In this executive spotlight, Michael Labadorf, the executive vice president of Brown & Brown Insurance, shares his career background and insights on insurance challenges facing nonprofit community rec centers today.
Labadorf also details what excites him most about the future of the industry and his tip pieces of advice for rec center leaders.
Read the full Q&A with Labadorf below:
Community Rec: Can you share a short overview of your career background and how you got to your current role?
Michael Labadorf: I’m the great grandson of my firm’s founder who started the business in 1904. My great uncles and my father worked here, so you could say I was born into the job.
CM: What are you currently most focused on in your position?
ML: I’m most focused now on YMCAs and rec centers as the need for specialization is acute. We’ve been ensuring summer camps since 1920, and as a result we now insure dozens of YMCAs across the nation.
CM: What problem in the industry are you most passionate about solving?
ML: I’m most passionate about solving the YMCA insurance availability and affordability crisis.
CM: What trend in the industry are you paying closest attention to right now?
ML: While insurance premiums have generally started to decline for most businesses, we do not see the same for YMCAs and rec centers. We closely monitor the insurance market for new players and solutions.
CM: What is one challenge operators or leaders in this market are facing today?
ML: Centers are experiencing rising premiums, lower sex abuse limits and lower excess liability (umbrella) limits. Insurance underwriting for Ys has become increasingly more stringent.
CM: What opportunity or area of growth excites you most about the future?
ML: My office just received the Brown & Brown office of the year award for 2025 out of over 350 offices. We see YMCAs and rec centers as a very worthwhile sector and one that is underserved by insurance broker specialists.
CM: What is one piece of advice or philosophy you would share with our audience?
ML: I would advise any rec center leader to carefully consider looking at their insurance portfolio six months in advance and picking a broker who can best market and service their insurance challenges. Don’t simply rely on a local broker just for perceived convenience.
CM: How does your company or solution help support customers or the industry overall?
ML: We attend every major YMCA Conference, including the Community Rec Leadership Summit, the YMCA CFO Conference, the YMCA Risk Management Conference and General Assembly. We attend these conferences to introduce ourselves to YMCAs and define how we can assist them.
