About Us
For over a century, our agency (formerly Insurance Underwriters Limited, IUL) has served clients throughout the New Orleans Metro area and across the Gulf South with comprehensive risk management solutions designed to protect against the unexpected. As a locally based firm, we understand the unique challenges facing businesses in our region.
We go beyond traditional insurance by taking the time to understand your industry and what matters most to your organization. Our relationship-focused, one-on-one approach ensures you have the insights needed to make informed decisions about risk mitigation while maintaining your peace of mind.
Drawing from extensive experience with organizations of all sizes—from local enterprises to global corporations—we recognize that every business faces distinct challenges. We carefully assess your specific circumstances, evaluate your risk tolerance, and develop a customized strategy that combines risk transfer, retention, reduction, and elimination to meet your organization's exact needs.
Meet Our Team
Sean Francioni
Managing Partner
Sean provides strategic leadership and vision for the Metairie office, guiding the team's success and dedication to superior client service. A Southeastern Louisiana University graduate with a degree in business management, Sean combines his academic background with a commitment to fostering growth and delivering exceptional results for clients and team members alike. He enjoys spending time with family, outdoor activities, sports, and cooking.
LinkedInChip Brockhaus
Risk Consultant
Chip brings clients nearly four decades of comprehensive experience in insurance, risk management, and bonds. He specializes in discovering, preparing, and effectively marketing each client's compelling business story while ensuring their risk programs remain strategically aligned with business objectives. His extensive expertise spans risk assessment and analysis, claims management and advocacy, audit advocacy, loss control and safety programs, contractual risk transfer, and captives and alternative risk financing. He holds multiple industry certifications, including Certified Risk Manager (CRM), Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC), and Certified Marine Insurance Professional (CMIP), along with his designation as a Louisiana Civil Law Notary. Chip is deeply committed to his community, actively serving at St. Timothy Church in Mandeville.
LinkedInPaul Geraci
Risk Consultant
Paul brings over 35 years of experience serving construction and trade contractors, service stations, manufacturing, machine shops, and public levee districts in the greater New Orleans area. Paul earned a position on the President’s Agents Advisory Council with Siebels Bruce Group, Inc. as agency principal, received a top sales award from the Fireman’s Fund Insurance in addition to establishing an exclusive garage liability program with Gulf Insurance endorsed by the Automotive Service Association. This extensive background and proven track record of developing specialized programs has proven invaluable in his current focus on the emerging vertical of Levee Districts. Paul enjoys fishing, hunting, boating, and outdoor camping.
Chad Kropp
Risk Consultant
Chad provides comprehensive insurance solutions for large property, construction, trucking and hauling services, and home elevation and house lifting services. With expertise across these specialized industry sectors, he understands the unique risks and coverage needs that each business faces. As a Louisiana State University alum with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration, Chad leverages strong analytical and relationship-building skills to deliver tailored insurance programs that protect clients' operations and assets. Chad enjoys playing golf, attending sporting events, and traveling.
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Contact Center
Need to report a claim, pay a bill, request an ID card or a proof of insurance certificate? Below is a list of companies we represent.
Berkshire Hathaway Homestate Companies
Berkshire Hathaway Guard Insurance Companies
Foremost, a Farmers Insurance Company
EXPERT EDUCATION
Events and Webinars
Employee Benefits
New Era, New Options: Understanding the Employee Benefit Impact of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) and Direct Primary Care
With the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), the employee benefits landscape is shifting. This webinar brings together legislative insight and real-world application to help employers and advisors make informed decisions in a changing regulatory environment.
September 25, 2025 at 02:00 pm CT | Virtual
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Wealth Services
State of the Markets
Join us as we unveil the factors that drive the nation's financial pulse and how they may impact your personal finances.
October 22, 2025 at 12:00 pm CT | Virtual
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Employee Benefits
Q4 2025 Quarterly Compliance Webinar
Alera Group's quarterly employee benefits compliance roundup will help you stay current on the latest national regulatory developments impacting employers.
November 4, 2025 at 01:00 pm CT | Virtual
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Insights
Property and Casualty
Alera Group’s 2025 Property and Casualty Market Update
Alera Group’s 2025 Property and Casualty Market Update, designed as a bridge between Alera Group’s annual Market Outlooks — provides insight into pricing, coverage availability, market capacity and underwriting trends for the balance of 2025.
August 1, 2025
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Employee Benefits
Legal Alert: IRS Issues Affordability Percentage Adjustment for 2026
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has released Rev. Proc. 2025-25, which contains the inflation adjusted amounts for 2026 used to determine whether employer-sponsored coverage is “affordable” for purposes of the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) employer shared responsibility provisions and premium tax credit program.
July 23, 2025
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Employee Benefits
Legal Alert: Enforcement of the HIPAA Reproductive Health Care Privacy Rule Vacated Nationwide
On June 18, 2025, a federal district court in Texas vacated a significant portion of the HIPAA Privacy Rule to Support Reproductive Health Care Privacy (“Final Rule”), which was implemented on April 24, 2024, on a nationwide basis. The Final Rule, which was implemented in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (effectively overturning Roe v. Wade), was intended to protect the ability of individuals to receive reproductive health care when the care is provided lawfully under the circumstances without risk of an individual’s identity or health information being disclosed for purposes of state criminal, civil or administrative investigations (or for imposing liability related to lawfully providing or obtaining reproductive healthcare).
July 21, 2025
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Legal Alert: Employee Benefits Provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act
On July 3, 2025, Congress passed a reconciliation bill (the “Reconciliation Act”) previously named the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, but subsequently redesignated “An Act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to title II of H. Con. Res. 14.”
July 8, 2025
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