Merchants Leadership
Merchants Officers
Executive Committee
Larry Taylor
Chairman of the Board & PresidentWest Des Moines, Iowa
William Warner, Jr.
Senior Vice President of Operations & Corporate SecretaryWest Des Moines, Iowa
Don Blum
Chief Financial Officer & TreasurerWest Des Moines, Iowa
Josh Penwell
Senior Vice President, Contract UnderwritingWest Des Moines, Iowa
Jim Holter
Vice President, Commercial SuretyWest Des Moines, Iowa
Therese Wielage
Vice President, MarketingWest Des Moines, Iowa
Steve Dorenkamp
Vice President, Claims ManagerWest Des Moines, Iowa
Brad Rasmussen
Chief Information OfficerWest Des Moines, Iowa
Contract Underwriting
Jason Dettbarn [AFSB]
Vice President, Contract UnderwritingWest Des Moines, Iowa
Kirk Rathjen [AFSB]
Regional Vice President, Contract UnderwritingWest Des Moines, Iowa
Doug Schnicker
Regional Vice President, Contract UnderwritingWest Des Moines, Iowa
Ed Sipfle [AFSB, CPCU]
Regional Vice President, Contract UnderwritingWest Des Moines, Iowa
Chris Bachman
Assistant Vice President, Contract Underwriting[Phoenix Branch Manager]
Phoenix, Arizona
Mike Foster [AFSB]
Assistant Vice President, Contract Underwriting[Kansas City Branch Manager]
Kansas City, Kansas
Keenan Lehmann
Regional Vice President, Contract Underwriting[Austin Branch Manager]
Austin, Texas
Justin Price [AFSB]
Assistant Vice President, Contract Underwriting[Seattle Branch Manager]
Seattle, Washington
Aaron Raschke [AFSB]
Regional Vice President, Contract UnderwritingWest Des Moines, Iowa
Cody White [AFSB]
Assistant Vice President, Contract Underwriting[Dallas Branch Manager]
Dallas, Texas
Commercial Underwriting
Terry Frederick
Assistant Vice President, Commercial UnderwritingWest Des Moines, Iowa
Corporate Service
Stacey Cale
Assistant Vice President, Human Resources DirectorWest Des Moines, Iowa
Jay Farley
Assistant Vice President, Assistant Claims ManagerWest Des Moines, Iowa
Connie Israel
Assistant Vice President, Compliance OfficerWest Des Moines, Iowa
Merchants Board of Directors
Larry Taylor
Chairman of the Board & President
Lloyd Taylor
Director
Bill Taylor
Director
William Warner, Jr.
Senior Vice President of Operations & Corporate Secretary
Jan Taylor
Director
Don Kemp
Director
Melissa Warner
Director
Jeff Taylor
Director
Bill Burke
Director
Industry Involvement
Industry Association/Committee Leadership
Larry Taylor
Chairman of the Board & President
- Chairman of the Board of the Surety & Fidelity Association of America (SFAA)
- Young Presidents’ Organization - Gold Chapter Officer
William Warner, Jr.
Senior Vice President of Operations & Corporate Secretary
- Past Chair of National Association of Independent Sureties (NAIS)
- Vistage Executive Peer Advisory Group
Steve Dorenkamp
Vice President, Claims Manager
- Board of Director of the National Bond Claims Association (NBCA)
- The Surety & Fidelity Association of America (SFAA) - Government Affairs Advisory Committee
- The Surety & Fidelity Association of America (SFAA) - Surety Claims Advisory Committee
Jim Holter
Vice President of Commercial Underwriting
- Surety and Fidelity Association of America (SFAA) – Commercial Surety Advisory Committee
- National Association of Independent Sureties (NAIS) – Surety School Educator
Therese Wielage
Vice President of Marketing
- National Association of Surety Bond Producers (NASBP) – Marketing Task Force
- Chair of Surety and Fidelity Association of America (SFAA) – Communications Advisory Committee
Brad Rasmussen
Chief Information Officer
- Board of Directors of Technology Association of Iowa (TAI)
- National Association of Surety Bond Producers (NASBP) – Technology Sub-Committee
Josh Penwell
Senior Vice President of Contract Underwriting
- Surety and Fidelity Association of America (SFAA) – Contract Bond Advisory Committee
Stacey Cale
Assistant Vice President, Human Resource Director
- Surety and Fidelity Association of America (SFAA) – Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Committee
Mike Foster
Assistant Vice President of Contract Underwriting
- Surety and Fidelity Association of America (SFAA) – Contract Bond Advisory Committee
Keenan Lehmann
Regional Vice President, Contract Underwriting
- Board Member of the Texas Surety Federation
Nate Cook
Senior Contract Underwriter
- President of the Surety Association of Iowa
Kathryne Willman
Contract Underwriter
- Surety Association of Kansas City – Social Committee Member
Michelle Patterson
Commercial Underwriter
- National Association of Surety Bond Producers (NASBP) – Commercial Surety Advisory Committee
Gina Lockwood
Senior Claims Attorney
- Surety & Fidelity Association of America (SFAA) – Government Affairs committee
Dan Lengeling
Assistant Director, Commercial Surety
- Vaughan Institute of Risk Management – Young Alumni Board of Directors
Industry Association Membership
Accounting and Finance Women’s Alliance
Asphalt Paving Association of Iowa (APAI)
Associated Builders and Contractors of Arkansas
Associated Builders and Contractors of Oklahoma
Associated General Contractors of America (AGC)
Associated General Contractors (AGC) of Colorado
Associated General Contractors (AGC) of Dallas/Fort Worth
Associated General Contractors (AGC) of Iowa
Associated General Contractors (AGC) of Missouri
Associated General Contractors (AGC) of North Dakota
Associated General Contractors (AGC) of San Diego
Associated General Contractors (AGC) of South Dakota
Associated General Contractors (AGC) of Texas
Association of Insurance Compliance Professionals (AICP)
Builders Exchange of Ohio
California Surety Federation (CSF)
Central Iowa Society for Human Resource Management (CISHRM)
Central Iowa Association for Talent Development (ATD Central Iowa Chapter)
Colorado Contractors Association
Construction Financial Management Association (CFMA)
Construction Financial Management Association (CFMA) of Iowa
Construction Financial Management Association (CFMA) of Central Texas
Construction Financial Management Association (CFMA) of Houston
Construction Financial Management Association (CFMA) of Orange County
Construction Financial Management Association (CFMA) of San Diego
Contractors Association of West Virginia (CAWV)
Houston Contractors Association
International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP)
Independent Insurance Agents (IIA) of Austin
Independent Insurance Agents (IIA) of Illinois
Independent Insurance Agents (IIA) of Texas
Insurance Accounting and Systems Association (IASA)
Iowa Association of Surety Companies (IASC)
Iowa Society of Certified Public Accountants (ISCPA)
Iowa Task Force for Conservatorship Law Reform
Kansas Contractors Association (KCA)
Master Builders of Iowa (MBI)
Mid-Atlantic Surety Association
National Association of Independent Sureties (NAIS)
National Association of Surety Bond Producers (NASBP)
National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC)
National Bond Claims Association (NBCA)
National Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)
Ohio Contractors Association (OCA)
Philadelphia Surety Claims Association
Rocky Mountain Surety Association
Surety Association of Arizona
Surety Association of Connecticut
Surety Association of Dallas
Surety Association of Florida
Surety Association of Houston
Surety Association of Illinois
Surety Association of Iowa
Surety Association of Indiana
Surety Association of Kentucky
Surety Association of Massachusetts
Surety Association of Michigan
Surety Association of Nevada
Surety Association of New Jersey
Surety Association of New York
Surety Association of Northern California
Surety Association of Ohio
Surety Association of Philadelphia
Surety Association of Pittsburgh
Surety Association of San Diego
Surety Association of Wisconsin
Surety and Fidelity Association of America (SFAA)
Surety Underwriters Association of Southern California
Texas Surety Federation