Jim Hays

Mr. Hays has served on our Board since April 2020. From October 2018 to April 2024. Mr. Hays served as Vice Chair and as a member of the Board of Brown & Brown, Inc., a public insurance brokerage company. From 1994 to October 2018, Mr. Hays served as Chief Executive Officer of Hays Companies, an insurance broker he founded in 1994 that was acquired by Brown & Brown, Inc. in October 2018. During his tenure at Hays Companies, he developed the organization into a nationwide leader in risk management, P&C, employee benefits, and personal lines insurance. Overseeing more than 25 years of growth, starting from a seven-person operation to a large-scale firm with more than 700 teammates in 30 offices.

Previously he was the Chairman and CEO of RHH of Minnesota from 1987 through 1994, where he started the business from scratch and obtained the Office of the Year. Mr. Hays has his MBA in Finance from the University of Minnesota – Carlson School of Management.