Mr. Wood has serviced the insurance needs of Southern California business owners for over thirty years. Beginning his career after graduating from the University of Southern California, he has focused his expertise on: manufacturing, contracting and high-risk automobile racing teams. He has served on numerous insurance company advisory committees and continues to provide personalized service to a wide variety of clients. Mr. Wood has over twenty years experience as an agency principal and is our firm’s current Managing Partner.

Mr. Gutmann joined the insurance industry in 1988 following a fifteen-year career as a nuclear engineer with Bechtel Power Corporation. His expertise has focused on Energy, Engineering & Construction, Environmental and Technology companies while he continues to serve many clients in the Manufacturing and Service sectors as well. He has served as director for Associated General Contractors of California for several years and has taught risk management courses to undergraduate business students at California State University Fullerton (CSUF). Mr. Gutmann is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and received his Masters of Business Administration degree from CSUF where he is very active in the Center for Insurance Studies and the Dean’s Advisory Board for the College of Business.

Kevin S. Bogart, CPA, CPCU has over 16 years experience in the commercial insurance industry. Mr. Bogart is a licensed CPA and is a Partner with Wood Gutmann & Bogart Insurance Brokers. He specializes in the insurance and risk management needs of many larger, sophisticated clients. Mr. Bogart specializes in the commercial property and casualty insurance needs for business enterprises operating within the Construction, Manufacturing, Hospitality and Service / Entertainment industries. He is a graduate of the University of Southern California with a Bachelor of Science in Business/Accounting. Mr. Bogart also attended graduate school courses at the Peter F. Drucker Graduate School of Business Management Program at Claremont Colleges. Prior to joining Wood Gutmann & Bogart in 1990, Mr. Bogart served as a large line Underwriter with CNA Insurance Company. At CNA, Mr. Bogart specialized in the underwriting of all lines of commercial property and casualty insurance coverages for sophisticated construction operations throughout California . In May of 1999, Mr. Bogart was awarded the prestigious “CPCU” designation in recognition of his successful completion of a series of examinations, requisite professional experience, and ethical practices.

Mr. Milne transitioned to the insurance industry after four years of managing commercial real estate for the Irvine Company, and three years of auditing at KPMG Peat Marwick. As a CPA with a strong financial background, he uses his experience to analyze client's exposures and develop cost effective alternatives to protect their financial interests. Scott is a graduate of the University of Southern California with a degree in accounting. He has developed long term client relationships in numerous industries, including Construction, Property Management, Building Ownership, Banking, Manufacturing, and the Mortgage industry.

Jeff Davinni has been a licensed commercial property and casualty insurance broker with Wood Gutmann & Bogart Insurance Brokers since 2003. He earned his B.S. in Finance in 1990 with an emphasis in financial planning from San Diego State University and also holds an MBA in marketing from San Diego State University in 1996. Jeff began his career in the food & beverage industry where he represented popular wine and spirit brands such as Smirnoff and BV wines. He then spent 10 years with a successful start-up software company, which grew to over 14,000 clients. He writes coverage for all types of industries with a specific focus on restaurants / food service and the medical industry including physician practices, nursing homes, home health care and manufacturers and distributors of various medical products and cosmetics/personal care products.

A lifetime Californian, Mr. Lapkin comes to Wood Gutmann & Bogart after a career in commercial real estate and insurance that began in 1988. While with CB Commercial Real Estate, Dave provided professional brokerage services to property owners, developers and office and industrial tenancies. Consequently, his primary expertise is in the analysis and management of risks for concerns related to real estate, staffing, manufacturing and distribution.
Dave received a degree in Economics and a minor in Management from the University of California, Irvine. Dave maintains an active presence on the campus and he is currently serving as President and is in his 15th year on the UCI Athletic Foundation's Board of Directors.

Upon graduating from California Polytechnic State University (San Luis Obispo) with a degree in Business Finance, Mr. Peters embarked on his successful insurance career; first, serving as a Property & Liability Underwriter with Aetna Insurance for three years, followed by three years as a Senior Property & Liability Underwriter with the CNA Companies. His commendable work and unique experience with those carriers provided him with a unique understanding of carrier operations, advanced underwriting, and laid the foundation for several long-standing working relationships with some of Southern California’s leading advanced-market underwriters. Following his six years on the “carrier side,” Mr. Peters began work as a commercial broker for a large, regional insurance firm. In recognition of his outstanding service to the firm and its clientele, Mr. Peters soon achieved partnership at the youngest age of any person in the agency’s history. Furthering his career, both educationally and professionally, Mr. Peters then earned the industry’s leading designation of Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) while contributing to growth of the firm, and helping it to become the largest privately-held insurance agency in Los Angeles County. Following the firm’s acquisition by a national brokerage house, Mr. Peters established his own successful agency, which he then merged with Wood Gutmann & Bogart in 2006. Mr. Peters notes that he derives his greatest professional satisfaction by applying his broad professional experience in order to develop informed, client-specific, results-oriented insurance solutions for his clients at Wood Gutmann & Bogart.

David Plotnik brings thirteen years of insurance industry experience to Wood Gutmann & Bogart Insurance Brokers. Early in his career, he invested two years as a Commercial Underwriter with SAFECO Insurance Company, where he underwrote Commercial Property, Liability, Automobile and Workers' Compensation coverage. Upon transitioning to the brokerage ranks, David joined J.F. Plotnik Insurance Brokers as an Account Executive. By working closely with the company principal, David learned all facets of insurance brokerage operations, and serviced several national corporations. Upon relocating with his wife and children to Orange County, David joined the international insurance brokerage firm Willis Insurance Services, where he was responsible for producing and servicing middle market and risk management accounts. Since joining Wood Gutmann & Bogart, David has specialized in working with manufacturers, advertising and marketing companies, hotels, restaurants, non-profits and commercial developers. He successfully earned a degree in Economics from the University of California, Los Angeles, and he has completed several courses in advanced insurance coverage analysis.

Erin de Lucia brings over ten years experience in the commercial insurance industry. Upon graduating from the University of California at Riverside with a degree in Business Administration, Ms. de Lucia started her career as a Commercial Claims Examiner with Allstate Insurance. Having gained foundational knowledge and experience in the industry, Erin transitioned into sales in 1998 and was, until joining WGBIB, employed with a brokerage firm in Los Angeles County. As a Commercial Broker, Ms. de Lucia specializes in the placement and subsequent servicing of property and casualty insurance for medium to large commercial risks. Erin has developed strong relationships with clients in numerous industries including Manufacturing, Wholesaling, Property Management and Service.

Keith Miller earned his B.A. in Communications with an emphasis in Public Relations from California State University Fullerton. After graduation Keith worked as a manufacturer’s representative gaining valuable knowledge of the manufacturing and distribution of goods. Keith applies this knowledge to assist his clients with the insurance challenges owners face in today’s business climate. Keith’s principle areas of expertise are in the placement and servicing of property and casualty insurance for manufacturing, auto dealers and construction companies. Keith is very involved in the community and a proud member of the Yorba Linda Sunrise Rotary Club.

Mr. Balian has over 24 years experience in the commercial insurance and risk management industry. Holder of the prestigious Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) and Associate in Risk Management (ARM) designations, John has won numerous awards for outstanding performance in sales and servicing of commercial insurance and risk management products. Mr. Balian is a graduate of UCLA and holds a graduate degree (M.A.) from the Annenberg School of Communications at the University of Southern California. Currently, John’s focus is in the energy, manufacturing, and Tribal Enterprise industries.

George Reisch brings a wealth of knowledge to his clientele at Wood Gutmann & Bogart. Reisch holds a BS in Business Finance from San Diego State University. Upon graduation, Reisch worked for a Fortune 500 insurance company being trained in various aspects of the insurance business including underwriting, claims handling, sales and distribution. Reisch was then recruited and retained by one of the largest insurance brokers in the nation as an assistant vice president focusing on commercial insurance production. Reisch’s concentration of practice is in risk management and insurance placements for clientele in the manufacturing, distribution, construction, and auto-related fields. Reisch supports and volunteers his time at various local charities and resides in Long Beach, CA.

Ms. Berger has been in the insurance industry for the past 20 years; her entrée being with State Farm’s Regional office in 1990 in the personal lines underwriting department. She then moved to sales for a State Farm Agent in Costa Mesa where she excelled at assessing and insuring risks for her clientele in small to mid-sized commercial accounts. An opportunity came to fruition to move into an outside sales position for Ricoh Corporation representing technology office equipment where she was successful at being the top sales rep in CA working with large organizations like Mitsubishi Motors and Yamaha. She returned to the insurance business in 2007 as a broker excelling with much success insuring sporting facilities, food manufactures, non profit organizations, restaurants, bars and taverns and much more.

Mr. Schmid has nearly thirty years experience in insurance and risk management services with emphasis in national and international programs and accounts. A graduate of Bradley University, George Schmid has held positions as Vice President, Specialty Programs for EPIC, Vice President of Marketing/Business Development for Aon, Vice President/Director of Property & Casualty Affinity Business North America for Alexander & Alexander, Corporate Officer of Commercial Mass Marketing for Royal Insurance Company, Corporate Vice President of Direct Marketing for Protective Life Insurance Company, and Corporate Vice President/Director of National Accounts and Agency Marketing for RLI Corp/RLI Insurance Company*/Mt. Hawley Insurance Company* (*member of the board of Directors). Mr. Schmid is currently the Executive Program Director for Wood Gutmann & Bogart Insurance Brokers in Southern California; his focus being the design and management of national and international programs.

With over thirty five years in the insurance industry, Mr. Hainlen offers a wealth of experience to clients, while enlisting a consultative approach to assist in implementing cost management and process improvement strategies.

Having specialized expertise with larger risk management oriented clients, Mr. Hainlen targets clientele seeking to understand and potentially enlist alternative funding approaches to traditional insurance placements, leveraging his experience with retros, deductible programs, self-insurance (including group self-insurance) and captives, supported by financial modeling, forecasting and actuarial based accrual analyses. These more sophisticated funding methods then require his passion for implementing effective risk management controls to exceed expectations.

After graduating from Colorado State University with a Bachelor of Science in Manufacturing Management, Mr. Hainlen began his career with large carriers and transitioned to national brokerage firms (Johnson & Higgins, A&A and Marsh), gaining the knowledge and capability to provide valued services to a broad spectrum of clients.

Mr. Sachs began his insurance career five years ago in San Diego, California. He has since become an integral part in the growth of the Emerging Business Unit within Wood Gutmann & Bogart. He is well versed in online rating systems that focus on quick turnaround time and superior coverage for small to medium sized businesses. The Emerging Business Unit focuses on, but is not limited to, businesses with five to fifty employees ranging in operations such as retail, light manufacturing, wholesale and distribution and the service industry.

Lisa Doherty (formerly Murphy) has 20 years of sales and management experience, with 16 of those years in the insurance industry. Her knowledge and expertise in Personal Lines insurance products for High Net Worth individuals and families is extensive and well recognized. She has been a California State licensed Property and Casualty Agent since 1996. Lisa joined Wood Gutmann & Bogart in 1998 and successfully heads the Personal Lines Department, which is currently the fastest growing department in the agency.

Lisa is a Southern California native and resides in Aliso Viejo with her husband and two children.

Taylor graduated from Arizona State University in 1998 with a B.A. in Sociology. He joined Wood Gutmann & Bogart Insurance Brokers in 2005 after working with another leading broker as a producer in the Personal Lines Department. He specializes in personal insurance solutions for high net worth individuals and their families all over California. Taylor has an insurance background as his father has been an agent for over 30 years.

Lupe Erwin, a personal insurance advisor and producer at Wood Gutmann & Bogart Insurance Brokers, has managed risk for high net worth families for over 19 years. She is a noted specialist in custom home design and reconstruction, art collections, domestic staff employment practices protection and associated risk mitigation strategies. Erwin also provides a broad range of functional expertise that extends to personal aviation, yachts, family office and high limit personal excess liability insurance. Ms. Erwin provides clients with broad knowledge of current marketplace terms and conditions relating to sophisticated and complex personal lines accounts. Erwin is fluent in Spanish and her clients include foreign executives and families. Erwin is a member of several professional and philanthropic organizations including NAIW (National Association of Insurance Women / International), HBWA (Hispanic Business Women’s Alliance), Women for Girls (an auxiliary of Girls Inc. of Orange County), Women looking Forward (an auxiliary of the Orange County United Way) and she serves on the board of directors of 44 Women For Children (an auxiliary of the Orangewood Children’s Foundation in Orange County).

Mr. Eshom serves as the partner in charge of our Employee Benefits practice. Mike has over 17 years of experience in the employee benefits industry, which encompasses: Life, Health and Disability Insurance. He also offers Retirement Planning Services through Lincoln Financial Securities, a Registered Investment Advisor. Prior to entering the insurance industry, Mike was an accountant serving in the U.S. Air Force. He is a graduate of the University of Maryland and is an active member of the Orange County Employee Benefit Council and several other Employee Benefit industry organizations. CA State Insurance License #0612763

Mr. Janssen joined WGIB in 2001. With over 18 years in the large group/financial services and employee benefits area. John brings a wealth of experience in crafting solutions to clients varied employee benefit and financial challenges (Life, Health, Disability, 401(k), Long Term Care). John  offers Financial Services through Lincoln Financial Securities Corp., a registered broker/dealer, and holds numerous professional industry affiliations and coursework. He is also a graduate of the University of Southern California school of Business Administration - Finance. CA State Insurance License #0801244