When Brian Hudler started out in the insurance business, he had an accounting background and no industry experience. Now, he is one of the country’s top oil and gas insurance professionals.
Hudler, senior vice president of the energy and marine group at Alliant Insurance Services in Fort Worth, focuses on risk management for the energy industry – specifically the upstream and midstream sectors. By tapping into his deep knowledge of oil and gas operations and the corresponding insurance products, he has quickly risen to the top of the pack, and was recognized as one of Oil and Gas Investor’s “20 Under 40” in 2014.
His career path, however, was unusual.
Starting as a business major at Texas A&M University, Hudler entertained thoughts of becoming an attorney and remembers thinking his friends who were studying insurance must have “the most boring major ever.”
After graduating, Hudler interned with a Dallas oil company before moving to Detroit to work in operations at the Ford Motor Company. After a couple of years, he returned to Texas and continued working for Ford and a consulting basis.
Toward the end of 2006, a friend happened to introduce Hudler to John Ludwig, CEO of EnRisk Services in Fort Worth – a company that specialized in insurance and risk management for the energy industry.
“It just fit,” Hudler said.
Ludwig became his mentor, working closely with him to learn the insurance business, develop goals, and grow his book of business. While Hudler’s own success grew, so did that of the company, and EnRisk was acquired by Alliant in October 2013.
With that new alliance, Hudler was able to expand his focus nationally and serve a significant portion of the oil and gas community.
Today, Hudler says he owes his success to Ludwig’s mentorship as well as the time he spends getting to know potential clients and sharing his knowledge of the oil and gas industry. This consultative approach is particularly efficient in the industry, he says.
“I think a lot of people in our office would say we know oil and gas first and insurance second,” Hudler said. “That’s generally how I win clients. Because we are so specific in the types of clients we work with, we are able to demonstrate our technical prowess.”
