NEW MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

Meet Conor Walsh, Commercial Risk Advisor at J. Krug

Welcome to EFBC, Conor! Can you tell us a little about what you do and how you got to where you are now?

I’ve been at J. Krug for eight years now. It’s a family-owned independent insurance brokerage that started in 1986. I work on the retail side, so I go out to business owners and help them with their insurance needs. Before this, I was in banking.

I just knew I couldn’t sit behind a desk all day, every day. Some people thrive with structure. I need the opposite. So I started meeting with people, exploring different parts of the insurance industry. I talked to a mentor, and from there it was like a chain reaction. Everyone I met gave me more names, and eventually I met Tom at J. Krug. He was one of the first people to really encourage me to consider the retail side. I was 24 at the time, and the idea of walking into businesses and trying to sell them insurance felt kind of intimidating. But Tom gave me some confidence. And I liked that it was a smaller company—I’ve always been drawn to that.

Why the preference for smaller businesses?

I grew up working for small businesses. My dad had a manufacturing business, so I saw firsthand what it’s like. And at a small company, you can actually see the impact of your work. Since I joined, we’ve expanded the office and doubled in size. You can feel that growth in a real, tangible way.

How did you first hear about EFBC?

Dave Horvath told me about it. Our families have been close for as long as I can remember. He mentioned EFBC years ago, maybe around 2020, but COVID had just hit and I didn’t really look into it.

Now that I am at the right stage in my career to join, I started thinking about the group again. So I texted Dave and was like, “Hey, what was that group you were telling me about?” When I went to the first meeting I kind of got the vibe that it’s not about speed-dating-style business development. It’s more about having a problem and a platform where you can voice that—not around your colleagues—and get candid answers and real help. And at the same time, you don’t want to come home to your family and vent all your daily issues either. So it was like, this is kind of perfect.

What drew you to join?

I’ve done a lot of traditional networking. Early in your career, you have to do that to build something. But at a certain point, you want something different. EFBC felt like a place where I could just be myself. You’re not pitching, you’re not trying to impress anyone—you’re just being real. And I think that’s actually a faster way to make real connections.

What do you like to do outside of work?

I play a lot of guitar. I golf—which, yeah, I know, everyone golfs—but I really enjoy it. And I’m really into skeet shooting. I actually have a tournament in Peoria coming up and will be there for three days. That’s one of my big hobbies.

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