COMPANY

Ark Royal Insurance Company has offered homeowners insurance to Florida property owners since 2008. The company has earned a Demotech A/Exceptional financial stability rating and has also purchased Excess of Loss and Catastrophe Reinsurance that is more than double the minimum standards required by the state of Florida.

PARTNERSHIP

Ark Royal is managed by ASI Underwriters, a proven insurance group offering policies through independent agents in states across the country. The company has provided Florida property insurance since 1998 and is known for financial stability in turbulent times. In fact, ASI registered the lowest ratio of complaints with the state of Florida to overall hurricane claims during the difficult 2004 season. Today, the company is rated as A (Excellent) and positive by AM Best. To learn more about our reinsurance program and business philosophy, click here.

DIRECTORS/OFFICERS

Dennis Ruppel has been a partner in Johnson, Pope, Bokor, Ruppel & Burns, LLP since 1978, is president of MTD Holdings, LLC and is general or managing partner for various other interests. From 2003 to 2007, Mr. Ruppel was a director of Signature Bank and a member of its Loan and Asset and Liability Committees. He was also a director and a member of the Executive and Loan Committees of Marine Bank for 12 years, and served as that bank’s chairman from 1997 to 1998.

An honors graduate of Fordham College, Mr. Ruppel also holds a Doctor of Laws degree with highest honors from the University of Michigan. He serves as a trustee fellow for Fordham University in New York, as a trustee and member of the Executive Committee of Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida, and is past president of R’Club Childcare, Inc., for whom he how serves as secretary. He is also a past director and past president of Pinellas Village, Inc., and is a graduate of Leadership St. Petersburg.

Since 1987, Robert Willis has been a partner with Skelton, Willis, Bennett & Wallace, LLP. He is also a director and serves as general counsel for Sabal Trust Company and is a past director and corporate secretary for Signature Bank.

Mr. Willis graduated summa cum laude from Washington & Lee University with a Bachelor of Science, attended St. Andrews University in Fife, Scotland, as a recipient of the 1981-82 Rotary Foundation Educational Award, and graduated cum laude from Harvard Law School with a Juris Doctor. He is also a graduate of the ABA National Graduate Trust School at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.

Mr. Willis has been a member of the Boy Scouts of America, West Central Florida Council since 1967, and has served as a member of the Executive Board since 1989, including two years as president. He is also on the Board of Trustees for the Salvador Dali Museum and has been a member of the Suncoasters volunteer civic leadership group since 1990.

Past involvement includes serving as a Board of Trustees member for Shorecrest Preparatory School in St. Petersburg, Florida, as well as on various Florida Bar committees, including the Probate Law Committee Real Property, Probate & Trust Section, the Pinellas County Inns of Court, and the St. Petersburg Bar Association.

Craig Sher is Executive Chairman of The Sembler Company of St. Petersburg, Florida, one of the country's most recognized shopping center development and management firms. Prior to joining The Sembler Company in 1984, Sher was vice president of finance and head of the Office Building Division for the Rutenberg Corporation of Clearwater, Florida. He began his career with Arthur Andersen & Co. in Chicago, Illinois.

Mr. Sher is well-known in the business and civic community, actively participating in a variety of organizations. He is a Board member of the Sabal Trust Company, Lifestyles Family Fitness, the St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership, the Pinellas County Education Foundation, the University of Florida Center for Real Estate Studies, and All Children’s Hospital; an Advisory Board member of Whitney Bank and Habitat for Humanity of Pinellas County; and a director of the Real Estate Investment Council, Chair of the Board of Trustees for CASA, a member of the National Campaign Cabinet of the Development Corporation for State of Israel Bonds, and a member of the National Advisory Council for Northwestern University School of Communication.

Frank Peck joined American Strategic Insurance Company as vice president of Marketing in 1999 and has been instrumental in helping build the company to its current success. For the past two years, he was also associated with e-Ins Processing Company, an ASI affiliate that processes and issues ASI’s insurance business.

Before joining ASI, Mr. Peck, a graduate of the University of Miami, retired from Allstate Insurance Company after 26 years. Originally an agent, he served as a regional sales manager, then as a marketing director in the firm’s Chicago headquarters before becoming an officer and managing field operations for several states.

Ann Worthington formerly served as chief financial officer for Signature Financial Holdings prior to its merger with Whitney Holdings. Before that, she provided financial consulting to several small businesses, was director of finance for Bankers Insurance Group, and spent more than 14 years with SouthTrust bank, including serving as the SouthTrust Bank of West Florida’s Chief Financial Officer. A certified public accountant, Ms. Worthington began her career with the KPMG Peat Marwick public accounting firm.

Ms. Worthington is a cum laude graduate of Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio.  Among other civic involvements past and present, she serves on the Finance Committee of the Board of CASA.

Mr. Daniels is Senior Vice President of Ark Royal Insurance Company. Before joining Ark Royal, he worked in the Road and Highway Industry for 20 years, serving as owner and president of a large regional construction company in the Tampa Bay area. Mr. Daniels was a founding director of Signature Bank in St. Petersburg, Florida in 1998 and serves on the Whitney National Bank Advisory Board. For several years subsequent to the road construction business, he owned and operated a successful commercial charter fishing business in Southwest Florida.

In addition to his duties at Ark Royal, he owns a commercial real estate company, as well as a working cattle ranch in South Central Florida. He currently serves and has served on numerous charitable and professional boards over the past 25 years at local, state, and national levels. Mr. Daniels is a Florida State University alumnus and has been married to Leslie Bulleit Daniels since 1986. They were both born and raised in St. Petersburg and have three sons in college. In his spare time, he enjoys golfing, hunting, and fishing.

Chris Kard joined Ark Royal in November 2011 and serves as Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer. Prior to joining Ark Royal, Mr. Kard was the controller for a Florida-based homeowner's insurance company. Mr. Kard spent over 10 years with the public accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, serving in the firm's offices in Tampa, Florida, San José, California and Copenhagen, Denmark. At PwC, Mr. Kard worked with clients in a diverse range of industries including insurance, manufacturing, sports teams and defense contractors. Mr. Kard began his career with Bankers Insurance Group in St. Petersburg.

Mr. Kard holds a bachelor's degree in accounting from Stetson University and an M.B.A. from the University of Florida. Mr. Kard is a certified public accountant (CPA) licensed in Florida and California. Mr. Kard is a member of the Florida Institute of CPAs and the American Institute of CPAs. Locally, Mr. Kard supports child abuse prevention and other causes through his involvement in the Exchange Club of St. Petersburg.