Ryan Insurance

Wally Wilson, CEO

In 1969, in Pittsburg, Kansas, Ray Ryan started Ryan Insurance—a solitary vision within a single office. More than half a century later that vision continues to flourish as a powerhouse in commercial & personal insurance, with three offices and 15 employees, yet always casting its longest shadow back home, in Pittsburg.

Located in a region highly prone to convective storms, the agency evolved with a sharp focus on creativity and thorough risk assessment to provide the needed coverage for their clients. Drawing on over 20 years of personal experience in the Excess and Surplus (E&S) market—and direct access to Lloyd’s of London—Ryan Insurance designs custom coverage solutions where others see only roadblocks. Today the Agency serves a diverse portfolio that spans contractors, public entities, retail, healthcare and nationally recognized manufacturing companies.

This ability to solve complex coverage challenges has helped fuel the agency’s steady expansion. Today, its presence stretches to metropolitan hubs like Kansas City, outward to Georgia, Colorado, and Nebraska, and other states, while its soul remains firmly grounded in its small-town beginnings. About 75 percent of its business now comes from commercial clients. Each account, whether next door or a state away, bears the fingerprints of Ryan’s original ethos.

That same technical strength and probing curiosity have earned the trust of even the most formidable clients. Whether it’s the world’s second-largest spiral pipe welding operation, a global-scale photo processor, or one of America’s leading fabricators; they all turn to Ryan. Even Mental Health Centers and Community Health Centers deeply complex and personal needs are met with the same standards of care that the agency’s earliest clients received.

Technical Strength and Cyber Leadership

As stalwart Carriers reassess their state presence and strategy, Ryan’s layered programs, aggregate limits, stop-loss protection, and loss caps hold fast like anchors offer financial protection against loss, helping clients withstand the twists and turns of market volatility and regulatory change. Technical ingenuity, however, is only half the tale. At Ryan, there are no commission-driven silos, no gatekeeping producers; just a seamlessly integrated team, with every member a credentialed insurance professional, each empowered to support any client at any time. Collectively, the team brings over two centuries of experience, drawing from backgrounds in insurance, banking, education, and more, ensuring every challenge is met with seasoned insight.

“We offer top-tier expertise with direct access to senior professionals. Clear communication and accountability are standard, and when questions arise, we work quickly to deliver accurate answers on the same day,” says Wally Wilson, CEO.

The result is kinetic: less than 3 percent of client inquiries require follow-up, and claims are shepherded to resolution with a success rate 20 to 25 percent higher than industry standards. The agency’s motto rings out—“If someone tells you to call an 800 number, call Ryan instead,” promising a relationship, not a transaction.

The firm also demonstrates a forward-thinking approach to cyber insurance. From the earliest days of partnering with Hiscox in the 1990s, Ryan has stood at the forefront of digital risk. It now guides public sector clients, with approximately 10 percent of its commercial book dedicated to cyber coverage.

Through alliances with state organizations and carriers, the agency leads educational seminars, ensuring its clients are shielded against threats that once seemed unimaginable. Supporting this is a suite of offerings, from life insurance to voluntary benefits and surety bonds, with plans for a comprehensive benefits department poised to respond as healthcare regulations and workplace needs evolve.

Rooted in Community, Focused on the Future

Deeply embedded in its community, Ryan invests in local civic life as part-owner of the local newspaper and an active supporter of nonprofit and business boards. It devotes 7 to 8 percent of profits to hometown and regional causes.

“If the community grows, our business grows. If the community thrives, we thrive,” states Wilson, distilling a worldview that has propelled the agency and city through decades of change.

Moving forward, Ryan Insurance charts its future with local care, planning additional acquisitions across Southeast Kansas, but vowing never to drift far from its source or it’s values. With each new branch and each handshake, the agency reaffirms its creed: national-caliber expertise, delivered with a neighbor’s listening ear and a guardian’s resolve.