A Meeting of The Minds

Each year for the past 24 years, Steve Menzies, founder and chairman, Applied Underwriters, and Jamie Sahara, president and co-founder, have coordinated and facilitated A Meeting of the Minds. Having recently attended this event, from my perspective, A Meeting of the Minds is an eclectic interaction of talented professionals focused on the successful delivery of traditional insurance coverage as well as development and distribution of innovative insurance coverages responding to the emerging challenges that businesses and consumers must address.

Consistent with the mission at Applied Underwriters, every step of their journey strives to innovate transformative ideas. Applied Underwriters began that journey addressing workers’ compensation insurance. They saw a difficult, heavily regulated line of insurance and made it their singular focus to make it better. They did this by learning the intricacies of workers’ compensation insurance as well as the human risk that the coverage was designed to address.

Their analysis led to risk management insights focusing on better management of each client’s risk. Deep study and consideration of the human side of that risk created a view of opportunities in a line of insurance where others saw obstacles. Interaction and education of customers introduced Applied Underwriters to other product lines and challenges that they could address for their global collective of loyal customers, distribution partners and other stakeholders.

Today, more than ever, they guide governments, businesses and individuals through financial risk by applying unconventional thinking to the conventional tools of insurance, reinsurance, investing, and business services. They were one of the first to apply technology and analytics to find successful outcomes for addressing the toughest risks.

Concurrently, working with risk and insurance taught them respect for the natural world, its power and fragility, and how it is inextricably linked to the human story behind every risk. Applied takes those lessons to heart and applies them to every new venture they take on. From building a nature conservatory and sustainability-minded community around their new headquarters in Omaha, Nebraska, to bringing a struggling U.S. industry back to life, to finding ways to effectively insure earthquakes and wildfires, Applied ensures every stakeholder has an opportunity to be successful.

Menzies, a lifelong entrepreneur, focused on growth with honor; his achievements include the creation of Applied Underwriters in 1994 and its ascension to a global risk services firm today. Simultaneously, he effectuated positive social outcomes and serious corporate responsibility. Menzies has also invested in employees, enriching the communities in which they work and live, and in several philanthropic causes.

Similarly, as president, Sahara leads the expert delivery of the programs and coverages touching the thousands of stakeholders of Applied Underwriters. A thought leader at the company and for the industry at large, Sahara is recognized as one of the drivers behind the rapid ascension of Applied Underwriters as a partner of choice.

The Meeting of the Minds 2026 took place from March 8 to March 12, 2026. It embodied the principles, beliefs, and values by and between Applied Underwriters and those who similarly believe in responsible action as the most effective, as well as appropriate, path forward.