawford McInnis, Chief Sales Officer. "With the addition of dedicated F&I expertise, we are intentionally building a more complete, integrated offering for auto dealer clients. We are thrilled to have John, Ryan, Jeff and George join the team." Hoff will serve as Chief Revenue Officer of EPIC Auto Dealer F&I solutions, with Jacobi being the Chief Growth Officer for F&I. About EPIC Auto Dealer Group EPIC Auto Dealer Group provides customized finance and insurance products, risk analysis and insurance solutions tailored to the auto dealer industry, including employee benefits. About EPIC Insurance Brokers & Consultants EPIC Insurance Brokers & Consultants is a national retail property and casualty and employee benefits insurance brokerage and consulting firm. The firm provides clients with diverse and specialized risk management, property and casualty, employee benefits, private client and specialty insurance solutions across select industries. EPIC team members operate from locations nationwide, combining strategic expertise and broad specializations to deliver innovative, comprehensive risk solutions. For more information on EPIC, please visit epicbrokers.com. Auto Dealer Finance & Insurance Inquiries: Media Contacts:

IMA Financial sues former advisor and rival EPIC over alleged client poaching. He quit "effective immediately" - then ten clients followed him out, his old firm says. A Wichita brokerage says a departing advisor diverted its clients to a rival while still being paid by the firm. Now it's suing both. IMA Financial Group filed suit on June 5, 2026, in federal court in Kansas against former employee benefits advisor Ryan Gino Giannini and competitor EPIC Insurance Brokers & Consultants. The complaint says Giannini quit "effective immediately" on May 5, 2026, and alleges he ignored the 30-day notice period his contract required. That notice period is the heart of the case. IMA says Giannini signed a non-solicitation agreement on April 1, 2021, promising "at least thirty (30) days advance written notice" before leaving. During those 30 days, the agreement says, he would "continue to owe a fiduciary obligation and a duty of loyalty" to IMA - a duty to put the firm's interests first. He did the opposite, IMA alleges. About a week before quitting, the filing says, Giannini called at least six clients, told them he was leaving, and gave them his personal contact details. According to the complaint, he told the clients he wished to keep in touch and that there was more to come soon. EPIC, which IMA calls a direct competitor, is accused of inducing and supporting the moves. The complaint describes Giannini as "a covert agent for EPIC" who acted as "a double agent" after resigning - collecting pay from both firms, IMA alleges, while shifting accounts. The tool for that shift, familiar to any brokerage, is the broker of record letter, which tells a carrier who controls a client's coverage. IMA says the change notices came fast. On May 21, 2026, "the floodgates opened," the filing says, with five clients switching in one day. One told IMA, according to the complaint: "we have switched brokers to Epic (with Gino)." IMA says it lost ten clients during the notice period - business it describes as worth "hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost annual revenue," and many of them higher-revenue accounts. Against EPIC, IMA claims tortious interference, saying it notified the firm of Giannini's contract on May 13, 2026, and that EPIC's lawyers "acknowledged awareness of the Agreement" days later but kept him on. IMA also alleges EPIC agreed to cover Giannini's legal exposure, and that the two share a law firm. IMA's four counts include breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, tortious interference, and a "faithless servant" claim seeking to recover the pay Giannini drew during what IMA calls his period of disloyalty. It wants damages, an injunction, and a jury trial. None of this has been tested in court. Giannini and EPIC have not filed a response, and no court has ruled on any of IMA's claims.

People moves: Rodriguez to lead EPIC National Real Estate; AXA XL Names Carnazza Head of Construction Property, Americas; Wischmeyer Joins Marsh's Digital Infrastructure Practice. February 24, 2026 EPIC Names Rodriguez National Real Estate Program Development Leader EPIC Insurance Brokers & Consultants, headquartered in San Francisco, California, appointed Miranda Rodriguez to the newly created role of program development leader within its national real estate practice. Rodriguez will focus on structuring and expanding EPIC's real estate presence, overseeing initiatives spanning program design, strategic partnerships and operational infrastructure. Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, Rodriguez has over 15 years of industry experience in real estate risk management and program development. Before joining EPIC, Rodriguez led specialization for Willis Tower Watson's residential segment within its real estate industry vertical. She earlier served as global real estate risk manager for Brookfield Asset Management. AXA XL appoints Carnazza Head of Construction Property, Americas AXA XL, headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, appointed Greg Carnazza as head of construction property in its Americas region. Based in Atlanta, Carnazza joins AXA XL from AIG, where he most recently served as head of underwriting, U.S. Builders Risk. His career spans over a decade in property and construction risk management. Carnazza oversees the development and execution of AXA XL's construction property strategies across the Americas, focusing on innovative risk transfer solutions, strengthening client relationships, and enhancing underwriting capabilities. Wischmeyer Joins Marsh's Digital Infrastructure Practice as Senior Advisor Marsh, headquartered in New York City, hired Dereck Wischmeyer as senior advisor within its global digital infrastructure industry practice. Wischmeyer leads Marsh's contract strategy across leases, customer agreements, vendor contracts, and partnerships. He has over 12 years of specialized legal and commercial expertise in the digital infrastructure and data center ecosystem, having served most recently as general counsel for Ark Data Centers. Before that, he served as executive vice president and general counsel of Everstream Solutions, where he led risk management, acquisitions, integrations, and refinancing. He also held legal roles with Crown Castle and Lightower Networks. Was this article valuable? Interested in construction? Get automatic alerts for this topic.