Page 4 - City of Hope NIIC 2022 SOL Journal

2022 Spirit of Life® Honoree
Joel Cavaness
President, Risk Placement Services Inc
Since 1997, Joel D. Cavaness has served as President of Risk Placement Services, Inc. (RPS). After cofounding RPS as a scratch operation, he has been instrumental in driving its rapid growth to become one of the largest U.S. wholesale brokers, managing general agents and program managers. From RPS’s home office in Rolling Meadows, Illinois, Joel currently leads a team of nearly 3,000 professionals in more than 80 offices. Prior to establishing RPS, Joel was President of International Special Risk Services, Inc. (ISRS), which provided specialized insurance placements for Gallagher’s retail customers. He joined Gallagher in St. Louis in 1986, working his way up to Area VP by 1990, until relocating to Gallagher’s home office in 1996 to lead ISRS. Before joining Gallagher, he spent several years as a casualty underwriter for standard and excess/surplus lines carriers.
Joel is an active champion of corporate social responsibility and fosters a culture of community involvement and giving. Under his leadership, the RPS team annually gives thousands of hours of service and raises funds for causes important to the communities where they live and work. As part of their 25th Anniversary celebration this year, RPS held a 25 Days of Giving directly benefiting local charities nominated by their colleagues.
Joel is an active member of the Wholesale & Specialty Insurance Association (WSIA), the leading organization representing the wholesale, specialty and surplus lines industry. He served on the organization’s Board of Directors since 2010 and was Board President for the 2019-2020 term.
A graduate of Southeast Missouri State University with a B.S. in Business Administration, Joel additionally holds Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) and Associate in Risk Management (ARM) designations.